d2wing
Member
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2008
- Messages
- 6,438
Thanks for that. I was thinking the same thing but since I did not travel extensively in that area I thought I may be missing something. From the size deer, I would lean toward a lighter fast quality bullet.Texas Hill Country. 1000 yard shot. Sorry, my bs meter just pegged.
I have hunted the hill country for over 60 years and there may be some places where it could be done- perhaps a long sendero in a big pasture in ideal conditions, but you have several big obstacles. Notably wind, brush, and visibility.
The lay of the land makes the wind behave whimsically. The brush makes it great deer country, but it also makes hard to get a clean shot. Deer have evolved to blend in very well.
The deer I shot a week or so ago was pretty typical, 130 yards broadside, but had to wait for him a while to step out from behind a mesquite for a clean shot, and this was in a sendero. I just drove from San Angelo to Austin, and the brush seems to be worse now than it was 40 years ago.
In the last 6 decades I've killed two deer at over 300 yards (315 and 325). The average distance has been more like 85 yards.
For a new hunter the path of least resistance would be a Tikka or Savage in 6.5 CM. I have used a bunch of different cartridges between 243 and 30-06, but the result has been about the same. There is no secret sauce. I find that 6.5 mm and up will tend to anchor the deer more quickly, and the 6.5 cm factory ammo is so good you won't feel compelled to hand load.
Good luck
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