Captain Cook
Beginner
- Apr 24, 2017
- 5
- 0
so I am a fairly new hunter and have befriended NYDAN and Rol P. NYDAN is my next door neighbor in western NY. I got my first rifle about 6 months ago (Savage 11/111 trophy hunter) in 30.06. I was able to get out and help NYDAN with his property this past summer and fall. He spent time helping me get the gun sighted in at 200yrds and even made some nice hand loads for me using Remington brass and Nosler ballistic tip 165g. This is the summary I wrote for Dan from my hunt as I know he likes details and he wanted me to share it with you guys!
The pictures are of the stand I used and a panorama of the view from the stand.
So I had light winds this morning out of the NW and decided to use the gully
stand. I arrived at the stand at 615. Was able to get in easy. Getting
settled was a bit more of a challenge. Getting the pads on the window sill
was a noisy adventure. By 630 I had everything settled my coffee out and
binoculars ready, I did a few trial runs with the gun out the windows
getting a feel for how it was gonna go.
Around 630 the turkeys to my southwest where making all sorts of noise.
645am 50 yards in front of stand a red fox working his or her way right
towards me. He was interested in the stand, not sure if he saw me or what
but he darted to my right. A few minutes later I noticed he came back out
and didn't seem alarmed this time. I was so caught up with watching the fox
I didn't notice the solo deer working its way down the food plot. It was
still a bit early so I thought it was a doe. After a bit using the
binoculars and scope I determined it was a small buck. In the light I had it
appeared to have 7-9 inch spikes with small knobs. He wandered around in
front of me by the apple tree and around. Well with in shooting range, my
thoughts where I am gonna let him walk, he's just a small guy. About this
time again the turkeys where causing all sorts of commotion. The buck was
watching them too. I counted not 1 not 2 but 26!!! They worked their way
from my southwest to the northwest. They were quiet once in the fields!
All this time I was thinking man maybe I should have harvested that buck, I
had not shot a deer in 4yrs, work schedule, 3 little kids and wife at home
etc etc... I decided I was gonna harvest him if he showed up again. Well
around 820. He and his twin brother reappeared to my east northeast in the
shooting lane farthest to the east. I say twins because they had similar
racks, similar builds. My guess 120yards, I was comfortable with the
distance thanks to shooting with you. I had a hard time wanting to shoot
because I was wanting them to be bigger! They ended up wandering up to the
north over the ridge. Afterwards I was like ok if they show up again I am
harvesting one. Well all quiet till 9am. I noticed a flicker of a tail at
the top of the ridge right up where the brothers went. Then a doe come
running down the lane, I got excited because I knew she had a buck coming
behind the way she was acting. She came right down to the bottom of the
lane and cut west. The buck was following down but not in a huge hurry. I
had already put the gun up to the ready position. I noticed it was one of
the brothers. He turned west and gave me a nice broadside shot. I was ready
and aimed right behind the shoulder. I shot, felt like it was a good shot.
Dan, I filled my cartridge clip to capacity 4. I figured if I couldn't hit a
deer with 2 shots I had issues lol. I used your hand loads and they worked
awesome. The deer did move forward on me so my shot was 6 inches behind
where I aimed, I didn't bleat to make him stop. Learning curve there I
guess. Anyways he literally made it 20ft and dropped. I was worried I gut
shot him when I got to him. I hit his liver and the bottom was destroyed. I
must of hit the food tube going to the stomach as I found corn when I field
dressed him, but the gut was intact. I do not have bullet hole pictures for
you but I can show you tomorrow when you get home or Saturday. The entry
wound was I'd say the size of the bullet, it exited the opposite side
leaving a silver dollar size hole in the rib cage.
The pictures are of the stand I used and a panorama of the view from the stand.
So I had light winds this morning out of the NW and decided to use the gully
stand. I arrived at the stand at 615. Was able to get in easy. Getting
settled was a bit more of a challenge. Getting the pads on the window sill
was a noisy adventure. By 630 I had everything settled my coffee out and
binoculars ready, I did a few trial runs with the gun out the windows
getting a feel for how it was gonna go.
Around 630 the turkeys to my southwest where making all sorts of noise.
645am 50 yards in front of stand a red fox working his or her way right
towards me. He was interested in the stand, not sure if he saw me or what
but he darted to my right. A few minutes later I noticed he came back out
and didn't seem alarmed this time. I was so caught up with watching the fox
I didn't notice the solo deer working its way down the food plot. It was
still a bit early so I thought it was a doe. After a bit using the
binoculars and scope I determined it was a small buck. In the light I had it
appeared to have 7-9 inch spikes with small knobs. He wandered around in
front of me by the apple tree and around. Well with in shooting range, my
thoughts where I am gonna let him walk, he's just a small guy. About this
time again the turkeys where causing all sorts of commotion. The buck was
watching them too. I counted not 1 not 2 but 26!!! They worked their way
from my southwest to the northwest. They were quiet once in the fields!
All this time I was thinking man maybe I should have harvested that buck, I
had not shot a deer in 4yrs, work schedule, 3 little kids and wife at home
etc etc... I decided I was gonna harvest him if he showed up again. Well
around 820. He and his twin brother reappeared to my east northeast in the
shooting lane farthest to the east. I say twins because they had similar
racks, similar builds. My guess 120yards, I was comfortable with the
distance thanks to shooting with you. I had a hard time wanting to shoot
because I was wanting them to be bigger! They ended up wandering up to the
north over the ridge. Afterwards I was like ok if they show up again I am
harvesting one. Well all quiet till 9am. I noticed a flicker of a tail at
the top of the ridge right up where the brothers went. Then a doe come
running down the lane, I got excited because I knew she had a buck coming
behind the way she was acting. She came right down to the bottom of the
lane and cut west. The buck was following down but not in a huge hurry. I
had already put the gun up to the ready position. I noticed it was one of
the brothers. He turned west and gave me a nice broadside shot. I was ready
and aimed right behind the shoulder. I shot, felt like it was a good shot.
Dan, I filled my cartridge clip to capacity 4. I figured if I couldn't hit a
deer with 2 shots I had issues lol. I used your hand loads and they worked
awesome. The deer did move forward on me so my shot was 6 inches behind
where I aimed, I didn't bleat to make him stop. Learning curve there I
guess. Anyways he literally made it 20ft and dropped. I was worried I gut
shot him when I got to him. I hit his liver and the bottom was destroyed. I
must of hit the food tube going to the stomach as I found corn when I field
dressed him, but the gut was intact. I do not have bullet hole pictures for
you but I can show you tomorrow when you get home or Saturday. The entry
wound was I'd say the size of the bullet, it exited the opposite side
leaving a silver dollar size hole in the rib cage.
