Viper225
12-21-2012, 12:58 AM
The new Missouri Alternative Weapon's Season opened the 15th. This was previously Muzzle Loader Season. New for 2012 Handguns were allowed in this season.
I decided that Tuesday evening would be a good time to hit the ladder stand, as rain was predicted for the next two days turning to snow. I figured I would get in atleast one day before the weather went South.
I got my gear together, checked the 480 Ruger Super RedHawk, and headed to my stand.
My hunting location is a small 2 acre bowel in a valley. On the North is a fairly steep wooded hill side. To the South, East, and West are three Points meeting in my bowel. An old house place is up the point to the East a hundred yards or so. My 2 acre bowel was either a small bottom field, or a garden spot around 1880 to some point before 1950. It has a couple rock piles where it has been cleaned off. The dry creek bed has water in it for about 150 yards going by my stand location. Two springs feed it on the East side of my bowel. My 17 foot Double Wide Ladder Stand is positioned about 20 yards up the South Point. I leave the stand up year round with Burlap camo around it. I check it out before season and replace any straps or burlap needing attention.
Back to the story.
I am all set up by 3:30. Impact Sport electronic hearing protection turned up most of the way so I can hear on my head. My 480 Ruger loaded with 355 grain Wide Flat Point Gas Check bullets is setting on a towel on my 12 inch wide section of plywood I have C Clamped to the hand rail. My 30mm UltraDot sight is set on 2. I am ready to hunt.
By 4:45 I have not even seen a Squirel. I debate heading to the house. Better judgement tells me to stay put till it is dark in the valley.
At around 4:50 or so I hear a deer on the hillside infront of me. I am looking the hillside over hard, and finally spot him in a clearing about 100 yards out. I see horns. He is moving at a diaginal from Right to Left. About this time a single engine light plane comes over trashing my ability to hear him moving around. The plane finally gets far enough away that I can hear again. The buck is still infront of me to the Left. Finally I spot him heading my way to the Left of my stand. I had previously turned the UltraDot down to 1. I put the dot on him at around 55 yards in a dark location. I am not happy with my sight picture. It is dark enough in the deep wooded valley that I am getting Bloom at a setting of 1. I keep watching. At 40 yards he stops broadside in a more open location. I settle the Super RedHawk on a couple airweight sand bags, and get solid. I put the Dot on the back side of his shoulder and squeeze the trigger. WOW What a Fire Ball. The buck bolts straight ahead running up the trail on the South Point. I get up and turn around, and see the buck come to a stop about 40 yards up the hill. I start to put the Red Dot on him for another shot when I see him stumble to the West out of my sight. I hear all kinds of noise and crashing, then everything is quiet. About this time a doe shows up where the buck was standing when I made the shot. She is on Red Allert. I stay put and wait for her to leave, which took forever.
I pack up and head to the house for some help, and flash lights. When I get to about where I thought the buck was last, I turned the Polaris Ranger in the direction the buck had went with the headlights on for some illumination. I was apparently too far up the hill. It took about 10 minutes to find the blood trail. We then found him straight down hill piled up in the valley floor.
Nothing spectacular, a long lankey 8 point 2 year old.
The 355 grain bullet hit him high on the back of the Left shoulded, and exited low behind the shoulder on the Right side. I was shooting down hill on him from my elevated position on the point, plus 17 feet up in the ladder stand. A perfect shot would have been 2 Inches lower. He never noticed.
He is soaking in the rubbermade "deer soaking" stock tank at the moment. I will get him processed and in the freezer in a day or two.
Now I need to start casting bullets for next year. I have a brand new Custom Mountain Mold to break in. It casts a 375 grain Gas Check bullet with a single grease groove, and has a 70% meplate.
I hope you enjoyed the hunting story.
Bob
I decided that Tuesday evening would be a good time to hit the ladder stand, as rain was predicted for the next two days turning to snow. I figured I would get in atleast one day before the weather went South.
I got my gear together, checked the 480 Ruger Super RedHawk, and headed to my stand.
My hunting location is a small 2 acre bowel in a valley. On the North is a fairly steep wooded hill side. To the South, East, and West are three Points meeting in my bowel. An old house place is up the point to the East a hundred yards or so. My 2 acre bowel was either a small bottom field, or a garden spot around 1880 to some point before 1950. It has a couple rock piles where it has been cleaned off. The dry creek bed has water in it for about 150 yards going by my stand location. Two springs feed it on the East side of my bowel. My 17 foot Double Wide Ladder Stand is positioned about 20 yards up the South Point. I leave the stand up year round with Burlap camo around it. I check it out before season and replace any straps or burlap needing attention.
Back to the story.
I am all set up by 3:30. Impact Sport electronic hearing protection turned up most of the way so I can hear on my head. My 480 Ruger loaded with 355 grain Wide Flat Point Gas Check bullets is setting on a towel on my 12 inch wide section of plywood I have C Clamped to the hand rail. My 30mm UltraDot sight is set on 2. I am ready to hunt.
By 4:45 I have not even seen a Squirel. I debate heading to the house. Better judgement tells me to stay put till it is dark in the valley.
At around 4:50 or so I hear a deer on the hillside infront of me. I am looking the hillside over hard, and finally spot him in a clearing about 100 yards out. I see horns. He is moving at a diaginal from Right to Left. About this time a single engine light plane comes over trashing my ability to hear him moving around. The plane finally gets far enough away that I can hear again. The buck is still infront of me to the Left. Finally I spot him heading my way to the Left of my stand. I had previously turned the UltraDot down to 1. I put the dot on him at around 55 yards in a dark location. I am not happy with my sight picture. It is dark enough in the deep wooded valley that I am getting Bloom at a setting of 1. I keep watching. At 40 yards he stops broadside in a more open location. I settle the Super RedHawk on a couple airweight sand bags, and get solid. I put the Dot on the back side of his shoulder and squeeze the trigger. WOW What a Fire Ball. The buck bolts straight ahead running up the trail on the South Point. I get up and turn around, and see the buck come to a stop about 40 yards up the hill. I start to put the Red Dot on him for another shot when I see him stumble to the West out of my sight. I hear all kinds of noise and crashing, then everything is quiet. About this time a doe shows up where the buck was standing when I made the shot. She is on Red Allert. I stay put and wait for her to leave, which took forever.
I pack up and head to the house for some help, and flash lights. When I get to about where I thought the buck was last, I turned the Polaris Ranger in the direction the buck had went with the headlights on for some illumination. I was apparently too far up the hill. It took about 10 minutes to find the blood trail. We then found him straight down hill piled up in the valley floor.
Nothing spectacular, a long lankey 8 point 2 year old.
The 355 grain bullet hit him high on the back of the Left shoulded, and exited low behind the shoulder on the Right side. I was shooting down hill on him from my elevated position on the point, plus 17 feet up in the ladder stand. A perfect shot would have been 2 Inches lower. He never noticed.
He is soaking in the rubbermade "deer soaking" stock tank at the moment. I will get him processed and in the freezer in a day or two.
Now I need to start casting bullets for next year. I have a brand new Custom Mountain Mold to break in. It casts a 375 grain Gas Check bullet with a single grease groove, and has a 70% meplate.
I hope you enjoyed the hunting story.
Bob