Just got invited to Kansas for Whitetails!

[FOTIS]

Now that is an elafos!

 

[pre6422hornet]

Earle you are in for a great time!

I lived in Kansas City from 2011-2014 ( on the missouri side), but my territory encompassed darn near the entire state of Kansas. There are deer everywhere. It looks barren out in the Flint Hill area, but they are there for sure. Lots of riverbottoms, creeks, draws, etc...

And yes Kansas has some giants and great genetics. I hunted just over the border in Missouri on public land and killed three nice bucks in three years, and found sheds of some giants ( 165" plus) but never saw them.

Huge bodied deer as well. Similiar to your Maine deer. 250-300 pounders are not that rare. My last buck was a 1.5 year old 8 point that went 180 on the hoof. The year before I girth measured the buck I took at 280 pounds. Lots of delicious venison.

 

[35 Whelen]

Hey that sounds great, well I am sure we will have a great time, eat some good food, hear some great story's, and meet some new friends! Shooting another big deer would be lucky strike extra! I do think it could be the perfect spot to unleash the wrath of the 25 Whelen, spitting out 117 gr pills at 3200 fps, whats not to like ?Lol

 

[SJB358]

I'd run that 115 BT all day long E, it's made EXACTLY for the shot you described, plus the additional BC wouldn't hurt my feelers at all.. If your aim is true, it won't be that bullet letting you down.

That is a hammer of a whitetail you've got pictured. Jeeze what a horse.

 

[35 Whelen]

like Larry Rivers said " we get the big ones" ha ha.
Actually that head is not ours, we thought it was an old Maine head but as it turned out soposedly it came from Wisconsin. ?.... :|

 

[Darkhorse]

If I was going on a once in a lifetime hunt in Kansas and paying big bucks for a big buck, and knowing what I know about whitetails from 5 or so decades of hunting them, there is only one rifle in my safe I would take.
My .300 Win. that shoots sub 1/2" at 100 yards and has proven itself by taking a number of good animals at the longer ranges. Maybe with the Leupold 3.5X10 that was bought for the gun. Maybe with the Zeiss conquest that's on my .308 or maybe a new scope altogether.
Those 165 grain BT's or Accubonds could make all the difference on a marginal hit at those 400 yard ranges.
I personally, would save the .25 for my local hunting.
But that's just me. No light tackle, when it's all on the line, hunting for me. I want to always "Use enough gun".

 

[35 Whelen]

DH,
Not sure I would compare this hunt ,to a real once in a lifetime deal , like say hunting the higher Altai, for Marco Polo, and certainly there is No BIG money on this hunt, just some friends hunting together, staying in an old farmhouse ,everyone kicks in for grocery's sorta thing . I certainly hear you about using Enough gun! Couldn't agree more. Having hunted all over the world, for nearly the same lenght of time you have been at it, I have sorta decided a long time ago that a 270 W is very capable of killing "any animal "under 400 lbs out to 400 yds. So will most likely stuff it and the 25/06 into a two gun case, and take my chances. We all have our ideas of what works the best for us, and of course that's what makes this all so much fun! I used those 165 BT for years at 2950 fps outta my 30 Govt, and found them to do exactly what you suggested! Thanks for the advice, and I owned a 300 Mag back in the 1980 for a while, and had a 7mm RemMag before that, so am sorta firmilar with their attributes, they are both fine calibers.... :wink:
E

 

[Darkhorse]

