Well, I've had a busy fall, between being stationed in NC, hunting in Wyoming, visiting VA on the weekends I really haven't had a chance to hunt Va's best season, which is the November ML season. Since my son claimed my ML Dano was awesome enough to let me borrow his. I also decided to give Blackhorn 209 a shot this year. Awesome stuff, accurate and cleans up fast.
I did a little shooting with it the and saw that 120 grains by volume and 84 grains dumped from my measure shot pretty well. Hunted yesterday but passed on a couple spikers and flatheads.
I had some 250 grain Sierra .429 Tournament Masters. I've shot a few into jugs from my 444 Marlin and a few others here have done the same. I also have about 45 .429 250 PTs but I didn't figure any deer here in Va would need that sorta killing. That could have bit me in the butt.. More to follow.
Anyhow here are a couple pictures of me hanging around in my tree stand. Lately the past few years I can only sit for a couple hours till I start getting nutty. Fun to see animals but man I get a touch bored...
Anyhow, I was goofing around again in the tree today after I got into it about 1100L. Was texting with JD and seeing what you all were up to around here. It was pretty windy as well, so I thought about lashing myself to the tree, but finally around 1500L it died down. I said to myself I should probably start paying more attention! 8)
Well, I heard some scrambling in the leaves behind me. I peak around my tree and see a deer, then I realize it is working a scrape. Cool I thought, a buck. Then he started coming towards me at a 45 degree angle and he was straight off my left side working another scrape.
As he's turned away I get the smoke pole on him and he starts moving my direction. I plant the reticle on his front leg and give him the good news... Little bit of smoke and I see him running past me to the right and runs about 60 yards to my right and teeter totters and tips over... I think, swell, he's done. I grab the phone and text my buddy we have a buck down.
I then take a peek at the buck and I see his head up... Well I ham fisted another charge in the rifle and line up between his shoulders and give him round two....saw him rear up and fall over. Nothing. I believe he's done now. Climb down out of the tree and walk over.
Dano made me keep the sticker on the rifle till it counted coup.... Finally got to peel that sucker...
Anyhow I saw what looked to be a good first shot but no exit... Weird, I was thinking it should have blown through
And then I noticed a lump by his belly. Well the 2nd shot was right there at the hide. Knicked it with the knife and pulled out the bullet.
Looked perfect.
Anyhow drug the buck about a 1/2 mile and got him in the truck.
Well I was curious to what happened with shot 1. Turns out it hammered that front leg bone and grenaded....
Bottom line, use the best you can. I saw from one deer two entirely separate kinds of performance.
Overall it was a great day. Plus that backstrap was mighty tasty...
I did a little shooting with it the and saw that 120 grains by volume and 84 grains dumped from my measure shot pretty well. Hunted yesterday but passed on a couple spikers and flatheads.
I had some 250 grain Sierra .429 Tournament Masters. I've shot a few into jugs from my 444 Marlin and a few others here have done the same. I also have about 45 .429 250 PTs but I didn't figure any deer here in Va would need that sorta killing. That could have bit me in the butt.. More to follow.
Anyhow here are a couple pictures of me hanging around in my tree stand. Lately the past few years I can only sit for a couple hours till I start getting nutty. Fun to see animals but man I get a touch bored...
Anyhow, I was goofing around again in the tree today after I got into it about 1100L. Was texting with JD and seeing what you all were up to around here. It was pretty windy as well, so I thought about lashing myself to the tree, but finally around 1500L it died down. I said to myself I should probably start paying more attention! 8)
Well, I heard some scrambling in the leaves behind me. I peak around my tree and see a deer, then I realize it is working a scrape. Cool I thought, a buck. Then he started coming towards me at a 45 degree angle and he was straight off my left side working another scrape.
As he's turned away I get the smoke pole on him and he starts moving my direction. I plant the reticle on his front leg and give him the good news... Little bit of smoke and I see him running past me to the right and runs about 60 yards to my right and teeter totters and tips over... I think, swell, he's done. I grab the phone and text my buddy we have a buck down.
I then take a peek at the buck and I see his head up... Well I ham fisted another charge in the rifle and line up between his shoulders and give him round two....saw him rear up and fall over. Nothing. I believe he's done now. Climb down out of the tree and walk over.
Dano made me keep the sticker on the rifle till it counted coup.... Finally got to peel that sucker...
Anyhow I saw what looked to be a good first shot but no exit... Weird, I was thinking it should have blown through
And then I noticed a lump by his belly. Well the 2nd shot was right there at the hide. Knicked it with the knife and pulled out the bullet.
Looked perfect.
Anyhow drug the buck about a 1/2 mile and got him in the truck.
Well I was curious to what happened with shot 1. Turns out it hammered that front leg bone and grenaded....
Bottom line, use the best you can. I saw from one deer two entirely separate kinds of performance.
Overall it was a great day. Plus that backstrap was mighty tasty...
