One rifle down, 6 to go.

[Blackfork]

Used my CMP 1903A3 to shoot a doe yesterday up at Clarksville on a Managed Lands permit.

75 yard offhand shot at 2:22 in the afternoon. I was checking feeders, cams and looking for pig sign. She spooked out of some brush and ran on the other side of a small lake. I got an NPA on the first open spot that she might stop and look from, and she stopped and looked. My 1903 still has the 200 yard zero from the National Matches and the Texas Garand Championship on it so I knew the Greek HXP FMJ would be above the front sight. I held a six-oclock hold, focused on the front sight, pressed the trigger straight back and held it down all the way through the recoil. The slug cut the aorta off the top of her heart and she ran 50 yards. I noted where she was standing and the last place I saw her. Marked my shooting point with a stick and gave her 15 minutes. Walked over, picked up the blood trail and followed it to her. 102 lbs live weight. Probably 2 1/2 years old.

Up next: P17 Enfield.

 

[Deer Hunter]

You're killing me man!

I hunted like crazy with my M44 last year, but switched to my FAL and a tree stand to see if I had any better luck. Saw one buck, small one, at dusk. not enough light to really see much, so I let him walk. I need to see something this year to shoot with one of my C&Rs.

Tell me about a managed land permit. Seasons starts tomorrow, and I'm headed home (back to East Texas) today for it.

 

[Blackfork]

fortunate

I'm lucky enough to have a friend who has the means to maintain a 1200 acre managed lands permit property. Low fence. He puts a LOT of money into it. No cows, just brush hogging, planting, plowing, feeders, cams, blinds, maintaining the ranch house and barns, lakes, protein feeders et. He usually has 30 doe tags and 10 buck tags. I get a chance to shoot does and hogs and am very happy to have that chance. He's very careful about who he lets hunt up there.

I take people up pretty often during the year to promote hunting among youth, folks who don't have access and give away nearly every deer I shoot. Yesterdays doe is already under someone elses name at the processor. Hope to shoot a couple more next weekend with my brother. Might take a kid along as well.

Doe tags are lots of work- after I shot yesterday I had to tag her for the state, drag her out to the 4-runner, wrestle her into a cooler, drive to the house, hoist her up and weigh, field-dress and re-weigh, skin, cut out the jawbone and tag it, fill out the records and ice her down back in the cleaned out cooler.

I did go out and sit in another stand for the evening light. Saw fourteen does, no bucks and four gobblers. Listened to the turkeys go to roost then drove two hours back to Tyler. My brother was going to go with me, but I think he over-did Halloween. Nice to go alone, but it's careful hunting and work.

Got the old P17 Eddystone out and ready to rock. That's a REAL gun!

 

[Blackfork]

A&M

Funny thing, I have a Dr. college buddy from College Station who is coming up to shoot his first deer in a couple of weeks. He works in a Diagnostic Lab that does work for the University.

 

[dispatch55126]

The opener here is tomorrow. I took a doe with my MN 91/30 last year and I'm using a 20ga bolt action this.

 

[Blackfork]

Last Years rifles

I shot eight deer last year with seven rifles.

Garand
Argentine 1909 Carbine
Swiss K31
Arisaka Type 44 Carbine
Swede M38
Standard Products M1 Carbine
Ruger #1 7X57.

Just trying to be a well-rounded and reasonable gun enthusiast and deer hunter.

 

[sixgunner455]

How did that K31 do? What load did you use in it? Did you just use the issue sights, like you did with the 1903?

 

[Deer Hunter]

My bro-in-law used a K31 and swiss surplus to take his first deer ever, a nice 8 point buck that walked right up to him while he was on MY old tree stand. And to think I never liked that spot!

He was so proud of himself and his gun. He forgot the hunting ammo, but he shot the thing straight through the backbone (he flinched in the moment, buck fever, it was) and the big guy dropped flat. He has a scope for it, but he's not using it this year because he didn't have a chance to sight it in.

Well, first weekend of the season is done and all I saw were 7 very small does and yearlings, and one very large doe. Better luck next weekend!

 

[kmrcstintn]

YOU CAN USE FMJ IN YOUR STATE?!?

Holy Hades, if I did that here in PA, I'd have my perverbial ass in a sling, my hunting license revoked, misdemeanor or felony charges, a big fine or jail time, and a permanent criminal record that would haunt me forever...

 

[Deer Hunter]

Haha, let's see... What CAN'T we hunt with in Texas?

Rimfire....? Yep, Rimfire.

You could take your .50 BMG with a 100 round Beta C mag into the woods with you if you wanted.

 

[Blackfork]

FMJ just fine in Texas.

They just write those laws to harass hunters and draw our numbers down. Believe me, there are plenty of crazy things about Texas hunting...WAAY too regulated, but they haven't gone to getting us to wear orange, only hunt with shotguns, et.

The Texas legislature did kill the future of hunting with a "Youth Safety Act" which requires new hunters to go to a two-day school which is rarely taught, so the numbers are crashing. I'm just hunting the Kings deer until they outlaw it completely.

