tddeangelo
Handloader
- May 18, 2011
- 2,023
- 20
I spent last week (including the days of Hurricane Sandy) in northeastern NC hunting whitetails with an outfitter I've been to for 5 consecutive years now (this was my 5th trip).
After a slow start, I finally put glass on antlers on Wed morning (10/31). The deer in question was a 2.5 yr old buck in a cutover at 177 yards. I had my prewar, pre-64 300H&H, with a 4-12x50 Swaro Z3 on top. It was loaded with 180PT's over 72.0gr of RL22, for an average velocity of 3015fps. Groups were sub-moa.
Here's a shot of my view from the stand. I shot the buck at the far right corner of the cutover in between the trees that mark the "drainages" on either side of the little hill where it was timbered.
Shooting light began 30min before sunrise, which was about 0705 that day. I couldn't have seen the movement much later than 0708 or so. Once the binos confirmed it was a deer I'd glimpsed moving, I went to the riflescope to see antlers sprout up clearly from his head. He was walking dead away from me, and I had to wait till he walked around some left-over slashings to get enough of an angle from him to slip the bullet past his flank and into his ribs. At the shot, he went down HARD. He tried to get up an fell. Tried again, struggling to get some forward progress, and fell. When he tried a 3rd time, I'd had enough. I sent another PT on its way. This one took him between the front legs in the brisket (he was on his side) and exited between his shoulderblades on his back. That put a quick end to things.
Here's the deer:
With my ugly mug:
He was a 9pt, with a kicker of the back of the right antler.
On Thurs. evening, the H&H and I took a different stand. As I was watching a bean field to my left (shots approaching 300 yards across it) and a lane to my front (reaching 304 yards before bending out of sight), the sun sunk below some clouds, lighting up the sky brilliantly. I decided to stand and stretch, and to take a quick pic of the sky. As I turned on my digital camera, I saw a deer come out on my shooting lane. I slipped my camera in my fleece coat pocket and dropped it, forgetting a battery was also in there. CLUNK! The staring contest commenced, with the buck looking at me as I looked at him through the Swaro at about 200 yards. Despite being standing and offhand, I managed a good position and felt I could kill the deer. I could not see brow tines, only long beams slightly wider than his ears. I hemmed and hawed, and decided not to shoot. When I could, I slipped down to sitting and got on the shooting rail as he now walked away from me. I still couldn't see points, but he looked pretty darned good, so I decided to take him. I shot at 250 yards as he walked into a small opening. I missed. Drat!
Friday evening I went back where I had good luck Wed. AM. At 15 minutes prior to end of shooting light (maybe around 1830 or so), two large doe and a small doe came out to the left side of the cutover pic I posted above. They spent 5-10 minutes working through the cutover until they were directly in front of me. Sure enough, out came a buck following. I saw beams to the ears and said, "I'm not screwing up like last night." I stopped looking him over and got ready for a shot. He stopped at about 220 yards or so, slightly quartered at me, and was still. I got a good hold and let the 300 speak. He disappeared and the doe looked confused. I checked for him and could not see him. I figured he went down. I was looking for landmarks to find him.
Then I saw a deer moving and scoped it. It was the buck! What the...?????
I cranked in a fresh round, settled in again, and this time on a walking/trotting shot, I made it count and drilled him on the back edge of the shoulder. He mule kicked and tore off looking wobbly. I heard him crash. I went to where he disappeared in the woods. Blood EVERYWHERE. He was located in about 45 seconds. Biggest dang spike I've ever seen! I couldn't believe it!
When I skinned out the deer, the 9pt was WRECKED. the bullet had sheared off about 5 ribs, making a horrific hole in the deer's back and costing me a huge chunk of backstrap. The second shot didn't help the backstrap cause. The 180PT's had absolutely demolished the deer.
On the 2nd buck, since it hit behind the shoulder, he was not put down immediately. The exit wound was about 2"-3" across. That PT did a darn good job. I'd have to look it up, but I bet those PTs hit with >2800fps. On Buck #2, the wound was impressive, but it wasn't the mess of Buck #1, that's for sure!
