Hunting with runfiverun 2017

[runfiveslittlegirl]

After backpacking in the first day of the hunt just to have a ton of people four wheelers scare away a few bucks :-?

The third morning we finally got a long shot off at a big four point we found hanging out in a bachelor herd of I think four decent sized bucks. After tracking it for a while we lost it in some trees, we decided to hike back out for the day and look again the next day. We grabbed the wheelers and drove up to our trailhead to find someone camped on the road, they had a nice buck (they told us they found it, wouldn't admit either of em shot it)
We just let it go, at least it was recovered.

We hiked all over for four er' five days and where do we see deer? ...in a ladies pasture right by town. :roll:

Today I had to work, and I just get home when i get a call that runfiverun got a deer and needs my help, he likes to mess with me so I told him I wasn't in the mood and hung up on him. He shows up at my house with a huge bodied 3x3.... Guess that shut me up lol
It's got about an 18 inch spread.

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[sixshot]

Good job Lamar, hope you used a sixgun! I know you can do it, I've seen you shoot.

Dick

[DougGuy]

Whoa dang nice way to start the season! Kudos sir!

[OnHoPr]

What, you didn't help your pa? He'd never pull your leg huntin now would he? He didn't even gut it. How do you drag deer that size up and down the Rockies to the truck and not even gut, what superman dragger, cart, or helicopter. What, did he hit it with the truck? I didn't know they made cast boolit trucks. Regardless I think I hear steel on stone. congrats

[runfiverun]

actually the truck has a cast boolits magnet for the door.
I half way threw the tape on it tonight and got a 19 spread and 22"s of height.
little girl guesses 18" I guessed closer to 20" [his ears are 25"]

I initially went up the mountain after a nice 4x4 I spotted through the spotting scope [need a better one of those btw]
but by the time I got up there he had moved along and I could look back down on the path I had taken to get after him and seen where I went wrong. [actually 2 mistakes]
the first was I cut into a patch of willows then backed out and went around them but he could look right down on me and seen me skirt the edge. [on the wrong/easy side]
I should have just cut the distance and made the shot but it was getting late and snowing again.
the second mistake was not taking another minute to check out the opposing ridgeline for landmarks to use as I come up the other ridge to gauge where he was.
there was another deer with the 4x4 but I couldn't make out the antlers clearly through the scope and it was getting after 6 o'clock when I went up after them. [and it didn't much matter I knew they were both good deer]
this is the one that was with him and he made the mistake of cutting across mostly open ground [through/around some cedar trees] to the pine tree line near the top and stopping to look back.
I seen him cutting across and waited for him to get into the open grass and buck brush on the other side.
he didn't see/smell me where I was standing under some trees half out of the rain/snow mix and he started feeding along again.
about 2 minutes later [seemed like 20] he finally gave me a good broadside shot at about 150 yds.

now this wasn't a cast boolit but the bullet's core was cast from a genuine modified 6 cavity LEE mold BT-Sniper made into an 11 cavity core mold for me.
and I did make the bullet from scratch using sierra jackets. [so that kind of counts] :lol:
I punched 1 rib square and broke three ribs going in.
I cut the artery on the top of the heart and made a grand mess out of the lungs before the bullet went into the off side shoulder and stopped just under the skin on the far side.
up hill shot at about 45*
he dropped at the shot, and was struggling to get up and I initially thought I muffed the shot and hit the spine somehow, but I had a pretty good branch to kind of set the rifle on and the shot felt good.
as he half struggled and half rolled down the hill I could tell I flat knocked the wind out of him and that he would be dead long before I could get up to him.

now I didn't clean him on the mountain because of the muddy ground and the steepness of the hill and the oncoming darkness was going to make getting him out enough of a bother.
thankfully [loves to shoot] Cody was at the truck waiting for me and started up my direction like I told him to if he heard a shot.
he only fell twice on the way up. :lol:
but he come grabbed the rifle and my coat.
thank god cause I was sweating to death, covered in mud, burrs, and soaking wet from the thighs on down.

I made it to the main road with the deer and went up to fetch the truck and Cody flagged down another truck right before I got there and they helped us get him on the tail gate.
I was gonna back the 4 wheeler off the truck, strap him to it and drag him up like that, cause there ain't no way the two of us was going to get him on there.

