Desert Fox
Handloader
- Aug 14, 2006
- 1,965
- 3
We left Southern California Monday to met up with our friend Ken in Amarillo Texas the following Tuesday. We weren't expecting any hunting on Tuesday since we are not sure what time we will be able to hook up with him. Ken will be driving north from his home in Pottsboro just north of Dallas, 340 miles away.
We got to Amarillo at around 11 AM and stop by Garden Mountain to get our tag. While at Gander, Ken called to tell us that there was a change in plan. He told us to drive to Hedley Texas as soon as we get our tag and meet with him. He will be waiting for us at the intersection of highway 287 and 203. Hedley is about an hour drive east of Amarillo. I was not involved in the planning of this hunt... It was all Frank and Mike so I have no idea what was in store for us. It was my understanding that we're going to hunt on a ranch near Wellington, Texas which is farther east.
We left Gander Mountain at around 1:30PM and drove towards Hedley. Ken was waiting for us at the intersection as expected. After a brief exchange of greetings and pleasantries, Ken told us that we're going hunting since it's still early enough. "Going hunting" Mike quipped "We're not ready! we just got here". Ken told Mike not to worry, we're just going to check a couple of feeders and see what we can find in them. "Great" I muttered to my self. "my Bee has not been zero'd". I was planning on zeroing the rifle as soon as I get to Texas. These new batch of reloads that I brought for this hunt, although a proven load, was never been test fired to verify it's zero. It was reloaded using new cases and different bullet lot. Last minute decision to take the Bee for this hunt left me no time to make that trip to the range. In any case, It's too late for that now. We're going hunting.
Ken told us to follow him. We drove north on Highway 203 and immediately, I noticed that the place was becoming familiar to me. We've been here before. We're in the same place we were last year. Ken turned into the now familiar dirt road and after a mile or so, stop in front of a barbwire gate. He got out of his truck and asked me if I remember the place. I told him "yes I did". He told me to grab my rifle and get to the blind immediately because in an hour the feeder will begin dispensing corn and the deer will start coming.
I grabbed my backpack and everything on it and my Bee and hurried towards the blind's location. I remember the blind was in the middle of the cotton field just on the other side of the tree line that separate the two food plots. When I got there however the blind was nowhere to be found. The cotton field was now replanted with wheat. The corn feeder was not in it's original location either. There I was standing in the middle of field, scratching my head in disbelief, looking for this blind. The cows where looking at me as if to ask if I need help. I was ready to just find my self a spot to glass when I spotted the blind across the opposite side of the other food plot. I was totally fixated to it's previous location from a year ago that I walked right by it without noticing it.
I hurried up, almost sprinting across two food plot to get to the blind. I climbed and settled in. I pluck 3 cartridge from my ammo carrier and inserted all three into the Bee's magazine. I closed the bolt but elected not to chamber a round. I pulled my bino from it's case and began glassing the surrounding area. I saw no signs of deer. In the main time, I start checking distances with my LRF and took pictures of the area including my self. It was freezing cold inside the blind and a bit windy too. The temperature was hovering around 30 degrees F.
I was just ready to call Frank to ask him if he seen anything where he's at, when I noticed a buck came out of the brush from the left of the corn feeder. I noticed immediately also that it's a shooter. I grabbed the Bee and ever so slowly cycled the bolt to chamber a round. The deer noticed my movement immediately and stop. It then nervously turned around and start walking slowly back to where it came from, stopping a few seconds just to look in my direction. I slowly pointed the muzzle towards the deer and at the same time brought the LPS in line with my eye. I never took my eye off the deer. As soon as the cross hair and the deer shoulder came in line and into focus, I applied steady pressure to the trigger. The Bee went off! I saw the deer jump and kick signifying a hit and then it disappeared from view. I know it was a solid hit so I didn't bother to wait. I grabbed my rifle and a flashlight, since it's about ready to get dark, and went after the deer. I got to the spot where the deer was standing when I took the shot and found 2 blood spot and nothing else.
It took me an hour to find the deer due to the absence of blood trail and also it was really getting dark. It traveled only less than 50 yards from where it was hit. The exit wound on the deer was so small, about the size of a quarter, that it did not leave any blood trail at all.
By then it got really dark. The first quarter moon barely gave enough light so I decided to drag the deer closer to the feeder to wait for my friends.