In all, a good trip. 6 hunters in camp, each permitted 2 buck and 2 doe. We took 15 total, with 7 being bucks.
After a slow start, I finally put glass on antlers on Wed morning (10/31). The deer in question was a 2.5 yr old buck in a cutover at 177 yards. I had my prewar, pre-64 300H&H, with a 4-12x50 Swaro Z3 on top. It was loaded with 180PT's over 72.0gr of RL22, for an average velocity of 3015fps. Groups were sub-moa.
Here's a shot of my view from the stand. I shot the buck at the far right corner of the cutover in between the trees that mark the "drainages" on either side of the little hill where it was timbered.
Shooting light began 30min before sunrise, which was about 0705 that day. I couldn't have seen the movement much later than 0708 or so. Once the binos confirmed it was a deer I'd glimpsed moving, I went to the riflescope to see antlers sprout up clearly from his head. He was walking dead away from me, and I had to wait till he walked around some left-over slashings to get enough of an angle from him to slip the bullet past his flank and into his ribs. At the shot, he went down HARD. He tried to get up an fell. Tried again, struggling to get some forward progress, and fell. When he tried a 3rd time, I'd had enough. I sent another PT on its way. This one took him between the front legs in the brisket (he was on his side) and exited between his shoulderblades on his back. That put a quick end to things.
Here's the deer:
With my ugly mug:
He was a 9pt, with a kicker of the back of the right antler.
On Thurs. evening, the H&H and I took a different stand. As I was watching a bean field to my left (shots approaching 300 yards across it) and a lane to my front (reaching 304 yards before bending out of sight), the sun sunk below some clouds, lighting up the sky brilliantly. I decided to stand and stretch, and to take a quick pic of the sky. As I turned on my digital camera, I saw a deer come out on my shooting lane. I slipped my camera in my fleece coat pocket and dropped it, forgetting a battery was also in there. CLUNK! The staring contest commenced, with the buck looking at me as I looked at him through the Swaro at about 200 yards. Despite being standing and offhand, I managed a good position and felt I could kill the deer. I could not see brow tines, only long beams slightly wider than his ears. I hemmed and hawed, and decided not to shoot. When I could, I slipped down to sitting and got on the shooting rail as he now walked away from me. I still couldn't see points, but he looked pretty darned good, so I decided to take him. I shot at 250 yards as he walked into a small opening. I missed. Drat!
Friday evening I went back where I had good luck Wed. AM. At 15 minutes prior to end of shooting light (maybe around 1830 or so), two large doe and a small doe came out to the left side of the cutover pic I posted above. They spent 5-10 minutes working through the cutover until they were directly in front of me. Sure enough, out came a buck following. I saw beams to the ears and said, "I'm not screwing up like last night." I stopped looking him over and got ready for a shot. He stopped at about 220 yards or so, slightly quartered at me, and was still. I got a good hold and let the 300 speak. He disappeared and the doe looked confused. I checked for him and could not see him. I figured he went down. I was looking for landmarks to find him.
Then I saw a deer moving and scoped it. It was the buck! What the...?????
I cranked in a fresh round, settled in again, and this time on a walking/trotting shot, I made it count and drilled him on the back edge of the shoulder. He mule kicked and tore off looking wobbly. I heard him crash. I went to where he disappeared in the woods. Blood EVERYWHERE. He was located in about 45 seconds. Biggest dang spike I've ever seen! I couldn't believe it!
When I skinned out the deer, the 9pt was WRECKED. the bullet had sheared off about 5 ribs, making a horrific hole in the deer's back and costing me a huge chunk of backstrap. The second shot didn't help the backstrap cause. The 180PT's had absolutely demolished the deer.
On the 2nd buck, since it hit behind the shoulder, he was not put down immediately. The exit wound was about 2"-3" across. That PT did a darn good job. I'd have to look it up, but I bet those PTs hit with >2800fps. On Buck #2, the wound was impressive, but it wasn't the mess of Buck #1, that's for sure!
In all, a good trip. 6 hunters in camp, each permitted 2 buck and 2 doe. We took 15 total, with 7 being bucks.
I think we need to check with Fotis though to see if you truly "used enough gun!" They should be wonderful eating too.