FWIW, I would never have bought a .300 WM to hunt deer with. I would have thought it way overkill.
I was on an elk hunt out of Chama NM in 1996. Mid November, it was considered a migration hunt. Due to heavy snow the elk had migrated down to the more open ranches and the shots were long. I had my 7mm RM and as far as I know it was the lightest cartridge in camp. Most of these veterans were using .300 Mags. of one flavor or another and were killing at elk at 400 to 500 yards or more...those that could hit one that far at least. I ended up shooting mine the last morning offhand at 281 long steps, broke it down then finished with a neck shot at 50 yards. I can't argue with the performance.
The rifle was/is blued with a nice walnut stock. The hunt was physical and after the afternoon hunt it was a chore to oil the steel. My tentmates had stainless, synthetics and they didn't worry about the gun.
So I came out of that hunt wanting a stainless, synthetic rifle in .300 WM to be used solely for Elk. I did not know the rifle would turn out to be so accurate. Or that the gun would fit me like a glove. So I decided to hunt deer with it one season.
That one season turned into 15 or so straight and accounted for my best whitetail taken between 3 and 400 yards plus a lot of others in that same range. I just loved/love the rifle. And I am more confident in it at longer range than any of my others.
Today that rifle doesn't see as much use. I have others more suited to deer hunting in my local conditions. But if a trip comes up with a chance at a monster that old .300 will be my choice.
Lately I've been considering the 25-06 but there are only a few choices for us LH'ers out there. Maybe I'll just end up with a Browning X bolt in that caliber. After a couple of seasons, who knows? I may just prefer it to my .300 for those long shots.

 

[SJB358]

If you like the way 300's dump deer I'd bet you'll never be happy with anything less. A 300 mag might be overkill on deer but the deer don't know it. Love the 25-06 but the old 300 is a beast of a different breed.

 

[35 Whelen]

Boy that sounds like a beauty and also has served you well.
I had a Browning A bolt in 338 WM for 20 years and it was an absolute perfect gun for Elk hunting, really wacked the
Snot right outta em! I always used 210gr Nosler Partitions,
And that made a real super combo on Elk. Of course we shot a few with the 30/06, and to be honest with 180gr PT
With proper placement it wilts them no problem. Last 6 pt I shot, was in Scapegoat Wilderness Area, he was bedded down and would not get up, so we decided to try a neck shot at 310 yds; ranged.......... One shot, he never knew what hit him!

 

[Darkhorse]

If you like the way 300's dump deer I'd bet you'll never be happy with anything less. A 300 mag might be overkill on deer but the deer don't know it. Love the 25-06 but the old 300 is a beast of a different breed.

It's a versatile cartridge also. I hunted deer with it exclusively (except for my flintlock) for at least 15 straight seasons. I shot deer from about 20 yards out to long unknown distances when I had to take a quick shot at fast moving bucks during the rut.
I shot a 5X5 bull elk at 400 yards in N. Colorado. I didn't know it at the time but the guide had ranged to that hillside previously but he didn't bother to tell me before the shot. The bull was slightly quartering to me and the 180 grainer broke both shoulders and the spine and plowed into the dirt on the other side. He flipped over onto his back and kicked exactly one time and was still.
Bullet selection in vital though if you want good performance on game. IMHO

 

[SJB358]

That's why the 300's were invented, fast shots at long range against heavy game... They make it possible without a lot of brain power.

 

[sask boy]

At one time not so long ago, I was going through the B&C recorded book and almost 2 to 1 the 300win mag held most of the top 10 trophies :wink:.
My cousin shot a model 70 in the 300win exclusively for over 10 years and still to this day states that if he could only have 1 rifle it would be a Model 70 in the 300win.
I believe he never shot any bullet other than the 180gr Nosler Partition out of it.

Blessings,
Dan

 

[Darkhorse]

That's why the 300's were invented, fast shots at long range against heavy game... They make it possible without a lot of brain power.

Well put. Here is a post from last year about a shot with my .300. I just have confidence in the gun and cartridge and it's hard to use it when the situation might call for it. I've had my 7RM much longer but I just don't have the same confidence in it as I have in the .300.

