Spike hunt 1-24-2025

[TackDriver284]

Deer season ended this past Sunday, but the last two weeks is open for does and spikes.. A friend invited me to hunt on his 17,000 acre ranch. Set out to meet the ranch hand at his ranch gate at 6:15 am. I brought my trusty 6.5 x 284 loaded with 143 ELD-X pushed by H4831sc. The rifle never tasted blood, so it's time to do it. It was 33 degrees this morning in the low valleys of the ranch, its pretty hilly. The ranch hand gave me a number to call him when I harvest something or if I needed anything, he pointed down a road and gave me instructions on where the feeder and blind is located and he left the area to do his chores on the huge ranch. Parked my truck 100 yards from the 4 x 6 fiberglass blind, lugged my rifle and carry on bag with some necessities up the blind ladder with the aid of a headlamp. Settled in a chair, and opened the front windows and felt the blast of the Artic air, chambered the 6.5 x 284, set the safety / chamber half cocked and settled her in a corner. Still dark and fumbled around in bag for my rangefinder and my phone, had forgotten to put it on mute. Dawn broke and I could barely see the feeder straight ahead surrounded by some barbed wire to keep out the hogs, ranged the feeder at 175 yards. Dialed the elevation turret on the ATACR to 1.5 MOA, and waited patiently for the sound of the feeder motor,,,,finally it goes off at 7:30 am. Five minutes later two silhouettes appeared at the tree line, one was a basket 8 pointer and a long horned spike, they both eagerly trotted to the pen, and was nibbling on corn. I brought up the six point five, and examined the antlers on the 8 and the spike, I wanted to make sure it was a spike and not a 3 - 4 pointer since deer season ended. I felt I was ready, lined up the crosshairs on the spike behind the shoulder but it kept running away towards the tree line because it was getting bullied by the bigger buck. Waited for the spike to come back and it did only to get chased off again, 10 minutes later, it came back and was facing my direction, and did not want to waste time waiting for him to go broadside for a clean shot, it was a little quartered to the left so I lined up the crosshairs under the right ear to angle out the base left rear skull, squeezed gently and the ELD-X found its mark and it DRT. Called the number on the Sticky Note and it was a different ranch hand who answered and said he was on his way. I cased the 6.5 and walked to the truck, and drove back up and loaded the truck with my bag, and locked up the blind. Drove over to the pen and indeed the ELD -X entered a little low under its right ear and exited on the left rear base of its skull. It had left a 1.5 inch hole on the way out, and I was going to take a picture of the exit at camp because it was covered in dirt but had forgotten to do so. I said a Thank You Lord for this fine animal. This should fill the last gap I have in my freezer. The ranch hand arrived in 20 mins from driving from the other side of the ranch. We greeted with a fist bump and we hoisted the spike on the back of my truck and drove about 20 mins deep into the ranch to where the ranch house is located. The ranch hand was very nice that he completely skinned and gutted the spike for me, and declined my offer to give him 100 bucks for his services. We chatted for about 30 mins while the meat is cooling off on the hoist and we quartered the deer and packed them in the chests. He escorted me out on the north side of the ranch where the highway is close by because where we came from was a 8 mile drive where the gate is. Tomorrow I will start processing the meats / bag them and in time to watch the NFL Championship game on Sunday and relax. Sorry the last picture is pretty messy. In the first picture, you can see the blind far off in the distance.

 

[gerry]

Perfect young buck for the freezer, congratulations!

 

[Bruce Mc]

I was on a lease many years ago where the first few years we shot nothing but 2 1/2 or older spikes and does. I shot a lot of spikes over the years. I can attest to the fact there are no better tasting deer than a spike from south Texas. Bon apetite!

 

[DrMike]

Well, that is going to provide some fine dining. Congratulations.

 

[JD338]

Nicely done Mark, congratulations.
That spike will be tasty.

JD338

 

[wvbuckbuster]

Congratulations on fine dining and blooding your rifle.

