Blammer
01-02-2014, 06:39 PM
This story is kind of basic and not as humorous as most of my tales, but it is very special to me.
3 years ago I though I was going to lose my brother to a brain tumor. Well it looks like he beat it and will live a long happy life.
The other reason is, my brother has never been a hunter, never showed much interest in it at all until this year. Well I did my best to help him out. Gave him some suggestions and lent him my 44mag rifle with all the ammo he wants.
This is the first time we have ever hunted together. I had the most fun I've ever had in a long time with my brother.
So here goes, the tale of two brothers one with a 44 and the other a 444.
The last weekend Sat and Sunday, Dec 28, 29 of 2103, did not pan out for hunting at my brothers place.
BUT I DID get to go to his place to hunt the last two days of the season! Dec 30 and 31, Mon and Tue.
I lent my brother my Ruger M77/44 in of course 44mag. I set it up with 240gr RF cast bullets. Cast by yours truely, just ACWW.
I had it zeroed for 100 yds because I was expecting him to hunt heavy woods and a long shot would be 75 yds.
I brought my 444S Marlin levergun with my 323gr cast flat point bullet. This too was zeroed at 100 yds and I brought it because I didn't want any small tree to matter when it came time to pull the trigger. So far I was deerless for the year, I didn't want any excuses.
Well, turns out we were hunting a field or two on his property. It was 225yds across either one.
First day in the AM, I see a doe come out in the field at about 200yds, I calm down after a bit then settle in to shoot. The last second I decided I needed to move the gun to the left then pull the trigger. DOH! The ONLY deer I've put the cross hairs on this year and I totally blow it. I didn't flinch, I just decided I needed to aim farther forward on the deer, well I got a bit too far.
Back in the field that evening, brother takes up the field I had and I take a different one.
I see a deer across the field in the wood line 225 yds away, prone position, I take aim guessing the drop at that distance. I take a rock solid shot from a standing still broad side deer. I miss clean. We hunt for sign of any type of hit for 45 min's, find foot prints and no blood or anything. I'm having fun but a bit unhappy. Happy I got to see two deer and shoot at both of them in the same day! Unhappy because I missed and really will have to find out where my Marlin shoots at 200yds.
We go back to our spots to continue the hunt.
About 45 min later my brother is shooting.
He's laying prone, and 3 deer walk out at about 175 yds away. Previously I talked about how much drop his rifle would have at 200 yds. Guestimating about 3 feet due to the velocity, distance, etc, and my experience shooting at 200m rams with it... He holds high, missed first shot, cranks bolt, deer is running straight away, he shoots and drops it. Texas heart shot. Then sees another just standing in the field and he shoots and drops that one too! 3 shots 2 deer at a measured 175 yds. From a gun he's never shot at anything farther than 40yds. I'm amazed.
The running deer, Texas heart shot. Out through the chest. Standing still deer he spined, then finished with a head shot.
We're excited it's great!
The next day, I take the same field in the AM as I had in the evening, he hunts the same field he got the 2 deer in. Nothing in the morning.
Back to the house for lunch and relaxing.
We head out again at 2:30, he takes the same field I take a different one.
Just at sunset, he heads over to the field I was at in the morning. He's seen nothing in the field he's in and just can't stand it, he has to check out the other field, so he walks on over. Just as he gets to the entrance of the field he sees two deer in the far side of the field, he drops to prone, lines up and shoots. First shot drops the buck, he gets up, he shoots again, deer is down. He then sees the other deer running and he shoots two more times at that one and misses.
Well the buck is wildly flopping around, so he heads over to finish it off.
(He's now out of ammo as he only took the four rounds the gun would hold. Remember he walked to this field and he left his pack in the other field.)
On the way to the buck, he looks to the left and sees a herd of 10 deer standing there looking at him. He's out of ammo, can't do anything but watch, then it dawns on him he can't finish the buck as he's out of ammo. He walks back to his pack 300 yds away gets more ammo. (Later I suggested he always take ammo AND the gun, and now he knows why I carry a bunch of ammo with me hunting)
Now to me.
I heard some shooting, knew it was his gun but it sounded really far away.
After all that shooting, I decide it's time to go visit him at his stand. When I see him he's about 100yds from his stand and walking away, like he's going to retrieve his deer. I was thinking he's getting close to the deer and walked over to where he was. The 100yds from his stand.
I get to where I thought he was and I here another shot. So I continue to the other field. I find him standing over a buck that is still kicking, just giving the death flinches.
As I get there I see the deer and say, 'what'd ya do run him down and rock him to death? your 500yds from your stand?" and laugh a little. Then look at the deer and say, "nice, doe..uck" and ask "why did you shoot him in the head like that?"
He says, "that's the way he was"
"one horn", I ask?
"no" he says.
Ok I'm confused. After a bit of talking and finding out what is going on I find out his first shot he shot the horn off right at the base of the skull!
