2014 Hunting Pictures

Atta' boy, Mike. Whack 'em and stack 'em. Gratifying picture, and no doubt a gratifying hunt.
 
Well, the Alabama season wrapped up Friday, and I managed to fill the freezer with three white-tails. No big bucks - in fact, no bucks at all except one little nubber I thought was a doe until I got to him after the shot. Nubs were barely big enough to see. He'll eat nicely, though, as we've already learned! It was nice to refill the freezer this year. Haven't bought beef except the occasional roast for the crockpot or ribeyes for special occasions in over a year. Need to get a few hogs and find a local smokehouse, and I can quit buying pork, too.

Here are the pics of the first two deer. The last doe was late in the day, and too dark for pics after I went and got the truck and got back to her.

The buck I thought was a doe:


The second doe:


I had a good time hunting this year, despite not getting a nice buck for the first time in four seasons. I am pretty confident a good buck busted me on the last day, as a lone deer came in and bedded behind me, and as I turned (slowly) to get a view of the area, one of my gloves dropped off my lap and made a huge noise hitting a limb and then into the leaves, and all I saw was a brown-grey blur shoot out of the thicket. This being the end of the rut, and does typically being in pairs or groups right now, I figure it was a buck. Just no way to know for sure. I'll be back out there in about 250 days looking to tie into a nice buck for the 2014-15 season, for sure!
 
Those will each provide excellent table fare, Dub. Congratulations.
 
@Scotty - I hunted with my 300Wby, 30-06 Colt, Win94 30-30WCF, and my dad's old 243Win Browning BAR. I managed to score with the 300 once and the -06 twice. I should have had a deer with the 30-30, but I swear that dadgum thing had rapelling gear and a harness on to get where he was behind me when he winded me! The Win94 and BAR are high on the list every year of "must get afield" rifles. The BAR since it was my dad's, obviously, and the Win94 because it was my very first deer rifle, and I've owned it for over 30yrs now. I'd really like to bag a deer with both this coming fall. The 94 will likely go hog hunting with me if I can work in the time. There are some areas on the west side of the state getting overrun by feral pigs and the rangers in the NF over there are begging guys to come cull. I'll be trying that before it gets hot enough the snakes are out, I hope.

@DrMike - I've already tested that theory, and my kids all asked for seconds, so I am sure you are right. Thanks!
 
With a transfer 700km across the state and learning a new area and people, I have not hunted anything other than the odd fox since Sep 2013.

I had the opportunity on the weekend to get back to the pig hunting grounds and on Sunday afternoon with a mate we stalked a ground tank and I polished off this nice eating sized young boar and two smaller ones. Also got a slightly larger boar a little later but as the light was near gone there's no photo of that one.

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This fellow was shot about 50m with a handload consisting of a 130g PMC softpoint from my Zastava 270 Win loaded to about 3050fps. Very cheap bullets that are accurate and are just about right for pigs. They perform similar to a Hotcor from my experience.

Was good to get back there. Going back for a week next month and we will get serious on the pigs then.


280 Remington, congrats on the first kill with your handloads! What a satisfying experience.
 
Last day of goose season was yesterday. We ended up making it count. Great day. Ended up with 26 honkers.
 

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Great pics and stories so far for 2014, that looks like one heck of a goose shoot congrats... Ahhh only 7 more months.... Lol.
Been out after a few Coyotes called in this nice male 2 weeks ago.

 
G'Day Fella's,

I was out for a scout (for Deer) and Hog hunt last weekend!
I saw nothing other than recent sign (and Practice Jockey's/Skippy's) but came across this dopy young Fox, just below The Shack on dark!
He stumbled a few feet prior to dropping and you can see the exit wound from the 250grn Woodleigh PP from my Rem 763, in .350 Rem Mag @ around 60meters.

Doh!
Homer
 

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That Woodleigh PP put the hurt on that youngun'. Gonna' take some stitching to make that pelt useable. :grin:
 
Thought I would share pics from my hunt this week. Some mates and I spent a few days in the north of the state which is drought ravaged, and with stock being eaten by feral pigs where they drop it was a good opportunity to thin the numbers a little.

A nice boar shot on the run with a 300g Sierra from the 45-70...
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A young boar knocked with a 180g Interlock from the 30-06...
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A good sow, first pig of the trip killed with a single Texas heart-shot from the 30-06...
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Another sow taken with the Marlin, stationary at about 30y...
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And a bonus fox who was satisfyingly taken running full tilt through a thickly wooded scrub area side on from 60 paces with the good old 30-06, one of a number of pleasing running shots I managed to make during the trip...
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A great trip with mates. All told I got 8 hogs, all but one was a one shot kill, none escaped wounded and the gear and loads all performed flawlessly. All good stuff.
 
Scotty the 338 didn't come away with me. I had been so busy I didn't have sufficient time to develop a load I was really confident with and practice enough with the rifle.

I also didn't get time to load and test the 208g Amax on pigs in the 30-06 like I intended. Both these projects I will get to later in the year however!

Instead I chose to take known rifles that were shooting very accurate loads that I can shoot with confidence offhand (which every one of my shots was) or if needed at good range over a rest in the case of the 30-06.

The fave 270 Win was even relegated to back up status, however its in the process of getting a new timber stock which I will float and bed, so big things are in store for that. I imagine it and the 338 will see most of the action next time.

- Bob

PS: Even though not a huge one this was my favourite shot of the trip, taken with a front on chest shot about 70m undisturbed while feeding in the dawn. It was a very emphatic kill!
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