My wife has been on me about deer hunting this year but my schedule has been very difficult to fit in any hunting. In fact, I didn't even get to go and spend my personal requirement of time at the range before the season. I missed opening day and finally the day after thanksgiving I was able to sit over a power transmission line on the back of my FIL's property where I got a small buck with one side broken off at about 250 yards. That put the pressure on me to take my wife hunting even worse...
Fast forward to today... We are back in East Tennessee and the weather was finally good. After doing the usual Christmas stuff I had this afternoon free so I gathered up the wife and took her to the same place I went a few weeks ago, This time I set up on an old picnic table inside of the woods overlooking the power line instead of sitting on the ground behind the rock at the edge of the powerline. Upon walking in and very close to where were going to set up we spooked about 6 deer. 4 of them stopped and the wife got to look at them for about 5 minutes thru my scope before we finally had enough and went the last few feet to the table. That was her first time looking at deer thru a scope. After setting up on the table and telling my wife where I expected the deer to come from I gave her a pair of binocs.
About 30 minutes into things I spotted a deer in a field at about 750 yards I suspect I was a small buck. She got a thrill watching him. A little while later I had a few does walk into the field from my left at about 75 yards I suspect were probably the few we had seen earlier. We were watching them for about 15 minutes when I noticed they put their heads up- obviously concerned. I looked up from the binocs and saw a red fox going into the thicket real close to the does. Maybe 10 yards. I have no idea as to where it came from. The does were nervous for about 5 minutes then went about their way, making their way out to a hundred yards or so. A few minutes later the fox came out on the far end of the powerline 250 yards away and my wife watched him for a few minutes before he disappeared.
20 minutes later the 2 does had turned into 4 and it was beginning to get dusky when my wife said,"Look- there comes a fox!" I got a glimpse of him out of the corner of my right eye. He was trotting at us thru the field and at his current track was going to go right into an opening for me to shoot thru. I told the wife to get ready. Just as if on que, when the fox reached the opening at about 150 plus yards and stopped. I vividly remember the blast of the 30/06 as the Sierra 165 Gr. HPBT hit him. The fox rolled but the shot wasn't good. He regained his composure and was soon dragging his rear legs with his front. I quickly rechambered and let another round fly but it missed. Just like that the fox was out of sight but I knew he was hit hard. Since it would soon be dark we high tailed it to where she last saw him. It didn't take us but a second to find him in a small depression beside a thicket 25 yards from initial contact. Soon it was over and I had my first fox. Too bad it wasn't with one of my lead offerings but at least it was with a round I created. 45 years and other than rimfire I have never taken game with factory ammo not do I plan on it.
Here are a few pictures of the hunt. All in all it was one of my better ones and I am thoroughly happy my wife was there with me.
The setup.
Armament.
Cooper Western Classic 30/06. Swarovski Z6 2.5 to 15. Sierra 165 Gr. HPBT in front of 60 Grains of Ramshot Hunter.
Smith and Wesson 5 1/2 inch 629 for close contact.
The wife bundled up watching the deer at 750 yards waaaaay up at the top of the farthest hill.
A blurry picture of the 2 deer that came out on us.
The trailer in the back of the picture is used to store cattle feed in on the neighbors land. Don't worry- it isn't occupied!
This is the opening thru which I eventually burned some gunpowder.
Success!
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Originally Posted by nekshot