 

[RL338]

Nice work with the 6.5 , no wasted meat

 

[NYDAN]

Congratulations on making a fine shot. It requires confidence to take a head shot at 175 yards.

 

[longrangehunter]

Great read! Isn’t that your GAP Built Rifle?

I’m thankful that you don’t hesitate to take a head shot, and do it with authority, or mind saying so. I’ve taken a lot of head shots over my lifetime if it’s suitable, and with great success. That said I often, or should I say most of the time never say so! I just don’t want to hear the naysayers coming out of the woodwork.

At the base of the throat works well too….. Nice white patch to clearly see the reticle!

I shot a running Black Buck at the YO Ranch at 350 yards sitting on the floor of a old blue pickup with Rick from RSA driving at an angle going away so that I could get the shot off with it running straight from me.

I had the crosshairs high between his horns knowing no matter what I’m going to hit him. The 7mm 150 BT from my 280 AI hit him right above his balls….. I found the bullet sitting on his front chest just under the skin. Back to the front of the entire animal after going through everything.

I’ve hunted with Ballistic Tips my entire life and we continue to on thin skinned game till I can no longer hunt or fall over dead. Whichever comes first.

 

[TackDriver284]

Great read! Isn’t that your GAP Built Rifle?

I’m thankful that you don’t hesitate to take a head shot, and do it with authority, or mind saying so. I’ve taken a lot of head shots over my lifetime if it’s suitable, and with great success. That said I often, or should I say most of the time never say so! I just don’t want to hear the naysayers coming out of the woodwork.

At the base of the throat works well too….. Nice white patch to clearly see the reticle!

I shot a running Black Buck at the YO Ranch at 350 yards sitting on the floor of a old blue pickup with Rick from RSA driving at an angle going away so that I could get the shot off with it running straight from me.

I had the crosshairs high between his horns knowing no matter what I’m going to hit him. The 7mm 150 BT from my 280 AI hit him right above his balls….. I found the bullet sitting on his front chest just under the skin. Back to the front of the entire animal after going through everything.

I’ve hunted with Ballistic Tips my entire life and we continue to on thin skinned game till I can no longer hunt or fall over dead. Whichever comes first.

Yes Sir, made by GA Precision, very accurate rifles I own have been built by them. I love Ballistic Tips, very accurate bullets and performance is great. I have always been confident in my glass, rifle and my reloads to ensure a perfectly placed shot. I was hunting whitetails with my 6.5 Creedmoor many years ago, and used H4350 and that little 120 grain Ballistic Tip. It shoots stupid accurate, shots stacked up in one little hole at 100 puts a grin on my face. There was a whitetail doe at 200 plus for meat in my freezer, the hunting guide was in the box blind with me. He started a conversation about my reload experience and my rifle. It was a good talk until a doe popped out at 140-150 yards and she was eating corn. Guide asked me where I was going to hit her, and I said right in the ear hole. He was shifting too much in the blind that I had to release trigger pressure and mentioned to him to please stop moving too much. LOL. Settled the crosshairs on her earhole and let her fly, and she dropped so fast like being hit by a train. Guide asked me, where I hit, and I said like what I said, in the ear. He made a face like if he did not believe it, and 30 mins later he called a driver to go pick up the doe and take it to be gutted and he asked him to check the shot placement,,,,he radios back and says blood is in the ear, lol. I gave him a smirk. Shortly after a herd of red stag walked by and I was supposed to get one more doe but none came so I asked about a fee on a red stag cow, and the price was right. I said, Let's go!" He called the boss and he came to pick us up and search for that herd, and we found it a mile away. The bigger cow stag was behind the herd, and I picked a spot to shoot from and used a tripod at 200 plus yards, if I could remember, and I was ready for her to pop her head back up and her neck and head was only visible across the backs of the herd, and I dialed the distance and she popped her head back up again eating greens off the road, took the shot, center hit in the neck and dropped like a rock. Excellent performance from that little 120 Ballistic Tip, if I knew I was hunting red stag, I would have brought Accubonds or a bigger rifle. That little 6.5 Creed is not to be underestimated. She weighed close to 300 pounds and she was fattened up. Feels so confident when you have a accurate rifle and loads in your hands.
Dug up the old story. https://forum.nosler.com/threads/the-little-ballistic-tip-that-could.41750/
This was an older target with the 120 Ball Tip and the Creed. And yes,,,3 shots.