I asked where did you shoot him from, he points at the entrance road. I say "that's 175yds away. you know you can't kill a buck that far away with that 44mag". He laughs.
After a bit of congratulation and points counting, and after we fetched the other horn from 25yds away...
Before the work of dragging the buck back I ask to see his gun. I have one of those accutrack range finders on my scope for that Ruger 44mag. Bracket the deer in the two parallel lines then read the yardage and adjust the turret on top.
Well, my brother doesn't know how to work it an I told him not to mess with it. I look at the turret and it's moved to the 200yd setting. He says he never moved it but somehow it got moved, lucky for him.
I asked him and he said all he did was hold a little bit high on the deer and shoot. I asked did you hold 2 feet above the deer? he says no, about 4 inches or so.
I'm laughing now and the luck my brother has. If that turret had not been moved to the 200yd setting and he held really high, like he should have, he'd have missed the deer. As it was the stars were aligned and my brother will never know how lucky he was to bag that deer.
A head shot at 175yds with a 44mag. Yep, my rookie brother is telling the truth when he says he head shot a 9pt buck at 175yd with a 44mag. Never in my wildest dreams would I ever belived I'd tell that OR be there in person to witness it.
Shot tally count for the season
Bro: with 44mag 9 shots 5 deer
ME: with 444Marlin 3 shots 1 deer.
And now some pictures
First one is of the 3 deer we got the first day, his two are together and my single is laying odd.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/2013%20Deer/IMGP3979_zps88ec91f4.jpg (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/blammer8mm/media/2013%20Deer/IMGP3979_zps88ec91f4.jpg.html)
My brother, my Ruger M7744mag and His deer minus and antler. Oh yea, it made for a good drag stick, since there were none around. :)
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/2013%20Deer/IMGP3983_zpsc9f6fa1f.jpg (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/blammer8mm/media/2013%20Deer/IMGP3983_zpsc9f6fa1f.jpg.html)
Better pic of the One horn. :)
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/2013%20Deer/IMGP3987_zpscf7ab34e.jpg (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/blammer8mm/media/2013%20Deer/IMGP3987_zpscf7ab34e.jpg.html)
My deer I got. The exit hole from my 444 marlin with the NOE 323gr FP.
I shot him as he was quartering toward me, in the chest out the side ribcage.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/2013%20Deer/IMGP3982_zps5e18b3d5.jpg (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/blammer8mm/media/2013%20Deer/IMGP3982_zps5e18b3d5.jpg.html)
Next year he'll use my 308 winchester so he won't have to 'hold over'. :)
3 years ago I though I was going to lose my brother to a brain tumor. Well it looks like he beat it and will live a long happy life.
The other reason is, my brother has never been a hunter, never showed much interest in it at all until this year. Well I did my best to help him out. Gave him some suggestions and lent him my 44mag rifle with all the ammo he wants.
This is the first time we have ever hunted together. I had the most fun I've ever had in a long time with my brother.
So here goes, the tale of two brothers one with a 44 and the other a 444.
The last weekend Sat and Sunday, Dec 28, 29 of 2103, did not pan out for hunting at my brothers place.
BUT I DID get to go to his place to hunt the last two days of the season! Dec 30 and 31, Mon and Tue.
I lent my brother my Ruger M77/44 in of course 44mag. I set it up with 240gr RF cast bullets. Cast by yours truely, just ACWW.
I had it zeroed for 100 yds because I was expecting him to hunt heavy woods and a long shot would be 75 yds.
I brought my 444S Marlin levergun with my 323gr cast flat point bullet. This too was zeroed at 100 yds and I brought it because I didn't want any small tree to matter when it came time to pull the trigger. So far I was deerless for the year, I didn't want any excuses.
Well, turns out we were hunting a field or two on his property. It was 225yds across either one.
First day in the AM, I see a doe come out in the field at about 200yds, I calm down after a bit then settle in to shoot. The last second I decided I needed to move the gun to the left then pull the trigger. DOH! The ONLY deer I've put the cross hairs on this year and I totally blow it. I didn't flinch, I just decided I needed to aim farther forward on the deer, well I got a bit too far.
Back in the field that evening, brother takes up the field I had and I take a different one.
I see a deer across the field in the wood line 225 yds away, prone position, I take aim guessing the drop at that distance. I take a rock solid shot from a standing still broad side deer. I miss clean. We hunt for sign of any type of hit for 45 min's, find foot prints and no blood or anything. I'm having fun but a bit unhappy. Happy I got to see two deer and shoot at both of them in the same day! Unhappy because I missed and really will have to find out where my Marlin shoots at 200yds.
We go back to our spots to continue the hunt.
About 45 min later my brother is shooting.
