41 Mag
Member
So it is nice to have a close friend to hunt and fish with, but who is also gracious enough to give me a call and tell me, " I got one picked out fer ya". He also mentioned that if I came to bring something "long". Between us " long" means reaching out past 250+ yards and going on out from there. It isn't an issue as I have several rifles more than capable to do it and with more than enough accuracy.
So being Thanksgiving we headed up to the in-laws for dinner, and my daughter came down with the grandkids. When I left at 2:00 headed to my friends, I took the oldest with me to bring home and help with some work I need to get done around the house.
When we arrived at my friends, I pulled out two of the rifles I had brought. One is my 25-06 AI which I had just loaded up 30 rounds for in the morning before heading up. This one spits the older Nosler 120gr Solid Base out at 3350 form the 28" Broughton 5C barrel. WE hauled a target out to 300yds and sat down to check things out before heading out. I shot the first round and just smiled at my bud, he shot the second round, and between the two was 3/4" of paper. Both had landed about an inch low from the aiming point. The grandson slid in behind it and I told him to aim for the bull, and he hit the bottom edge of the 1" bull. We didn't even bother to shoot the other one at this point, we simply grabbed up our clothes, changed out, and headed out.
The property has a flood levee which runs across it, and over the years my grandson and I have simply laid out on top of it and had many a good hunt. Not so much the killing part, but overall simply watching the deer and teaching him about them. It is a great place to look the deer over as they interact. It has pasture which stretches about 200yds straight across to a wood line about 75yds wide which borders the creek. The deer use this a lot to move between areas and is what makes this such a fine place to set up.
This time however, in the area we like to set up, was where my friend had seen the deer he wanted us to try for. Of course having seen a buck in a place and having him show backup are asking a lot during the rut, but either way we were out for a nice evening hunt in perfect conditions.
To our left the longest shot would be close to 500, and to our right about as far. The thing is, depending on just what might be standing right out in front of us, we could easily slip over the back side of the levee and close the gaps pretty quickly. Either way the rifle and load are plenty up to the reach and have the accuracy to surgically place the shot.
About 5:00 the sun dipped behind the trees which lined a creek on the far side of the pasture out in front of us. I told the kid to keep track of what was going on to our left while I watched out to the right. There were already does working out into the pasture, and to the far right we probably had 8-10, straight out in front maybe half a dozen or so, and to the right about that many as well. They work like a flock of turkeys, and hardly ever do they ALL have their heads down feeding at once. So you still have to be very careful with your movements as your simply sitting out with nothing around you but nice clean air. We were talking about this point in fact, when I saw something ease out of the tree line that grabbed my attention. Down about 200yds to our left a real nice buck emerged just enough to check the pasture, and only enough for me to verify it was actually a buck. Not easily done with the sun almost directly behind him. Then after a quick survey he moved right back into the edge of the trees and started working away from us. Now at this point we're both laying flat on our sides, me on the right, the grandson on the left. I told hm that this buck had the split brow tines like the one my friend said we were after, and since he was on my wrong side to make the shot, that he would have to do the honors. (this was really my plan all along.)
So it began, the inch by inch movements to arrange ourselves, and get up into a sitting position all the while being eyeballed by the does standing right out in front of us about 75yds or so, and oh they DID know we were there, just not what to do about it. During this time the buck is making his way further and further away, and the does are not getting to the point they are starting the stomp, but haven't started to snort. The grandson got the rifle up and ready sitting atop a Harris bi-pod, I told him to wait until we got a broadside, and put it on him. I was watching through my binoculars, and gave the command, "take it" and the rifle broke the silence. I watched as the 120gr Nosler impacted, and the deer simply dropped where it stood. We loaded another round and I slipped in behind the rifle just in case, but it was simply preventive measures and the deer was down and out. After everything settled a few minutes I turned around and told him well happy 13th birthday, you just got "my" buck.
I feel this is worth mentioning before attitudes start to get misaligned. This isn't your normal kid, for those of you thinking a kid shooting that far is ridiculous. He has been shooting a .308 since he was 3 and got his first feral hog two weeks before his 4th birthday, and hasn't let up since. When he was 5, he was ringing the metal gong at 200yds and has shot out to 500 and done very well. I am always there to "coach" him on these hunts and would never let him make a shot in which I was not sure about his abilities to do so. The evening was about as perfect as one could ask for, clear, cool, and no wind what so ever. The only bobble of the whole episode, if you could call it that, was that he held higher than he should have and hit the deer just under the spine. The results would have been the same, had he hit 4" lower without a doubt as it was straight above the heart. He was simply used to shooting a .270 which we have sighted in at 100yds, and held this one accordingly. We have since had a reminder talk to which I repeated, when I say put it on him, you know where. If needed I will tell you where to hold. I will also add, I have ALWAYS emphasized, to NEVER hold off hair no matter what. Either case he took out the bottom of the spine and the tops of both lungs, which results in the drop at the shot. Those old Solid Base bullets get the job done and it is a shame they dropped them from production.
So we slipped out to where he was laying and were both impressed with what we had just accomplished. This particular buck however wasn't the one which my friend had said he had picked out for me. This one was a good bit smaller we came to find, out after he arrived to pick us up. None the less we are ecstatic with the 10pt we ended up with. I told the boy, at the rate your going, I'm not going to be leaving you and your two younger brothers much, hopefully many years from now, when I'm gone, but you will have a ton of great memories which are far and above anything else I could leave you.....he sure was eyeballing my rifle a lot too.