 

[longrangehunter]

In Europe culling, or even hunting it’s the norm to take advantage of a head or neck shot when available even on their European Boars.

The first Black Bear I ever shot was right behind the ear in Quebec Canada. I was sitting on a wood pallet at the edge of this bay on this huge reservoir of a lake, where a creek fed into this tiny bay.

I was getting cold and had to change into some warmer clothes which involved me taking off my outer jacket, and putting on a warmer layer I had in my backpack. As I was pulling my coat over my shoulders, I looked up to see this bear, staring in my direction at the edge of the creek running into the Bay. Nothing like being in the most awkward position, neither standing nor sitting, but more like squatting, unable to move!

I don’t remember the distance, but it wasn’t very far away. I had to sit there in that same position until he would look away up the creek. He did that four, or five times maybe even more which gave me the opportunity to finish putting on my jacket, get the floating boat cushion I was sitting on in the chair to put on my lap so I had something I could rest my elbows on to make a shot. And I still had to get my gun up and into my shoulder for a shot. With each turn of his head to look up the creek was another opportunity for me to get into a comfortable position and make the shot. It seemed like an eternity each time he stared at me, wondering what I was, and me having to freeze in these oddball positions! I waited for him to look back at the creek for the last time as steadied the cross hairs of the Leopold VXIII 1.5-5 at the base of his head just below the ear and the Marlin 444 went on it’s merry way towards its intended target.

He flipped over with a seven foot stream of blood flinging through the air as he hit the ground! All four legs in the air shaking as I stood up on the ready for another shot, in less than 30 seconds he expired as his legs fell back to the ground. I was thankful that he didn’t suffer, and no idea what happened.

That’s why as a young kid I perfected the art of precision shooting when taking the life of an animal.

That bullet traveled from the base of the head/neck and traveled the length of the spine to the shoulder blade.

What was ironic was that my brother took on even bigger bear that same time that evening! Only he aimed at the shoulder with his Winchester Model 70 30’06 shooting a Swift AFrame, I don’t remember what grain bullets it was but it did the same thing as my bullet traveled only in the opposite direction! The same path, it hit the shoulder blade and traveled up the spine to the base of his skull!

Only his Bear ran off for what I kidded him was back towards Ottawa! Our hunting guide Mike who was also the outfitter didn’t wanna go looking for it in case it wasn’t morally wounded.

But yes the next day it was only a few yards from where we stopped the night before and we retrieved my brother‘s bear.

That instance seemed to cement into my mind, at least for hunting dangerous game, head shots will put an end to whatever you’re hunting in an instant!

 

[DrMike]

You are 100% correct. My problem is with the majority of hunters (perhaps I should refer to them as "shooters") who seldom practise or who are unfamiliar with their firing system. If they were trained, capable of shooting from field position, they could do what you advocate. As it is, I've tracked too many animals that were wounded and/or poorly shot. That accounts for my admonition to aim for the boiler, or in the case of dangerous game aim to break the on-side shoulder. Those who train themselves will intuitively aim to drop game smartly with a head shot.

 

[longrangehunter]

You are 100% correct. My problem is with the majority of hunters (perhaps I should refer to them as "shooters") who seldom practise or who are unfamiliar with their firing system. If they were trained, capable of shooting from field position, they could do what you advocate. As it is, I've tracked too many animals that were wounded and/or poorly shot. That accounts for my admonition to aim for the boiler, or in the case of dangerous game aim to break the on-side shoulder. Those who train themselves will intuitively aim to drop game smartly with a head shot.

Yah my brother’s bullet never made it to the boiler room! But it was dead after a 300 yard touchdown!