1st White Tail ML deer

[krag35]

I got my first White Tail last Tuesday. I hunted the NE corner of Oregon on an either sex white tail tag. It was hard hunting with 14" of old snow and lots of tracks. the problem with that is that White Tail and Mule Deer tracks look alike. besides its real hard walking in. I missed a little buck on sunday, I don't know why, I'm sure the sights were allinged when I yanked the trigger :-)

first shot was 150 - 175 yards, clipped a lung and the liver. She humped up, clamped her tail down and ran into a patch of dog hair fir. I should have waited but was excited and I jumped her up and had a going away shot that broke her left hip. I got that ball back just under the hide ahead of the hip. I finally popped her in the head and ended her ordeal, but mine didn't end untill I drug her over a mile back to the pickup. 30 minutes later driving down the road I saw a decent buck feeding 75 yds off of the road and he stood around long enough for me to take his picture (didn't turn out) but that's hunting.

I learned a few things this year. First if I think I'm hunting slow enough, I'm not. that snow slowed me down just about right. Second, 80 gr of Pyrodex with a RB isn't enough power even if it is very accurate, I didn't get an exit hole on this little 100# deer. third, I'm going back next year and I want a buck to hang on the wall, even if its a little one, they are an oddity around here.

[nelsonted1]

Sometimes the story starts after the trigger is pulled! Who cares if you shot a doe, look at what you learned and the story you've got, what you thought about dragging out your doe!

This buck madness is a little twisted sometimes. Course this is from a guy that objects to describing hunting as harvesting. I watched corn going through a picker and combine harvesting corn for years. Killing a beautiful animal isn't harvesting.

Ignore me, I've been told I'm mental more than once!

Ted

[Bass Ackward]

Krag,

That's great. And still hunting is an art. So is stealth hunting. By that I mean moving and sounding like game. I do that as a matter of habbit now and I catch them lieing down pretty regular. But that makes for explosive shooting too, so it's a trade off.

Interesting take on describing your thought process. Any feelings on the distance for the shot?

[krag35]

Interesting take on describing your thought process. Any feelings on the distance for the shot?
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Bass:
The shot was farther than I would have liked, <100yds would have been preferable, but so would her being closer to the road. I have put most of a 3# coffe can of balls though this rifle this late summer and fall, 2/3 of them being from field positions at such targets as rocks, sticks and dirt clods, at ranges from up close to to danged far but lets see if I can hit it. I felt comfortable with the shot, and would take it again if presented.

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Ignore me, I've been told I'm mental more than once!
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Ted;
Being "mental" is only basic sense when dealing with people, both my Ex-Wives tought me that, or did I teach it to them?? :-)

[MT Gianni]

Congratulations on a satisfying hunt. RB's are a good killer and penetrate straight. I have good luck with TC's Maxi balls though the traditionalist's say they are not needed tehy really penetrate. Gianni.

[Larry Gibson]

Krag35

Made that ML hunt a few times myself. I was just over there last month hunting elk. Where abouts did you hunt?

Larry Gibson

[krag35]

Just south of Flora on some timber company land. The guy I hunt with is going up there this summer (his dad lives in Lostine ) and is going to talk to the property owners along the river about hunting their land, lots more white tails down that way ) I have discovered that the only way to get a decent shot at these White Tails is to see them first. They compare to Mule Deer like milk cows to thouroughbreds.

[Bass Ackward]

Bass: The shot was farther than I would have liked, <100yds would have been preferable, but so would her being closer to the road. I have put most of a 3# coffe can of balls though this rifle this late summer and fall, 2/3 of them being from field positions at such targets as rocks, sticks and dirt clods, at ranges from up close to to danged far but lets see if I can hit it. I felt comfortable with the shot, and would take it again if presented.


Krag,

No. You misunderstood my point.

When you were thinking that you didn't have enough velocity, I think that range had something to do with that. Had you not had the accuracy, you may not have attempted that shot regardless of how fast you were running. And had you waited, your outlook or thought process could be different.

That was the point I was trying to make.

[krag35]

Larry;
We were hunting just south of Flora on some timber company land. The ground was lousey with Elk tracks and we saw Elk every day mostly several times a day. There is a ML elk hunt down out of Elgin that looks promising, but I have yet to be over that ground.
We didn't see any Big cat tracks this year, usually we see quite a few, maybe they moved on because of the deeper snow. I packed a predator call just in case but didn't use it.
I also came across a set of what I assume to be Wolf tracks. I hav'nt seen any Wolf tracks that I know of before, maybe they were MONSTER coyotes. ;-)

[krag35]

Bass;
I'm still not sure I get your point, I'm a little dense sometimes. I know the velocity had fallen off at that range, but I was confident in the shot, or would not have taken it. If I wasn't confident in a shot at 25 yards I wouldn't take it. Had I known that the penetration was going to be so shallow, I probably would not have taken the shot I did. I learned some thing there. With this rifle, 80 gr is sweet, 100 gr is useable and above that groups open up to be what I would call unethical. That's why this year for Christmas to me, will be a RB twist BBL. for next year.

[45nut]

Larry;

I also came across a set of what I assume to be Wolf tracks. I hav'nt seen any Wolf tracks that I know of before, maybe they were MONSTER coyotes. ;-)

there are plenty of reports of wolf in that region.