I shot deer with my K31 and used the only ammo I've ever shot in a K31- the Swiss Military GP11. I have a good zero on the rifle- I used it to win the Texas Vintage Rifle Championship last year and this year with the same ammo. I've shot it out to 600 yards. Shoots a pretty good group. No scope. Iron sights. Might get a chance to shoot another deer with it later in the year after a few other rifles have had their chance.

 

[Deer Hunter]

Blackfork, I agree completely on the "youth safety act". I was one of the youngest kids at the two day seminar. Most were bowhunters and other middle-aged guys that sat back and scoffed at the law. They were all caught without the mandatory little card that certifies that you know what you are doing.

The card is a piece of paper. Mine's been through the washer and is now lint sitting in the bottom of my wallet. Lasted a whole year.

I didn't learn anything in that class. I slept through it and made a 100 on the test. It's a huge waste of time.

 

[MCgunner]

Personally I'd never use FMJ to hunt with. I'd use decent bullets if not premium stuff. I've had deer go a ways hit with a bullet that didn't expand, not an FMJ, just failed to expand. I want expansion.

Only military rifle I've ever hunted with is an SKS and I killed a doe with it. Military rifles are great.....for the military. There are better rifles for hunting and I prefer my hunting rifles, more practical. No, I know, you can kill with a military rifle, hell, I've got a cap lock percussion that will kill. I just figure if I'm going to tote a modern rifle, I want my light, handy, 1 MOA, scoped Remington, or the other Remington. The Savage ain't all that light and handy, but 7 mag is an excellent long range caliber if I ever actually NEED it. I think it's too much, loaded hot, for Texas whitetail, though.

I'm too old to be edumacated in the ways of the safe hunter. Shame they're makin' it so tough for the kids, though. I was out in the woods at age 9 on my own after squirrels and killed my first deer at age 11. I guess the sport will slowly die if the antis get their way. Safety needs to be taught, though. Just go out in the east Texas woods on opening day and observe...if you survive the experience. Thankfully, I have my own land.

 

[Deer Hunter]

All I use are military-style weapons for hunting, MC. My Mosin, Ishpore, FAL, Saiga, etc. I don't use FMJs in any of them, and like I said, my brother in law has SP ammo but he left it at home on accident. I figure that a 200 grain softpoint out of my M44 will be just fine for white-tail.

Uhh... I refuse to hunt anywhere except our own property on opening morning in East Texas.

 

[MCgunner]

Well, to each his own. I like my light, handy little stainless .308 Remington M7. If I ain't got that, I usually have my 12" Contender in .30-30 or sometimes I get a wild hair and hunt with an iron sighted Blackhawk. I mean, they'll all do the job, just have different range limits and different levels of challenge to the hunter. I have a few milsurps I've bought over the years, an about 50 lb Hakim 8mm semi auto battle rifle with a bayonet is kinda neat to shoot, but Gawd, sittin' in the stand, the barrel would reach half way to my feeder. It is an accurate, powerful semi auto, though. 10 rounds of 8x57 should do the trick. I have an old German M88 commission rifle. The sights are regulated to 300 or so yards, shoots way high at a hundred, but I think I paid 37.50 for it in 1976 and mail ordered it, being classified as an antique. I had an old Spanish 7x57, but sold it. Wouldn't shoot anything, but 175 grain round nose worth a toot, fast twist was the culprit. And, I have a couple of SKSs. My .257 Roberts was my Grandpa's and the gun I shot my first deer with at age 11. I've killed the most deer with that rifle. It's all I had for a long time until I started building a collection of guns starting in the mid 80s. That thing shoots 3/4 MOA and has never been floated or bedded or anything. Don't fix what ain't broke.

 

[Blackfork]

TWO rifles down, five to go.

Shot a doe crossing the field with my P17 Eddystone and HXP FMJ ammo yesterday. I think a buck was chasing her since she was moving along pretty good. We were shooting does so I didn't wait.

One shot out of a tower blind at 100 yards. Hit a little high and she went down like she was poleaxed. She was down for good but had to walk up and finish her with Les Baer.

98lb live weight. 73lbs field dressed. 2 1/2 years old.

Next up: 30-40 Krag or K98 Mauser.

 

[Blackfork]

P17 and Doe photo

Here she is. Video on Youtube.

 

[Titan6]

Too bad I am not still down there. I have to wait another 10 days.

 

[Blackfork]

Sideways progress.

Took two friends hunting at Clarksville,Tx shooting doetags. I didn't shoot or shoot any of my old rifles but one guy killed two does with my scoped Ruger #1. First time he had ever shot any highpower rifle or killed a deer. Nice hunt. The other guy shot a doe on the second day with his Remington 700.

We didn't see lots of deer, but did get to watch nine hen turkeys and a eight point limping buck that had good size and a big rack, but not very pretty antlers right before we shot the last doe. Got to do a little flashlight blood trail tracking for about sixty yards when a heartshot doe made it to the woodline.

All does 100-112lbs. Probably 2 1/2 year olds. One was still nursing, the others had weaned this years fauns.

Three more of the thirty doetags down so far, five shot total. I've got my K98 zeroed and ready to go. Probably rattle around here a little this week and maybe go back up with my brother.