Blammer
11-24-2007, 11:40 PM
The whole story.
My Nov 2007, deer hunt.
Was invited to a friends place to deer hunt to stay a few day.
Traveled on Wed, all day Wed to be exact. I had to bring the kids over to my parents house so they could stay for Thanksgiving week. My wife wanted to be left alone for the week at the house so I took off to go hunting! Got to like that arrangement!
On the way to my friends house to hunt, (2ndwinds) I stop by Wideners and make a purchase. Got some primers and powder, so I saved on shipping and hazmat, two times!
Make it to 2ndwinds house WED pm, dark no hunting. I get ready for the next day. Up early fix, brk, and head out. Don’t see anything in the AM. Get an invite to try NARPI’s place for the PM hunt so I take him up on that.
I get to the place he suggests, a ladder stand and at 3pm I hear rapidly approaching foot steps of a deer. I turn to look and as I look the deer stops. He is 20 ft away from me, broadside, looking up at me, with his tongue hanging out from running hard, is breathing hard. I look at him he looks at me, I look back.
He’s a 3 pt with two points coming from the same base on one side both 5” long and a single point coming from the other side 5” long, so a “true” 3 pt.
My mind says, “MUST MAKE GUN GO BANG!” Well nothing happens.
Deer slurps tongue back into mouth, stops panting and trots off. I then raise my gun to shoot but there are too many trees in the way.
That sure was exciting for me!
End of day 1, and I’ve already had the time of my life!
Day 2. Get up early, make brk, eat it, get dressed and head out to the tower stand at 2ndwinds place.
Weather has turned, wind is gusting at 15-25 mph, temp has dropped, cloudy and flurries.
My eyes are constantly tearing, and fogging my glasses.
Just before daylight I see movement in the tree line to my right about 100 yds away. Put up the binos to see, and can’t. Glasses fogged, I breathed on the binos, and a slight “haze” of the am is still about. I know something is there.
20 min later. I see a deer hop the fence and stand about 20 yds in front of it. It’s about 30 yds from where I first saw movement, I can see the white tail but when I put up the scope on the rifle I can’t see. The deer is about 150 yds away. I don’t care if it’s a doe or buck. I want meat. I’m getting too excited now! Glasses come and go on the fogging, depending on how my excited breath comes out, and how the wind whips my head and my tearing eyes, are not helping matters. It’s just a bad scene.
I’m not breathing, and then suddenly I am but too hard, my heart is in my throat, my eyes are tearing, and my glasses are fogged and immediately unfogged when the cold air blows across them. Binoculars are the same way but worse as there are 2 eyes that are affected!
The problem is, when I have the rifle and scope up. I’m out of the wind, but my breath rules the space. FOG.
OK, now the deer move off and put a tree between us. It’s the top of a pine tree that is about 30 yds from me.
Now I have time to collect myself. I rationalize that they will move up the hill and across the open pasture, OR they will take the tree line and walk below in front of me.
I’m scouring the tree line as cover and out of the wind is my thinking. WELL, wrong! I look up and they are out in the middle of the pasture! 3 of them! One keeps looking back, so I think maybe there are more! Nope just three. So I pull out my hotseat and set it on the rail for a “bench bag” on this tower stand.
Now, my but in cold, not just cold but BUT COLD! I’m already chilled, and now I’m exceited! It’s amazing that no one reported an earthquake as much as I was shivering, or that the metal tree stand didn’t hum like a hit tuning fork.
Anyways, I try to line up on one of them, any of them. I just couldn’t get still, and the deer wouldn’t line up for me. So as much as I really really, and I mean REALLY wanted to shoot, I had to pass.
I watched them make their way to the tree line up and away another 100 yds.
I know they are in the woods across the pasture. This pasture and woods are on a hill, so I can see the whole thing. Except where the deer are. So I content myself to watching the hill to see if they “appear” closer later on. In the mean time I try to wipe my eyes, clean my glasses, and control my shaking! That was a doing in itself…
So 10 min later I look up and ‘taaaa daaa’! there they are! 170 yds directly infront of me at the edge of the pasture and the wood line. Browsing around!
I pull out my hot seat again, make ready with the gun. The wind is now coming directly from left to right, so no problem with fogging glasses or scope. Previously is was coming directly from behind and that was causing the problems.
I finally spot all three of em! The big doe is lined up perfectly browsing. She has a tree in front of her and only her shoulder and head are visible, she is facing to my right. PERFECT I think, If I shoot too far back I’ll hit the tree and no wounded animal to track! I line up, control myself best I can, thumb off safety and let the hammer down!