So being Thanksgiving we headed up to the in-laws for dinner, and my daughter came down with the grandkids. When I left at 2:00 headed to my friends, I took the oldest with me to bring home and help with some work I need to get done around the house.
When we arrived at my friends, I pulled out two of the rifles I had brought. One is my 25-06 AI which I had just loaded up 30 rounds for in the morning before heading up. This one spits the older Nosler 120gr Solid Base out at 3350 form the 28" Broughton 5C barrel. WE hauled a target out to 300yds and sat down to check things out before heading out. I shot the first round and just smiled at my bud, he shot the second round, and between the two was 3/4" of paper. Both had landed about an inch low from the aiming point. The grandson slid in behind it and I told him to aim for the bull, and he hit the bottom edge of the 1" bull. We didn't even bother to shoot the other one at this point, we simply grabbed up our clothes, changed out, and headed out.
The property has a flood levee which runs across it, and over the years my grandson and I have simply laid out on top of it and had many a good hunt. Not so much the killing part, but overall simply watching the deer and teaching him about them. It is a great place to look the deer over as they interact. It has pasture which stretches about 200yds straight across to a wood line about 75yds wide which borders the creek. The deer use this a lot to move between areas and is what makes this such a fine place to set up.
This time however, in the area we like to set up, was where my friend had seen the deer he wanted us to try for. Of course having seen a buck in a place and having him show backup are asking a lot during the rut, but either way we were out for a nice evening hunt in perfect conditions.
To our left the longest shot would be close to 500, and to our right about as far. The thing is, depending on just what might be standing right out in front of us, we could easily slip over the back side of the levee and close the gaps pretty quickly. Either way the rifle and load are plenty up to the reach and have the accuracy to surgically place the shot.
About 5:00 the sun dipped behind the trees which lined a creek on the far side of the pasture out in front of us. I told the kid to keep track of what was going on to our left while I watched out to the right. There were already does working out into the pasture, and to the far right we probably had 8-10, straight out in front maybe half a dozen or so, and to the right about that many as well. They work like a flock of turkeys, and hardly ever do they ALL have their heads down feeding at once. So you still have to be very careful with your movements as your simply sitting out with nothing around you but nice clean air. We were talking about this point in fact, when I saw something ease out of the tree line that grabbed my attention. Down about 200yds to our left a real nice buck emerged just enough to check the pasture, and only enough for me to verify it was actually a buck. Not easily done with the sun almost directly behind him. Then after a quick survey he moved right back into the edge of the trees and started working away from us. Now at this point we're both laying flat on our sides, me on the right, the grandson on the left. I told hm that this buck had the split brow tines like the one my friend said we were after, and since he was on my wrong side to make the shot, that he would have to do the honors. (this was really my plan all along.)
So it began, the inch by inch movements to arrange ourselves, and get up into a sitting position all the while being eyeballed by the does standing right out in front of us about 75yds or so, and oh they DID know we were there, just not what to do about it. During this time the buck is making his way further and further away, and the does are not getting to the point they are starting the stomp, but haven't started to snort. The grandson got the rifle up and ready sitting atop a Harris bi-pod, I told him to wait until we got a broadside, and put it on him. I was watching through my binoculars, and gave the command, "take it" and the rifle broke the silence. I watched as the 120gr Nosler impacted, and the deer simply dropped where it stood. We loaded another round and I slipped in behind the rifle just in case, but it was simply preventive measures and the deer was down and out. After everything settled a few minutes I turned around and told him well happy 13th birthday, you just got "my" buck.
I feel this is worth mentioning before attitudes start to get misaligned. This isn't your normal kid, for those of you thinking a kid shooting that far is ridiculous. He has been shooting a .308 since he was 3 and got his first feral hog two weeks before his 4th birthday, and hasn't let up since. When he was 5, he was ringing the metal gong at 200yds and has shot out to 500 and done very well. I am always there to "coach" him on these hunts and would never let him make a shot in which I was not sure about his abilities to do so. The evening was about as perfect as one could ask for, clear, cool, and no wind what so ever. The only bobble of the whole episode, if you could call it that, was that he held higher than he should have and hit the deer just under the spine. The results would have been the same, had he hit 4" lower without a doubt as it was straight above the heart. He was simply used to shooting a .270 which we have sighted in at 100yds, and held this one accordingly. We have since had a reminder talk to which I repeated, when I say put it on him, you know where. If needed I will tell you where to hold. I will also add, I have ALWAYS emphasized, to NEVER hold off hair no matter what. Either case he took out the bottom of the spine and the tops of both lungs, which results in the drop at the shot. Those old Solid Base bullets get the job done and it is a shame they dropped them from production.
So we slipped out to where he was laying and were both impressed with what we had just accomplished. This particular buck however wasn't the one which my friend had said he had picked out for me. This one was a good bit smaller we came to find, out after he arrived to pick us up. None the less we are ecstatic with the 10pt we ended up with. I told the boy, at the rate your going, I'm not going to be leaving you and your two younger brothers much, hopefully many years from now, when I'm gone, but you will have a ton of great memories which are far and above anything else I could leave you.....he sure was eyeballing my rifle a lot too.
