Yesterday morning my S-I-L and I went deer hunting on the opener. The state has mandated bucks only, mulies or whitetail, but on our patch it's mulies only anyway. Up at 5:30, breakfast & out the door at 6:30, first legal shooting light is 7:30, sunrise at 8:00. We know the herd, the area, and the habits of the game. The day was calm and beautiful, I walked, S-I-L sat in the saplings. He made a nice 300 yard shot on a 3X4 buck with an ideal bullet placement. It went in just behind the shoulder & just below the spine. It did traverse a little & the off-side shoulder did lose some meat. Back at the ranch by 10:30. Tikka T3 LH, 7mm magnum, 160 gr Sierra Gameking, 2900 fps muzzle, Zeiss 3.5-10X scope w/mil-dot reticle.
Then we hunted antelope, hard.
Today: Alarm rings at 5:30, up at 5:45, out the door at 6:30-ish, or so. I went to the sapling place, he pushed 'em to me. The wind is a bit fresh & breezy at maybe 25 mph with gusts to "made-ya-take-a-step!" I made a 28 yard shot on a 3X3 about 8 inches further forward than the S-I-L's, just in front of the shoulder & just above the spine. He was running. Back at the ranch at 10:30. Tikka T3 custom LH in 6.5 X 55mm Swedish Mauser, 140 grain Sierra Gameking, 2725 fps muzzle, Zeiss 3.5-10X scope with the mil-dot reticle.
Both deer have very nice large bodies & are fat. Not the hogs with horns of last year, but nonetheless make pictures I've seen of Tennessee deer look like the emaciated starving waifs they are. We're not too happy with the bucks only rule this year. Our herd is waay outta whack with the buck/doe ratio. We should be taking does. However, the State Of Montana Knows Better. The rule is for a hunting region that is probably larger than 10 or 15 entire states. Local reality has nothing to do with the rules you understand. So this year we are taking junior bucks. The idea is to leave the large mature bucks alive to protect the herd during the winter and allow room for some of the young bucks, spikes, buttons, and forkies, to grow.
I will now spend the rest of the day, cleaning my gun, sitting on my fundament, perhaps quaffing an alcoholic beverage or nine, & if that all goes well, maybe watch the Sunday night football. Green Bay vs the Saints, go somebody! Yea everybody!
900F
Then we hunted antelope, hard.
Today: Alarm rings at 5:30, up at 5:45, out the door at 6:30-ish, or so. I went to the sapling place, he pushed 'em to me. The wind is a bit fresh & breezy at maybe 25 mph with gusts to "made-ya-take-a-step!" I made a 28 yard shot on a 3X3 about 8 inches further forward than the S-I-L's, just in front of the shoulder & just above the spine. He was running. Back at the ranch at 10:30. Tikka T3 custom LH in 6.5 X 55mm Swedish Mauser, 140 grain Sierra Gameking, 2725 fps muzzle, Zeiss 3.5-10X scope with the mil-dot reticle.
Both deer have very nice large bodies & are fat. Not the hogs with horns of last year, but nonetheless make pictures I've seen of Tennessee deer look like the emaciated starving waifs they are. We're not too happy with the bucks only rule this year. Our herd is waay outta whack with the buck/doe ratio. We should be taking does. However, the State Of Montana Knows Better. The rule is for a hunting region that is probably larger than 10 or 15 entire states. Local reality has nothing to do with the rules you understand. So this year we are taking junior bucks. The idea is to leave the large mature bucks alive to protect the herd during the winter and allow room for some of the young bucks, spikes, buttons, and forkies, to grow.
I will now spend the rest of the day, cleaning my gun, sitting on my fundament, perhaps quaffing an alcoholic beverage or nine, & if that all goes well, maybe watch the Sunday night football. Green Bay vs the Saints, go somebody! Yea everybody!
900F
