just got back yesterday afternoon from my first rifle season this year. we (my partner and i) were hunting an area that is notoriously difficult, w/ only a 60% success rate for all deer, and lower for buck-only tags (which we were carrying).
we employed every strategy and style of hunting we could. we got in early, and stayed out late, and we didn't come out of the woods during shooting hours. at all.
sunday morning found me half frozen and shivering uncontrollably... couldn't feel fingers or toes... watched a doe or two, passed on a small buck. finally, i hit pay-dirt and had a shooter 4-point down (that would be 8-pointer to those of us who like to run point counts up by counting both sides
). 300 wsm launched a single 180 sierra gameking at 3100 f/s. shot was at a severe uphill angle. the bullet struck the onside lung area about halfway up his body, and exited his backbone, taking a chunk of that w/ it. the bullet is still travelling, i think. of course, the buck never took a step after the shot.
after loading my buck, we hunted at an intensity level that surprised even me. we still-hunted through a very thick area, and at 12:30, we busted a 4x5 at 41 yards. he never had a clue that we were there, and the 308 punched a hole in his chest w/ a 165 gameking that obliterated the bottom of his heart and both lungs. that bullet is also still travelling as far as i know. that buck managed to run about 25 yards, but the blood trail was around 6 feet wide, and it looked as if somebody had come through the forest w/ cans of red paint and were dumping them on the forest floor.
we beat the odds... a little luck, a little skill, and a lot of perserverance netted us both a dandy, mature buck (both bucks had antlers broken, both were scarred pretty good). the adrenaline is just now starting to subside a little... and i gotta say that the victory beer after the hunt was over tasted pretty good!
we employed every strategy and style of hunting we could. we got in early, and stayed out late, and we didn't come out of the woods during shooting hours. at all.
sunday morning found me half frozen and shivering uncontrollably... couldn't feel fingers or toes... watched a doe or two, passed on a small buck. finally, i hit pay-dirt and had a shooter 4-point down (that would be 8-pointer to those of us who like to run point counts up by counting both sides
). 300 wsm launched a single 180 sierra gameking at 3100 f/s. shot was at a severe uphill angle. the bullet struck the onside lung area about halfway up his body, and exited his backbone, taking a chunk of that w/ it. the bullet is still travelling, i think. of course, the buck never took a step after the shot.after loading my buck, we hunted at an intensity level that surprised even me. we still-hunted through a very thick area, and at 12:30, we busted a 4x5 at 41 yards. he never had a clue that we were there, and the 308 punched a hole in his chest w/ a 165 gameking that obliterated the bottom of his heart and both lungs. that bullet is also still travelling as far as i know. that buck managed to run about 25 yards, but the blood trail was around 6 feet wide, and it looked as if somebody had come through the forest w/ cans of red paint and were dumping them on the forest floor.
we beat the odds... a little luck, a little skill, and a lot of perserverance netted us both a dandy, mature buck (both bucks had antlers broken, both were scarred pretty good). the adrenaline is just now starting to subside a little... and i gotta say that the victory beer after the hunt was over tasted pretty good!