One shot and she dropped in her tracks! I saw white belly up! Here is a pic when I went to her. Pole axed comes to mind, note both legs are crossed, front and back.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/2007%20Deer/DSCN6185.jpg
I think, hey! Where are the others maybe I can get two! So I see another one. I wait for a good angle, as this one is wondering why ‘mom’ fell over! This yearling is facing directly up the hill. I aim just above the base of the neck, wanting to drop the bullet right between the shoulders. BOOM! Deer run a 10 yd circle and now presents a broadside shot! Dang I MISSED. I think to myself, no wonder you fool. You’re shaking so badly from adrenaline, cold, and whatever else! I crank in another round. Put cross hairs on top of back above shoulder. BOOM! I send another 200 gr Speer Hot cor headed down range. I missed again. Deer runs away. I spot the OTHER deer. I let fly with two more shots at that one and am dumbfounded that I missed all those times! 4 clean misses. I found all the bullet strikes later.
Anyways, I am excited enough that I could have lept off the 20 ft tower stand but though better of it as I might scratch my rifle on the way down….
I get down, and hurry over to the doe I know is down.
I look for the hit and I shot her in the head, bullet entered behind the ear and exited the top of her head taking it all with it. Ewwww, it was Nasty to see. I’ll not be headshooting deer in the future if I have choice about it.
Technically, I head shot this deer with the first shot at 175 yards. ACTUALLY, I was dang lucky to kill her at all. My bullet hit about 18” to the right. I checked my zero afterwards, and was striking 5-6” to the right at 100 yds. Add the distance of 175 yds, and say 10mph wind and taaaa daaa! Clean misses. If she had not been feeding, I dare say I’d have used all my ammo missing those deer.
This is the SAME rifle that I shot a 2” 200 yard group with that was only 4-6” down with the same ammo!
I suspect the cold weather played a devil of a time on my rifle. I’ll have to look into getting that fixed!
Here is the posed shot!
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/2007%20Deer/DSCN6188.jpg
And my favorite part.
I gutted, skinned, trimmed, deboned, cut and wrapped this whole deer with this knife.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/2007%20Deer/DSCN6197.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/2007%20Deer/DSCN6194.jpg
That is my story and I’m sticking to it!
My Nov 2007, deer hunt.
Was invited to a friends place to deer hunt to stay a few day.
Traveled on Wed, all day Wed to be exact. I had to bring the kids over to my parents house so they could stay for Thanksgiving week. My wife wanted to be left alone for the week at the house so I took off to go hunting! Got to like that arrangement!
On the way to my friends house to hunt, (2ndwinds) I stop by Wideners and make a purchase. Got some primers and powder, so I saved on shipping and hazmat, two times!
Make it to 2ndwinds house WED pm, dark no hunting. I get ready for the next day. Up early fix, brk, and head out. Don’t see anything in the AM. Get an invite to try NARPI’s place for the PM hunt so I take him up on that.
I get to the place he suggests, a ladder stand and at 3pm I hear rapidly approaching foot steps of a deer. I turn to look and as I look the deer stops. He is 20 ft away from me, broadside, looking up at me, with his tongue hanging out from running hard, is breathing hard. I look at him he looks at me, I look back.
He’s a 3 pt with two points coming from the same base on one side both 5” long and a single point coming from the other side 5” long, so a “true” 3 pt.
My mind says, “MUST MAKE GUN GO BANG!” Well nothing happens.
Deer slurps tongue back into mouth, stops panting and trots off. I then raise my gun to shoot but there are too many trees in the way.
That sure was exciting for me!
End of day 1, and I’ve already had the time of my life!
Day 2. Get up early, make brk, eat it, get dressed and head out to the tower stand at 2ndwinds place.
Weather has turned, wind is gusting at 15-25 mph, temp has dropped, cloudy and flurries.
My eyes are constantly tearing, and fogging my glasses.
Just before daylight I see movement in the tree line to my right about 100 yds away. Put up the binos to see, and can’t. Glasses fogged, I breathed on the binos, and a slight “haze” of the am is still about. I know something is there.
20 min later. I see a deer hop the fence and stand about 20 yds in front of it. It’s about 30 yds from where I first saw movement, I can see the white tail but when I put up the scope on the rifle I can’t see. The deer is about 150 yds away. I don’t care if it’s a doe or buck. I want meat. I’m getting too excited now! Glasses come and go on the fogging, depending on how my excited breath comes out, and how the wind whips my head and my tearing eyes, are not helping matters. It’s just a bad scene.
