OBXPilgrim
12-30-2013, 08:13 PM
Well, first I want to say - "It wasn't my idea", and I have avoided this situation in the past.
I contemplated even posting this on the forum because of the flak I may catch about posting it, but, it was fairly unusual.
It was the last day of deer season here in Western NC and for gun season this year my brother had hit me up to borrow a rifle with a scope on it. He's been having some eye problems this year and the day after Christmas he had cataract surgery on one eye & going to get the other done soon. Of course, to help him out I gave him my H&R Handi rifle in 7.62x39 - nice little compact gun with a 2x7 Nikon scope. With the scope at 2 power & wearing 3.00 reading glasses and his contacts, he said he could get enough light in to see pretty good. Now, he'd also been driving, and not hitting everything or cleaning out the ditches, so I knew he could see somewhat decent but picking up on a front sight bead might have been out of the question. The 7.62x39 Handi is a good shooter with a 311407 180gr boolit pushed to 1880fps by H4895 powder - I know there are probably better powder choices, but I'd rather not have another powder on the shelf. That rifle has worked before for me in the short range area we hunt.
We'd hunted several days on the last week of the season which happens to be doe days for the whole week (north of Hwy19 in Yancey county). Like most of the season, we hadn't seen squat. The last day had a forecast of rain, with some high wind as well. A front was coming through later so we didn't know what things would be like. We both had fairly well sheltered stands/blinds to hunt in (both are his) - one being a ground blind (that he was in) at the end of cul-de-sac that left a short 35yd shot over a well depleted former bait pile. I was up on top of the ridge in an enclosed tent-style ladder stand that gave the appearance of a dry enclosure.
We both got in the stands right as daylight was breaking and an hour before the rain started. My paperback about the Recon marines in Vietnam kept me from getting the least bit sleepy as if the bouncing I got a the driving blown rain would have anyway. We'd talked about staying in the stands all day - didn't have a whole lot to loose except time. Around 1:30pm the rain stopped and the fog rolled in, in thick waves. That eerie feeling of anticipation, just knowing something should happen at any time made it hard to get through another page of my book, so I put it away and tried my best to put a deer's horn or ear outline on every piece of tree limb and moving leaf I looked at for the next two hours.
Then I got that text on my cell phone - the ole butt had just had too much & my brother was going to pack it in. Texted him back & said that I understood - but with the current conditions it might be the wrong time to leave. I suggested standing up for a while - I'd already had to a couple times earlier and it helped a bunch. Well, 10 minutes later he texted back that it looked like I was right as 2 does came in. Then, 10 more minutes he texted back that 2 more larger does came in. I jokingly texted him to "flip the switch to full auto - and let the big hog eat" (obviously been reading too much about the Recon Marines). I heard his shot about 10 minutes later and kind of wondered what took so long (figured one of them got nosey & walked up to him). Then heard another shot about 5 minutes later. Thought I'd better go help, so I packed up real quick & made my way down to him as quick as I dared, making as much noise as I could (I did say he couldn't see too good). He whistled at me from out in the woods in front of his stand as he was dragging two does back. Being a bit confused, he explained that the 2nd shot was a follow-up on first deer he shot - which caused me a little more confusing until he explained that he waited until one deer got in front of the other & then he shot through both of them - since I'd told him those cast boolits penetrate so well. Well, I had told him that they do, but never thought he'd try that. The 311407 was a double pass through, and the 2nd deer, a larger doe, only went about 25 yards before it piled up. I guess he wasn't lined up as well on the smaller doe in front - the one that needed the follow up.
I've heard of this happening accidentally a few times before, but not purposely. I think I've reinforced how lucky he was and doubt it will become habit.
I contemplated even posting this on the forum because of the flak I may catch about posting it, but, it was fairly unusual.
It was the last day of deer season here in Western NC and for gun season this year my brother had hit me up to borrow a rifle with a scope on it. He's been having some eye problems this year and the day after Christmas he had cataract surgery on one eye & going to get the other done soon. Of course, to help him out I gave him my H&R Handi rifle in 7.62x39 - nice little compact gun with a 2x7 Nikon scope. With the scope at 2 power & wearing 3.00 reading glasses and his contacts, he said he could get enough light in to see pretty good. Now, he'd also been driving, and not hitting everything or cleaning out the ditches, so I knew he could see somewhat decent but picking up on a front sight bead might have been out of the question. The 7.62x39 Handi is a good shooter with a 311407 180gr boolit pushed to 1880fps by H4895 powder - I know there are probably better powder choices, but I'd rather not have another powder on the shelf. That rifle has worked before for me in the short range area we hunt.
We'd hunted several days on the last week of the season which happens to be doe days for the whole week (north of Hwy19 in Yancey county). Like most of the season, we hadn't seen squat. The last day had a forecast of rain, with some high wind as well. A front was coming through later so we didn't know what things would be like. We both had fairly well sheltered stands/blinds to hunt in (both are his) - one being a ground blind (that he was in) at the end of cul-de-sac that left a short 35yd shot over a well depleted former bait pile. I was up on top of the ridge in an enclosed tent-style ladder stand that gave the appearance of a dry enclosure.
We both got in the stands right as daylight was breaking and an hour before the rain started. My paperback about the Recon marines in Vietnam kept me from getting the least bit sleepy as if the bouncing I got a the driving blown rain would have anyway. We'd talked about staying in the stands all day - didn't have a whole lot to loose except time. Around 1:30pm the rain stopped and the fog rolled in, in thick waves. That eerie feeling of anticipation, just knowing something should happen at any time made it hard to get through another page of my book, so I put it away and tried my best to put a deer's horn or ear outline on every piece of tree limb and moving leaf I looked at for the next two hours.
Then I got that text on my cell phone - the ole butt had just had too much & my brother was going to pack it in. Texted him back & said that I understood - but with the current conditions it might be the wrong time to leave. I suggested standing up for a while - I'd already had to a couple times earlier and it helped a bunch. Well, 10 minutes later he texted back that it looked like I was right as 2 does came in. Then, 10 more minutes he texted back that 2 more larger does came in. I jokingly texted him to "flip the switch to full auto - and let the big hog eat" (obviously been reading too much about the Recon Marines). I heard his shot about 10 minutes later and kind of wondered what took so long (figured one of them got nosey & walked up to him). Then heard another shot about 5 minutes later. Thought I'd better go help, so I packed up real quick & made my way down to him as quick as I dared, making as much noise as I could (I did say he couldn't see too good). He whistled at me from out in the woods in front of his stand as he was dragging two does back. Being a bit confused, he explained that the 2nd shot was a follow-up on first deer he shot - which caused me a little more confusing until he explained that he waited until one deer got in front of the other & then he shot through both of them - since I'd told him those cast boolits penetrate so well. Well, I had told him that they do, but never thought he'd try that. The 311407 was a double pass through, and the 2nd deer, a larger doe, only went about 25 yards before it piled up. I guess he wasn't lined up as well on the smaller doe in front - the one that needed the follow up.
I've heard of this happening accidentally a few times before, but not purposely. I think I've reinforced how lucky he was and doubt it will become habit.