2012 Hunting Pictures

[DrMike]

Yeah, now I'm chomping at the bit for September 1st to get here. Elk opens on that day. I'm focused on an early elk before the bulls get too rutted up. Otherwise, I'll focus on a cow when that season opens on September 15th. Deer opens on the 15th as well, so long as I intend to stick them with a pointy stick, which is certainly a possibility.

 

[SJB358]

Man, I hope you are able to score an elk as quickly as you closed with a moose. Might even have an adequate load for your 9.3 by then... That will be pretty cool to hear that monster speak!

 

[DrMike]

Might even have an adequate load for your 9.3 by then... That will be pretty cool to hear that monster speak!

It's on my bucket list! :grin:

 

[JD338]

Mike,

Congratulations on your nice bull moose.
I hope you can score on a bull elk with the 9.3x64 Brenneke.

JD338

 

[DrMike]

I hope you can score on a bull elk with the 9.3x64 Brenneke.

I'll do my utmost, Jim; and I'll be using Partitions when I do it! :mrgreen:

 

[JD338]

I hope you can score on a bull elk with the 9.3x64 Brenneke.

I'll do my utmost, Jim; and I'll be using Partitions when I do it! :mrgreen:

That is awesome Mike. I bet that 9.3mm 286 gr PT penetrates into tomorrow.

JD338

 

[DrMike]

I believe it will be difficult to recover a bullet from any game.

 

[Richracer1]

I believe it will be difficult to recover a bullet from any game.

You may be surprised. I have a 260AB (2990fps) from my 375RUM (4x4 elk @40 yds) and a 250AB (2960 fps) from my 338RUM (39" spread moose @ 175yds) in my collection.

The moose shot was picture perfect, slight quartering away, right behind the shoulder. Made soup of the heart and lodged in the skin on the off-side - can't remember if it was behind or forward of the shoulder as we all know bullets do very weird thing once inside the body.

 

[Powerstroke]

Well I've definately shot larger Mulies with a rifle and have definately missed larger ones than this in archery season. I believe it came down to a couple thoughts going on in my head at the time......
#1 Hunting on my own this year without my reqular hunting buddy - the days get long that way.
#2 I also have a bear tag and would like to spend the majority of the season chasing them.

Anyway - first Mulie I've taken with archery equipment. I was on my way back to camp in the evening with the thought "Hopefully there is a two point hanging out close to the tent - I think I'd probably take him tonight" :? Long and short a few hundred yards from the tent I come across this little two point feeding in the willows.

I had actually drew on him, and then let down thinking I didn't want to take him. Then the thought process of wow - that will be an excellent piece of meat in my freezer & I'm done. I ranged him once again at 59yds slightly downhill. I once again drew my Carbon Element, settled the 60yrd pin low on his brisket & slowly started to squeaze.........before I knew it, the A/C/C ProHunter was on its way tipped with the new Ulmer Edge & disappeard behind his shoulder. I was able to watch him bolt off into the timber and hear him pile up slightly down the hill from me.

I was able to recover my arrow from a complete pass through & walk directly to the little guy.
The pic with my hand is the entrance side - broadhead was fully open upon entrance.
Its been delicious back-strap the last two nights :grin:View attachment DSCN1890.JPGView attachment DSCN1892.JPG

 

[gerry]

Nice, I always thought a hunter is at his best when he is hungry for meat this one is going to taste good.

 

[DrMike]

Congratulations, Mark. That is excellent. I'm thinking I may try for an elk and/or a whitetail with my crossbow this year. You're stirring the creative juices.

 

[CatskillCrawler]

Nice shooting! Nothing wrong with a freezer full of young buck.

 

[SJB358]

Great buck Mark and awesome shooting!

 

[JD338]

Mark,

Way to go! Nice shooting and a nice butter ball buck.
Good luck with the bear hunt.

JD338

 

[jmad_81]

Good eating for sure! Nice shot as well.

 

[Elkman]

Great Buck!!!! Your "first" is always a great experience. Congratulations. !!!!

 

[pre6422hornet]

Congrats on the Buck!! Any buck with a bow is a great trophy, and what a great story on top of it!

 

[.280 Remington]

There has got to be some more fur hitting the dirt....help a guy out that can't hunt till November!!!

 

[mcseal2]

Guess you will have to read the story for now, can't get pics to load. I tried to downsize it and re-load it but am now getting a message "board attachment quota reached". Not sure how to fix it so I'll try again tomorrow.

Here is a pic of my Wyoming antelope. It is taking forever for me to load pics now so I just added one. He wasn't real tall at 14 1/8" but had good cutters and mass, grossed 79". I was real happy with him for the conditions and my experience level (2nd hunt). I was starting a stalk on another nice goat and it fed out away from the ditch I planned to use and got out of range before I could get close. I turned and headed back up toward the vehicle and cut a large set of fresh tracks headed the same way I was. I then found a scrape the buck had made and the spot he had urinated was still wet and fresh in a 35mph wind, so I knew he was close. I came up to the ridge and spotted him 125yds away from me headed across the next flat. By his cutters and mass I felt he was a shooter. I knelt with my bipod and tried to get steady enough to shoot him in the hard wind. I finally turned my shoulders enough to get steady and squeezed the trigger as he walked into my crosshairs. The 140gr Berger VLD from my 264WM took out the heart and broke the far shoulder, dumping him. It was only about a 175yd shot, but about the toughest I've ever made at that range due to the conditions. He was one of the best bucks we saw, and the best one we had a legitimate shot at. We moved him from the flat to the ridge I shot from for a better background for pictures, I didn't shoot him skylined. I've always used Nosler Accubonds from this rifle in the past and they are still my favorite bullet, but the Berger performed very well. 3 of the 4 goats our group took were shot with my rifle and the Berger dumped them all. We were equipped to shoot 500yds under good conditions with my set-up, but we all prefer to get as close as possible when hunting so our longest shot was 351yds. Since this is my long-range rifle and I don't use it on anything bigger than muleys I think I'll stick with the Bergers until they give me a reason not to. For my other guns and for larger game I'll stick with my accubonds. The BC advantage of the Berger isn't huge at the ranges I shoot but every little bit of wind drift resistance helps in the places I take my 264.

 

[DrMike]

Great account of a challenging hunt. It will be good to see your pictures. Congratulations.