I found out that Mike shot a buck also. Here's the picture of Mike buck at the butcher shop.
Later we celebrated a successful hunt by having dinner at the only restaurant in town.
We got to Amarillo at around 11 AM and stop by Garden Mountain to get our tag. While at Gander, Ken called to tell us that there was a change in plan. He told us to drive to Hedley Texas as soon as we get our tag and meet with him. He will be waiting for us at the intersection of highway 287 and 203. Hedley is about an hour drive east of Amarillo. I was not involved in the planning of this hunt... It was all Frank and Mike so I have no idea what was in store for us. It was my understanding that we're going to hunt on a ranch near Wellington, Texas which is farther east.
We left Gander Mountain at around 1:30PM and drove towards Hedley. Ken was waiting for us at the intersection as expected. After a brief exchange of greetings and pleasantries, Ken told us that we're going hunting since it's still early enough. "Going hunting" Mike quipped "We're not ready! we just got here". Ken told Mike not to worry, we're just going to check a couple of feeders and see what we can find in them. "Great" I muttered to my self. "my Bee has not been zero'd". I was planning on zeroing the rifle as soon as I get to Texas. These new batch of reloads that I brought for this hunt, although a proven load, was never been test fired to verify it's zero. It was reloaded using new cases and different bullet lot. Last minute decision to take the Bee for this hunt left me no time to make that trip to the range. In any case, It's too late for that now. We're going hunting.
Ken told us to follow him. We drove north on Highway 203 and immediately, I noticed that the place was becoming familiar to me. We've been here before. We're in the same place we were last year. Ken turned into the now familiar dirt road and after a mile or so, stop in front of a barbwire gate. He got out of his truck and asked me if I remember the place. I told him "yes I did". He told me to grab my rifle and get to the blind immediately because in an hour the feeder will begin dispensing corn and the deer will start coming.
I grabbed my backpack and everything on it and my Bee and hurried towards the blind's location. I remember the blind was in the middle of the cotton field just on the other side of the tree line that separate the two food plots. When I got there however the blind was nowhere to be found. The cotton field was now replanted with wheat. The corn feeder was not in it's original location either. There I was standing in the middle of field, scratching my head in disbelief, looking for this blind. The cows where looking at me as if to ask if I need help. I was ready to just find my self a spot to glass when I spotted the blind across the opposite side of the other food plot. I was totally fixated to it's previous location from a year ago that I walked right by it without noticing it.
I hurried up, almost sprinting across two food plot to get to the blind. I climbed and settled in. I pluck 3 cartridge from my ammo carrier and inserted all three into the Bee's magazine. I closed the bolt but elected not to chamber a round. I pulled my bino from it's case and began glassing the surrounding area. I saw no signs of deer. In the main time, I start checking distances with my LRF and took pictures of the area including my self. It was freezing cold inside the blind and a bit windy too. The temperature was hovering around 30 degrees F.
I was just ready to call Frank to ask him if he seen anything where he's at, when I noticed a buck came out of the brush from the left of the corn feeder. I noticed immediately also that it's a shooter. I grabbed the Bee and ever so slowly cycled the bolt to chamber a round. The deer noticed my movement immediately and stop. It then nervously turned around and start walking slowly back to where it came from, stopping a few seconds just to look in my direction. I slowly pointed the muzzle towards the deer and at the same time brought the LPS in line with my eye. I never took my eye off the deer. As soon as the cross hair and the deer shoulder came in line and into focus, I applied steady pressure to the trigger. The Bee went off! I saw the deer jump and kick signifying a hit and then it disappeared from view. I know it was a solid hit so I didn't bother to wait. I grabbed my rifle and a flashlight, since it's about ready to get dark, and went after the deer. I got to the spot where the deer was standing when I took the shot and found 2 blood spot and nothing else.
It took me an hour to find the deer due to the absence of blood trail and also it was really getting dark. It traveled only less than 50 yards from where it was hit. The exit wound on the deer was so small, about the size of a quarter, that it did not leave any blood trail at all.
By then it got really dark. The first quarter moon barely gave enough light so I decided to drag the deer closer to the feeder to wait for my friends.
I found out that Mike shot a buck also. Here's the picture of Mike buck at the butcher shop.
Later we celebrated a successful hunt by having dinner at the only restaurant in town.