Darkhorse
Post subject: Re: Most memorable shot on big game?PostPosted: Mon Sep 14, 2015 1:40 am

Joined: Sat Mar 15, 2014 1:02 am
Posts: 480
Location: Georgia, U.S.A.
What comes to mind when I think of memorable shots is this one. I had set up a 16' tripod stand on a hilltop in a clearcut that had not been replanted. It was a jungle. I was hunting across a, lets call it a valley, and I'd set up to watch the opposite hillside and hilltop. It was 300 yards at the least across to that other hilltop. That hill top opened up some as it had not been cut and was covered in oakbrush and pines.
I had attached 1X6's on all 4 sides of the tripod and had a shooting bag. I was prepared for long shots. I was shooting my Browning A-bolt stainless W/BOSS in .300 Win. Mag. loaded with 165 grain Hornady soft points with a max. charge of IMR 4350. Topped with a Leupold 3.5 X 10 scope.
About 9 in the morning I saw a group of does run across that hillside and hilltop and back in the trees I saw a bigger deer with a flash of antlers. No chance for a shot at all.
Around 10:30 the does came filtering back across the hill, then I saw a larger deer walking fast. I got on the shooting bag and put the crosshairs on the predetermined open spot. While on the stock I was watching the hilltop when suddenly I saw the buck with a headfull of antlers. I tracked him with the scope then shot when it looked right. The buck ran but I thought I'd seen him react to the shot. I marked that spot with a dead, white pine about 6" diameter leaning against another tree.
I got down and tried to walk to the spot but it was so thick at the bottom I could hardly get through and I ended up off track. I fought that brush and briars for about an hour, checking every leaning tree I could see, no luck. Finally I reached the hilltop (things didn't look the same over here as they did from the stand) when I noticed fresh white tree chunks on the ground.
I walked over there and saw a leaning pine tree...With a hole right through the center! Then a grown pine with a groove about 4 inches into the tree and about a yard from there I found a spot of blood. I couldn't believe I'd made a killing shot and the blood trail was sporadic at best for about 20 yards. Then it got much better. And 60 yards from where he'd been standing I found the buck with a perfect round hole right behind the shoulder.
The bullet had passed through a 6" dead pine then gouged a slot 4 inches deep through a live pine, then what was left of the bullet had centered the heart.
I'm sure nobody believes that and nobody believed it then either. It was after 12 noon and camp was deserted so I loaded that buck on my Polaris by my self.
Here is a photo of that buck.

 

[SJB358]

Great story Darkhorse... Proves my point, when the chips are down it doesn't hurt to have a little extra. Great stuff. Enjoyed reading that story.

 

[JD338]

DH,

Congratulations on a dandy buck.

JD338

 

[35 Whelen]

Well I had originally planed on just loading up some 117gr SSTs to take to Kansas, but after speaking with one of the fellow hunters about the wind out there, I am darn glad the scope I will be using has a Windplex reticle in it!
I had also toyed with the idea of trying some Bergers because of their really high BC to help out with the Kansas winds! But have now upon further investigation decided to take a hard look at Speers 120gr SBT with its amazing
.480 BC !! :grin:
Cant really imagine there is a buck out there that could withstand the bulletproof test, with a Speer 120 launched
Into him that started outta the barrel at nearly 3200fps???
If there is; they would have to be tougher; than these whimpy 300 lbers,that we got strolling around here! :mrgreen:

 

[SJB358]

I am glad you saw that. I was looking at it as well. I like Speer bullets and that sucker should be wicked on deer. My little brother is stacking up deer with the 120 PT out of a 257 WBY. Hard to want much more than that combo does to deer.

 

[35 Whelen]

What sorta velocity is that 257 Wea exiting the barrel at Scotty? The largest buck I have ever watched shot was hit with a 257Wea mag, the hunter shot from 200 yds, the buck was facing us, but he pulled the gun hitting him across the right front shoulder but just barely! It
Still staggered him badly and he almost went down, I tracked him down about 45 mins later, beauty with 17 big points and a 28" outside spread!
E

 

[SJB358]

They are coming out of their rifle around 3300 so they have some speed on them. I'd like to try something like an AB or Scirroccos. Just hard to peel the rifle out of their hands!