Doe tag - Take the shot?

[Guy Miner]

Hunting out west, you've got a doe tag and are looking to fill the freezer. These four deer are at 350 yards, somewhat downhill. Wind is right to left, but mild, maybe 3-4 mph, seems to be mostly just air movement, gently rising as morning temps raise in the canyon. Your truck is in the bottom of the canyon, about one mile and 1,500' below.

What rifle do you use? Scope? Load?

Open terrain allows the use of prone should you so desire. Are you shooting off a pack? Bipod?

What's your elevation & windage?

These are a pair of doe/fawn units. The left doe has her fawn directly behind her.

Take the shot?

 

[nodak7mm]

My luck I am across the canyon, so if I took the shot that means I have to go back down a mile to my truck and then up a mile to the kill site, dress it, bone and pack it back down the truck.

Looks like a heck of a vertical, I'll pass on the shot.. Been there done that :lol:

Too risky on the Doe anyway with the fawn behind.

Rod

 

[str8meat]

300 winnie 180 ab hold for the nose and drop her , if ya miss then find another one

 

[JD338]

280 AI with a 140 gr AB at 3240 fps. High lung shot should drop her right now. I aim tight behind the shoulder about 2-3" above the center line of the body. My zero is 200 yds so I will dial up 2+3 clicks MOA for elevation and 2 clicks, 1/2 MOA right to compensate for the wind. A rock solid rest with my back pack and I will send it.

JD338

 

[jmad_81]

280 AI pushing a 140 AB at 3200. Topped with a 4-14x40 LR VXIII with the TMR. Rifle would have around a 235 zero for a max point blank range of around 270 with a 4 in. kill zone, makes it 8.3" low at 350. That would make it a 3/4 mill hold for a 350 yard shot, slighty down hill combined with the up draft, make it an even half mill hold. As for windage, I might go two or three inches up wind.

Shot would be off my pack over a rock for sure. Both of the fawns look old enough to live with out its mother. I would take either one of the does as soon as the fawns got out of the line of fire.

Packing it down hill would be pretty easy. If I had to pack it up hill that far in that counrty I would think about looking for another one. At the shot she is going down the hill anyways.

 

[Guy Miner]

Photo was taken a few miles from my home here in Washington, while I was coyote hunting & hiking. It's in my usual mule deer hunting area.

I'd go with my normal .25-06 deer rifle with a 6x Leupold, probably with the 115 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip loaded to about 3150 fps. It's sighted-in at 300 yards, so I won't need to hold over at all. Hold on hair and call it good. The wind isn't much, but, I'd favor 3" into the wind as well.

At 350 yards I'd hope for a prone shot, rifle steady over my backpack, draped across a rock. That would be about as good as it gets for stability.

I've found I can get an entire doe, boned out, into my hunting pack if I don't bring a lot of useless junk with me on the hunt.

In this case, I'd wait until the fawn was out from behind mama, and I'd take the broadside shot. Since this is for meat, I'd go for the heart/lung shot.

jmad - I hear you about the pack out. Downhill, okay. Uphill? I packed a young buck out of the canyon just over the hill from this photo last fall. Ugh!

Guy

 

[GB300wm]

Well, this shot I can do with my equipment. I would go prone and shoot off a backpack for stability. I would use my 257 wby accumark topped with a Bushnell Elite 6500 2.5 x 16 x 50 scope. The load would be 115 bergers @ 3300 fps. I shoot a 300 yard zero, so 350 yards puts me 3.5" low. I would aim just above centerline of the animal in the front shoulder(leg line) and impact would be just right behind the shoulder and take it out. Bang, flop. :grin: :grin:

 

[Richracer1]

270WSM - 140AB w/Vari-X III 3-9x-50
7mmRUM - 150ET w/VX-III 4.5-14x40
30-06 - 180ET w/VX-II 3-9x-40
300RUM - 200AB w/Nikon Monarch 5-16x42

 

[SJB358]

I would use my 270WSM with the 150gr Ballistic Tip's at 3100FPS. M70, 3.5x10 VariXIII. I am zeroed for 300, so I would hold a hair under the backline, on the front edge of the front leg, and let it go. Should have an instant, or near instant collapse. Scotty

 

[Guy Miner]

Let's not forget the fawn standing behind that broadside doe... Don't really want to get a two-fer!

 

[GB300wm]

I guess I don't see the fawn, but I would let it clear before I take the shot. Don't want a two-fer. :grin: :grin:

 

[Guy Miner]

Since I took the photo, I cheated. You can just see her head over the back of the broadside doe, and a stray leg or two as well.

 

[SJB358]

Oh man, no two fers. I would have to eat her in place! I guess taking shots without being there is hard to see hidden deer. Scotty

 

[JD338]

Yikes!
I didn't even see that fawn until you mentioned it. Now I just have to wait for one to clear the other and then I will send it.

JD338

 

[1Shot]

I wait for the fawn to move or left doe to move so the fawn would not be hit. I would use my 264 Win mag pushing a 130 Nosler AB 3350 fps with 66.5 grs Retumbo out of my custom Rem 700 with a 27 3/4" Shilen barrel, Meopta Meostar 3 -12X56 scope. Rifle has a 3" high at 100 yard zero so I would not have to do anything but hold center of the fronts shoulder. I could shoot prone, done it may times, but a pack rest would be much better. I would then take out of my pack my rope and pull the doe up off the ground by hanging it on that big tree behind her and quickly skin her out and de-bone the hams and back strap out of her and any meat that was not destroyed on the front shoulders put it into a plastic garbage bag I carry and pack out the meat. All done in less than 30 min. The vermin would take care of the carcass in a few days.

 

[DrMike]

I'm getting old, and the idea of a one mile tote is not exciting. However, I generally tend to bring a younger fellow hunting with me any more, so he'll be happy to carry his share! :grin: My 280, loaded with 140 grain BSTs, will work just fine. I would be very happy with my 270 WSM (130 grain E-Tips) or my 7mm WSM (160 grain ABs) or my 30-06 (165 grain InterBonds) if any of those were what I happened to be carrying. From prone with my rifle over my pack, it would not be a difficult shot. I've certainly taken such shots on more than one occasion.

These deer are not particularly alarmed, though they are alert and know I am there. I have plenty of time to take the shot and to wait for the fawn to clear.

 

[Elkman]

I would also pass, deer :grin: :grin: need to be closer to the truck. Now if it was a cow elk, she would be dead!!!!!!

 

[caribouhunter]

you guys all aim left of where you want the impact
and wind is right to left :?

i would aim with the bottom of the first circle on my bdc reticle
that is zero at 340 yard. right on the center of the ribcage.
wind will bring the 200 AccuBond @ 3050 fps right behind the shoulder.

prone on versa-pod

 

[SJB358]

You got me. I thought the wind was blowing the other direction. Good call. Scotty

 

[1Shot]

I would not worry about the wind. It is only 3 to 4 mph and not steady. "Just moving the air". Most rifles have a right hand twist and the bullet will move enough from the rotation drift to cancel out the light right to left wind. The elevation, shooting down hill will cause you more problems than the light wind. Your shot will strike a little higher than normal at that distance when shooting down hill.