Larry in SD
Handloader
- Nov 8, 2004
- 426
- 1
My youngest daughter and I have been hunting all week. We had been watching a group of deer and had them patterned well before season. The afternoon of opening day I managed to call in the smaller of the two bucks so I was done.
The rest of the week I have been serving as hunting guide for my daughter while her husband (who didn't draw a license this year) stayed home and took care of my wife (THANKS Joey).
As stated we have been hunting this same group of deer all week in the afternoons. Seemed every day they'd give us the slip coming out way late and not getting into range until it was either after shooting hours or too dark for a comfortable shot. We had been sitting in a ground blind on a fence line between two pastures.
Then Saturday afternoon they changed their pattern and came out of the cat tails to feed way to the west of us on the other side of the pasture.
Yesterday afternoon I told my daughter we are going to give this stand one more try and if nothing works this afternoon then Monday we'd try to find a different location for a stand. Well yesterday afternoon they changed their pattern again only this time they emerged from the cat tails onto a different pasture to the east of us. To my amazement they fed right towards us.
The deer were about 200ish yards out. My daughter readied for the shot but should could not get steady. I whispered to her to take her time as the deer were feeding left to right along the edge of the cat tails and get the crosshairs steady. All of a sudden the deer changed directions and started straight north right towards us. They came about half way across the pasture and stopped.
I tried to get a range on the deer but for some reason I could not get a reading. As I put the range finder down I whispered to Nicole they are 100 to 150ish yards and to get steady and hold right one where she wanted the bullet.
I kept glancing back and forth between my daughter and the deer. As I glanced at my daughter then shifted my attention back to the deer the Remington Model 700 .30-06 Stainless Synthetic BDL roared. A miss. I quickly asked in a whisper which one she shot at and told her to reload. She replied the one that separated and went to the southwest. Again I whispered get the crosshairs steady and squeeze the trigger.
I have no sooner said that and the Remington .30-06 roared to life again. This time we heard the WHUMPH of the bullet finding it's mark. At the shot the deer started her death sprint and covered maybe 40 - 50 yards coming right towards us. I was about to tell my daughter to reload when the doe collapsed, stone dead.
Her second shot was right on the mark hitting the near side shoulder, taking out the heart and lungs and exiting behind the ribs on the off side. The 150gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip pushed with 59.0grs. H-4350 leaves the muzzle of this .30-06 at 2879 FPS and it indeed did it's job. The hole where the Ballistic Tip entered the rib cage after passing through the shoulder was about 2" in diameter shattering a rib before it took out the heart and lungs.
It appears to be a 1 1/2 year old doe. We are going to loose some meat on that shoulder but I am betting the rest is going to be mighty tasty. This is only the second deer my 28 year old daughter has ever shot. Now she can say she shot a deer with a rifle also as the first deer she shot was with a Super 14 .30-30 AI T/C Contender Handgun.
My daughter didn't get to hunt for many years as she lived in North Dakota and her and her husband didn't hunt there. This past fall they moved back to South Dakota to help me take care of my wife and fortunately she drew a license in South Dakota and I had the opportunity to hunt with my daughter once again.
Yes even though we are going through a tough time with my wife's condition my daughter and I were fortunate enough to be able to enjoy a memorable hunt together.
Thanks for reading.
Larry
The rest of the week I have been serving as hunting guide for my daughter while her husband (who didn't draw a license this year) stayed home and took care of my wife (THANKS Joey).
As stated we have been hunting this same group of deer all week in the afternoons. Seemed every day they'd give us the slip coming out way late and not getting into range until it was either after shooting hours or too dark for a comfortable shot. We had been sitting in a ground blind on a fence line between two pastures.
Then Saturday afternoon they changed their pattern and came out of the cat tails to feed way to the west of us on the other side of the pasture.
Yesterday afternoon I told my daughter we are going to give this stand one more try and if nothing works this afternoon then Monday we'd try to find a different location for a stand. Well yesterday afternoon they changed their pattern again only this time they emerged from the cat tails onto a different pasture to the east of us. To my amazement they fed right towards us.
The deer were about 200ish yards out. My daughter readied for the shot but should could not get steady. I whispered to her to take her time as the deer were feeding left to right along the edge of the cat tails and get the crosshairs steady. All of a sudden the deer changed directions and started straight north right towards us. They came about half way across the pasture and stopped.
I tried to get a range on the deer but for some reason I could not get a reading. As I put the range finder down I whispered to Nicole they are 100 to 150ish yards and to get steady and hold right one where she wanted the bullet.
I kept glancing back and forth between my daughter and the deer. As I glanced at my daughter then shifted my attention back to the deer the Remington Model 700 .30-06 Stainless Synthetic BDL roared. A miss. I quickly asked in a whisper which one she shot at and told her to reload. She replied the one that separated and went to the southwest. Again I whispered get the crosshairs steady and squeeze the trigger.
I have no sooner said that and the Remington .30-06 roared to life again. This time we heard the WHUMPH of the bullet finding it's mark. At the shot the deer started her death sprint and covered maybe 40 - 50 yards coming right towards us. I was about to tell my daughter to reload when the doe collapsed, stone dead.
Her second shot was right on the mark hitting the near side shoulder, taking out the heart and lungs and exiting behind the ribs on the off side. The 150gr. Nosler Ballistic Tip pushed with 59.0grs. H-4350 leaves the muzzle of this .30-06 at 2879 FPS and it indeed did it's job. The hole where the Ballistic Tip entered the rib cage after passing through the shoulder was about 2" in diameter shattering a rib before it took out the heart and lungs.
It appears to be a 1 1/2 year old doe. We are going to loose some meat on that shoulder but I am betting the rest is going to be mighty tasty. This is only the second deer my 28 year old daughter has ever shot. Now she can say she shot a deer with a rifle also as the first deer she shot was with a Super 14 .30-30 AI T/C Contender Handgun.
My daughter didn't get to hunt for many years as she lived in North Dakota and her and her husband didn't hunt there. This past fall they moved back to South Dakota to help me take care of my wife and fortunately she drew a license in South Dakota and I had the opportunity to hunt with my daughter once again.
Yes even though we are going through a tough time with my wife's condition my daughter and I were fortunate enough to be able to enjoy a memorable hunt together.
Thanks for reading.
Larry
