rjm158 2017 Deer

DrMike

DrMike

Ballistician
Nov 8, 2006
37,402
6,213
Wow! What a hog!





Ron should be along shortly to give us the blow-by-blow account. What a fine specimen!
 
My season had been horrible so far. Opening weekend I shot two does with my 6.5 Creedmoor and couldn't recover either one. (Another story). I either saw no deer, itty bitty deer, or had no viable shot since then. I began to think the deer gods were mad at me for some reason.

Yesterday, 11-19-2017, I was hunting with my best friend on a lease he has. We had hunted the morning and I saw three does that made German Shepherds look big while my friend killed two large does on the opposite side of the same field. We went for lunch afterward he put me on a pasture area I was familiar with and where they had seen large numbers of deer before. I was in a blind they had set up and the deer were accustomed to it.

Early on I had three nice does at 200+ yards but had no shot due to some brush/tree limbs in the way. About an hour later in a tree line I had a small spike and two does come out but they were nearly 300 yards away and a fold in the land made it so only their backs could be seen except when they raised their heads took look around. Eventually they fed away into the timber and were lost from sight entirely.

By this time I was figuring it was just another day with no opportunities so I was getting ready to pack up and leave. My friend told me (by text) to stay put until dark but I was ready to go. I decided to wait as he suggested until dark to see if anything developed. I sat back in my chair for a bit then leaned forward to look out the windows and there, 200+ yards away, was this huge buck! I could clearly see his antlers without binoculars and thought this might be a buck he had told me about several months ago and had tried to set me up to shoot him during bow season but he never appeared.

Now, as I watched, he started walking across the pasture in my direction. I kept ranging him and letting him get closer. He stopped at a measured 150 yds to sniff something on the ground and was at a quartering to angle with his left shoulder predominant. I shot him in the shoulder and he dropped so fast he disappeared from my scope. My adrenaline was in overdrive and it seemed to take forever to get out of the blind, under the fence, and across the field to where he lay. The position you see in the photo of the deer alone is how he fell except I moved his head upright to show the antlers better. Initially, his head was on its right side. When my friend got to the field and saw the deer, he immediately began shouting, "That's him! That's him!" It was indeed the buck he had wanted me to get with my bow.

The buck has an unusually light colored coat, one that reminds me of an elk. For this, and because he is easily the biggest racked, and possibly bodied, buck I have ever shot I am getting him mounted.

The rifle I used was a Tikka T-3, 25-06, with a Bushnell Elite 2.5-10x 4500 scope. My handloads were 100 gr Ballistic Tips over 50 grs of RL-17 giving me a chronoed velocity of 3177. When I field dressed him the heart, lungs, etc, were jellified and we basically poured them out of the cavity.

Thanks to Dr Mike for posting my pictures for me (I'm basically computer illiterate) so I could share my story with you.

Ron
 
Sheesh, Ron, don't you know that the 25-06 won't kill deer? :mrgreen: Great story. Glad you stayed the course. That is a fine animals; that's for sure. (y)
 
Ron congratulations on a once in a lifetime buck! Hope you get on another real soon! Wow!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
DrMike said:
Sheesh, Ron, don't you know that the 25-06 won't kill deer? :mrgreen:

Not trying to start a "mine's better than yours" war, but in the years I've hunted I've never had a cartridge that consistently put deer on the ground faster than a 25-06. I use 100 gr BT's and so far they have never failed me. I like to experiment and try different rounds to see how they work, but when it's time to put venison in the freezer I'll reach for my 25-06's every time.

Ron
Click to expand...
 
Hey, no flies on the 25-06. I've never owned one, but it is not for lack of trying to find what I want. I do have a 257 Bob which does work quite well on deer.
 
Dr Mike, I should have prefaced my last post by saying I knew you were joking. I was just sharing my opinion of the caliber.

Thanks for all the kind remarks guys. I knew I wanted to share him with you guys and gals.

Ron
 
rjm158":1w6qgqjr said:
DrMike":1w6qgqjr said:
Sheesh, Ron, don't you know that the 25-06 won't kill deer? :mrgreen:

Not trying to start a "mine's better than yours" war, but in the years I've hunted I've never had a cartridge that consistently put deer on the ground faster than a 25-06. I use 100 gr BT's and so far they have never failed me. I like to experiment and try different rounds to see how they work, but when it's time to put venison in the freezer I'll reach for my 25-06's every time.

Ron
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Nathan Foster who is somebody I stumbled across recently seems to have a soft spot for the bigger bores but he routinely tests calibers of all types on game, and had this to say about the 25-06.

"There are times when I have been asked - what is the flattest shooting, hardest hitting cartridge with the least amount of recoil. Hands down the .25-06 has these attributes."

"The .25-06 is truly spectacular for its size. Low recoil for maintaining good shooting habits, outstanding accuracy, a flat trajectory and tremendous shock on game are hallmarks of this greatly under utilized cartridge." 
 
Guy will be along eventually to espouse the virtures of the "blue cyclones" :) ! That is a TREMENDOUS deer sir. Your persistence sure paid off. Congrats! CL
 
That is a really nice buck and interesting colour. Never seen one like that before, quite unique.
 
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