2025 Hunting Season

[wvbuckbuster]

Nice buck and great that you got to share the hunt with your daughter. That is priceless. She got to see firsthand it isn't always a bang flob. When I have the time and rest I like the high shoulder shot to try and drop them where they stand, especially late evening. Hate tracking after dark. If hitting behind the shoulder and they take off with more opportunity to keep shooting I do. Get them on the ground eat what's left over

 

[Ralt71]

As the high shoulder shot usually hits bone, and can tend to damage more meat of the back strap at the shoulder, I usually like the lower double lung shot that does not ruin as much meat, with less bone and heavy muscle (read steaks or backstrap) encountered for most shots where the animal isn't likely to go far or get into steep/deep/rough terrain that will add to the workload when getting the animal out. The double lung shot is typically a quick, clean kill that results in short tracking jobs if required. Often an unwary, or unalarmed, or non-adrenalized animal will just hump up and take a few steps before tipping over when no major bones are struck.
As an example, my caribou taken at 76 yards with the 308 Win and 175 gr Terminal Ascent ammo fell within a few feet of where he was when shot with this shot placement in October. Has also been experienced on mulies, whitetails, moose, and elk over the years too with various cartridges and bullets placed in the same manner.
It's about working smarter not harder! (Lessons learned over the past 38 years)

Thanks for the details. I've been in the camp of double lung/heart shot since the early 90's. Some deer you track, some you don't, some drop in their tracks. The smaller Texas deer I grew up on, I didn't seem to track often at all. The brutes up here seem to run more often. I've never known about the high shoulder shot until recently and am very intrigued. I'm going to test it out on a doe this year for sure.

 

[RL338]

My central PA buck is in the books for the year. Was fantastic getting him because it was my daughters first year staying at camp to hunt with me and the gang. She toughed out a couple hunts trying to get her on a buck, did some cold sits and this particular morning sat in some heavy snow with me and a wind that would not let up. Only thing she said to me was her feet were getting cold, but didn't ask to leave. Couldn't ask for much more out of a 9 year old.

Got this buck with my 7 mag. 150g SilverTip, WLRM, N160, Peterson brass. He came in where I have never had deer come before and was only about 70 yards out. My load is doing just a touch under 3100fps. I'm guessing it didn't have enough time to slow down because the entry hole was small and the exit hole was smaller than usual. The deer kicked, hunkered over, did a 180 and took off. This in itself is not normal for the mag. Most drop, some may stumble a little then drop. This guy was on one after getting the smoke. I lost sight of him in the thick after about 20 yards but heard him crash shortly after. I sat back and had a Mtn Dew with Maddie and we split a bag of chips. We talked about the hunt, the wind, where he came and why we thought he did that, and the art of tracking haha. Gave the deer roughly 30 minutes. I told her she can lead the track (thinking it would be easy with the snow and based on the sound of the crash how close he was) we will go to the spot of the shot, get on some blood and follow it to our harvest. It was snowing decent so the fresh tracks were filling in but still usable. Go to his tracks and much to my surprise, not a drop of blood. We started following the tracks and never found blood, about 15 yards in there were 4 sets of tracks (was so thick I never seen the other deer). We ended up on a long hunt of track following with no blood for a while... I was all but giving up when I told Maddie I was going to look one more time and we were going to focus on cover he could have hit to lay in and expire. This time we found him, very well covered in a small stream but out in the open area next to the thicket, with snow laying on top of most of him. He had only ran about 30 yard total.

Double lung shot, while field dressing I noticed both lungs had big holes in them. I'm not sure if the round was just going too fast to leave the bigger exit hole I'm use to with this load or what. I am considering trying a load that is down around 2800 though. This can be my load for hunting the areas I know I won't be shooting out past 100 yards.

Super fun time at camp, great to get a harvest with my daughter by my side, and a great learning experience for both of us on the track (we walked within 2 yards of this deer twice before we seen him!!) and one in the books! I take my wife out later this week and take everyone out for some meat deer next week.

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Congrats on the buck , the “guide” looks quite excited also.

 

[sako2]

Shot another 1 this morning. Same load. Another DRT.

 

[DrMike]

Excellent! Fine dining for the coming year.

 

[JD338]

Congratulations on the doe sako2

JD338

 

[sako2]

Thanks fella's. 8 weeks of hunting and never saw any of the bucks i got on camera.

 

[RL338]

Thanks fella's. 8 weeks of hunting and never saw any of the bucks i got on camera.

Know the feeling , didn’t see one all season. Next evening back on camera.