He's laying prone, and 3 deer walk out at about 175 yds away. Previously I talked about how much drop his rifle would have at 200 yds. Guestimating about 3 feet due to the velocity, distance, etc, and my experience shooting at 200m rams with it... He holds high, missed first shot, cranks bolt, deer is running straight away, he shoots and drops it. Texas heart shot. Then sees another just standing in the field and he shoots and drops that one too! 3 shots 2 deer at a measured 175 yds. From a gun he's never shot at anything farther than 40yds. I'm amazed.
The running deer, Texas heart shot. Out through the chest. Standing still deer he spined, then finished with a head shot.
We're excited it's great!
The next day, I take the same field in the AM as I had in the evening, he hunts the same field he got the 2 deer in. Nothing in the morning.
Back to the house for lunch and relaxing.
We head out again at 2:30, he takes the same field I take a different one.
Just at sunset, he heads over to the field I was at in the morning. He's seen nothing in the field he's in and just can't stand it, he has to check out the other field, so he walks on over. Just as he gets to the entrance of the field he sees two deer in the far side of the field, he drops to prone, lines up and shoots. First shot drops the buck, he gets up, he shoots again, deer is down. He then sees the other deer running and he shoots two more times at that one and misses.
Well the buck is wildly flopping around, so he heads over to finish it off.
(He's now out of ammo as he only took the four rounds the gun would hold. Remember he walked to this field and he left his pack in the other field.)
On the way to the buck, he looks to the left and sees a herd of 10 deer standing there looking at him. He's out of ammo, can't do anything but watch, then it dawns on him he can't finish the buck as he's out of ammo. He walks back to his pack 300 yds away gets more ammo. (Later I suggested he always take ammo AND the gun, and now he knows why I carry a bunch of ammo with me hunting)
Now to me.
I heard some shooting, knew it was his gun but it sounded really far away.
After all that shooting, I decide it's time to go visit him at his stand. When I see him he's about 100yds from his stand and walking away, like he's going to retrieve his deer. I was thinking he's getting close to the deer and walked over to where he was. The 100yds from his stand.
I get to where I thought he was and I here another shot. So I continue to the other field. I find him standing over a buck that is still kicking, just giving the death flinches.
As I get there I see the deer and say, 'what'd ya do run him down and rock him to death? your 500yds from your stand?" and laugh a little. Then look at the deer and say, "nice, doe..uck" and ask "why did you shoot him in the head like that?"
He says, "that's the way he was"
"one horn", I ask?
"no" he says.
Ok I'm confused. After a bit of talking and finding out what is going on I find out his first shot he shot the horn off right at the base of the skull!
I asked where did you shoot him from, he points at the entrance road. I say "that's 175yds away. you know you can't kill a buck that far away with that 44mag". He laughs.
After a bit of congratulation and points counting, and after we fetched the other horn from 25yds away...
Before the work of dragging the buck back I ask to see his gun. I have one of those accutrack range finders on my scope for that Ruger 44mag. Bracket the deer in the two parallel lines then read the yardage and adjust the turret on top.
Well, my brother doesn't know how to work it an I told him not to mess with it. I look at the turret and it's moved to the 200yd setting. He says he never moved it but somehow it got moved, lucky for him.
I asked him and he said all he did was hold a little bit high on the deer and shoot. I asked did you hold 2 feet above the deer? he says no, about 4 inches or so.
I'm laughing now and the luck my brother has. If that turret had not been moved to the 200yd setting and he held really high, like he should have, he'd have missed the deer. As it was the stars were aligned and my brother will never know how lucky he was to bag that deer.
A head shot at 175yds with a 44mag. Yep, my rookie brother is telling the truth when he says he head shot a 9pt buck at 175yd with a 44mag. Never in my wildest dreams would I ever belived I'd tell that OR be there in person to witness it.
Shot tally count for the season
Bro: with 44mag 9 shots 5 deer
ME: with 444Marlin 3 shots 1 deer.
And now some pictures
First one is of the 3 deer we got the first day, his two are together and my single is laying odd.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/2013%20Deer/IMGP3979_zps88ec91f4.jpg (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/blammer8mm/media/2013%20Deer/IMGP3979_zps88ec91f4.jpg.html)
My brother, my Ruger M7744mag and His deer minus and antler. Oh yea, it made for a good drag stick, since there were none around. :)
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/2013%20Deer/IMGP3983_zpsc9f6fa1f.jpg (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/blammer8mm/media/2013%20Deer/IMGP3983_zpsc9f6fa1f.jpg.html)
Better pic of the One horn. :)
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/2013%20Deer/IMGP3987_zpscf7ab34e.jpg (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/blammer8mm/media/2013%20Deer/IMGP3987_zpscf7ab34e.jpg.html)
My deer I got. The exit hole from my 444 marlin with the NOE 323gr FP.
I shot him as he was quartering toward me, in the chest out the side ribcage.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/2013%20Deer/IMGP3982_zps5e18b3d5.jpg (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/blammer8mm/media/2013%20Deer/IMGP3982_zps5e18b3d5.jpg.html)
Next year he'll use my 308 winchester so he won't have to 'hold over'. :)