I’m not breathing, and then suddenly I am but too hard, my heart is in my throat, my eyes are tearing, and my glasses are fogged and immediately unfogged when the cold air blows across them. Binoculars are the same way but worse as there are 2 eyes that are affected!
The problem is, when I have the rifle and scope up. I’m out of the wind, but my breath rules the space. FOG.
OK, now the deer move off and put a tree between us. It’s the top of a pine tree that is about 30 yds from me.
Now I have time to collect myself. I rationalize that they will move up the hill and across the open pasture, OR they will take the tree line and walk below in front of me.
I’m scouring the tree line as cover and out of the wind is my thinking. WELL, wrong! I look up and they are out in the middle of the pasture! 3 of them! One keeps looking back, so I think maybe there are more! Nope just three. So I pull out my hotseat and set it on the rail for a “bench bag” on this tower stand.
Now, my but in cold, not just cold but BUT COLD! I’m already chilled, and now I’m exceited! It’s amazing that no one reported an earthquake as much as I was shivering, or that the metal tree stand didn’t hum like a hit tuning fork.
Anyways, I try to line up on one of them, any of them. I just couldn’t get still, and the deer wouldn’t line up for me. So as much as I really really, and I mean REALLY wanted to shoot, I had to pass.
I watched them make their way to the tree line up and away another 100 yds.
I know they are in the woods across the pasture. This pasture and woods are on a hill, so I can see the whole thing. Except where the deer are. So I content myself to watching the hill to see if they “appear” closer later on. In the mean time I try to wipe my eyes, clean my glasses, and control my shaking! That was a doing in itself…
So 10 min later I look up and ‘taaaa daaa’! there they are! 170 yds directly infront of me at the edge of the pasture and the wood line. Browsing around!
I pull out my hot seat again, make ready with the gun. The wind is now coming directly from left to right, so no problem with fogging glasses or scope. Previously is was coming directly from behind and that was causing the problems.
I finally spot all three of em! The big doe is lined up perfectly browsing. She has a tree in front of her and only her shoulder and head are visible, she is facing to my right. PERFECT I think, If I shoot too far back I’ll hit the tree and no wounded animal to track! I line up, control myself best I can, thumb off safety and let the hammer down!
One shot and she dropped in her tracks! I saw white belly up! Here is a pic when I went to her. Pole axed comes to mind, note both legs are crossed, front and back.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/2007%20Deer/DSCN6185.jpg
I think, hey! Where are the others maybe I can get two! So I see another one. I wait for a good angle, as this one is wondering why ‘mom’ fell over! This yearling is facing directly up the hill. I aim just above the base of the neck, wanting to drop the bullet right between the shoulders. BOOM! Deer run a 10 yd circle and now presents a broadside shot! Dang I MISSED. I think to myself, no wonder you fool. You’re shaking so badly from adrenaline, cold, and whatever else! I crank in another round. Put cross hairs on top of back above shoulder. BOOM! I send another 200 gr Speer Hot cor headed down range. I missed again. Deer runs away. I spot the OTHER deer. I let fly with two more shots at that one and am dumbfounded that I missed all those times! 4 clean misses. I found all the bullet strikes later.
Anyways, I am excited enough that I could have lept off the 20 ft tower stand but though better of it as I might scratch my rifle on the way down….
I get down, and hurry over to the doe I know is down.
I look for the hit and I shot her in the head, bullet entered behind the ear and exited the top of her head taking it all with it. Ewwww, it was Nasty to see. I’ll not be headshooting deer in the future if I have choice about it.
Technically, I head shot this deer with the first shot at 175 yards. ACTUALLY, I was dang lucky to kill her at all. My bullet hit about 18” to the right. I checked my zero afterwards, and was striking 5-6” to the right at 100 yds. Add the distance of 175 yds, and say 10mph wind and taaaa daaa! Clean misses. If she had not been feeding, I dare say I’d have used all my ammo missing those deer.
This is the SAME rifle that I shot a 2” 200 yard group with that was only 4-6” down with the same ammo!
I suspect the cold weather played a devil of a time on my rifle. I’ll have to look into getting that fixed!
Here is the posed shot!
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/2007%20Deer/DSCN6188.jpg
And my favorite part.
I gutted, skinned, trimmed, deboned, cut and wrapped this whole deer with this knife.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/2007%20Deer/DSCN6197.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/2007%20Deer/DSCN6194.jpg
That is my story and I’m sticking to it!