[CastingFool]

Congrats! Fresh venison is always good! Great story, too!

[white eagle]

very nice
sounds like fun and work but does it get any better :Fire:

[Blackwater]

Great hunt, great shot, and meat never tastes so good as when it's truly EARNED. Ya' done good, Run! REAL good!

[popper]

Good deer and good work getting it out. I just have to tell what I saw going from Dallas to Houston last weekend. Navigator with a (deer) rack on top. Was as wide as the roof rack, tines pointed up and back so NOT made to look bigger. Not a Tx buck! I passed it about Ennis and didn't count the points but they were long and large. Couldn't tell if the skull was there. I didn't see brow tines but it could have been a Co. elk, looked more like a big muley.

[RickinTN]

Great story and great hunt! Congratulations to you! I've never had the opportunity to hunt big game in the western states but always heard that it is best to have the entrance hole on the lower side of the chest and the exit hole on the high side of the other side. Sounds like you did follow that rule!
Take care,
Rick

[Smoke4320]

Congrads .. freezer will be fuller now.. Good hunting good story

[shoot-n-lead]

Good job!

Congrats on a great hunt.

[CraigOK]

Congrats on a nice buck

[runfiverun]

if your between the deer and the truck the low entrance, high exit is a good strategy.
if however the deer is between the truck and you the high entrance low exit is they way to go. :lol:

I still need to work on the bullet, it behaves just like a sierra game king and I didn't get a complete pass through.
it smacked the jesus out of him right on the spot.
[and the first one which I'm convinced was a high lung shot and missed the shoulder which put him in shock but didn't de-mobilize him]
if I would have had to track this guy very far through the pines I would have been in trouble, he was leaving no blood trail to follow.

[9.3X62AL]

I will sound repetitious, but here goes--fine shot, great hunt, and a well-told story.

[TCLouis]

Congrats, some good eatin there.

How is that old sayin goes . . . .
Sumpthin like

Always hunt uphill from the vehicle/road! ! !

[richhodg66]

Nice deer and good story. Sounds like a great time all around. Congratulations!

[TXGunNut]

Nice big buck, great hunt and a story well told! Nicely done, all around....even if littlegirl stole a bit of your thunder, lol. She did a good job on the pics, tho.

[ghh3rd]

Nice deer runfiverun, thanks for sharing pics. Reading your story it was easy to experience your hunt vicariously.

By the way, I always thought that picture in your avatar was you! :-)

[runfiverun]

well I tried wearing a hat like that hunting,,,,, once........................ just once.

there will be more stories to follow as the kids get their deer Littlegirl has tomorrow and Sunday and Trystan has Friday and Sunday.
I'm still not sure on whether the nephew is going to be able to go or not.
but at the least I should be able to get Dawn to put up some pictures of the roads and snow and such.

[Mtnfolk75]

Congrats on a nice buck & hunt, runfiverun. Our season ends on Sunday evening here, SWMBO and I are headed out in the morning for Death Valley so I won't be able to hunt at all this year :( I've skinned & quartered 2 bucks for a Disabled friend and have not even had a day in the field .... :mrgreen: Did get a courtesy front shoulder for skinning/quartering them, so life is good on the mountain. Enjoy that Venison.

[MaryB]

Nice buck! Looked heavy for a 3x3, did you weigh it?

[leeggen]

Ok R5R, you told us about the deer and about the homemade sierra boolit now how about some info on the rifle?
Good looking deer, I like to see those OLD bucks but they get tough sometimes. But those young one are always tender.
CD

[35 shooter]

Congrats on a good stalk hunt. Sounds like it was the usual one shot and then a lot of work lol, but it's all worth it when you finally get them to the truck.

I won't get started till nov. here in the south, but your story has me jazzed up now!

[fivegunner]

Great story, nice deer, And with a home made bullet! great Job:Fire::castmine:

[runfiverun]

the rifle is a Bergara. [F-14 I think they call it] in 30-06.
it's their synthetic stock and matte finish rifle the stock is duratouch or something like that [it's not hard plastic]

I'm pushing the bullets along in the 2800 fps area, with some 4064.
they should re-name the rifle line to the 'stupid accurate once you figure them out' brand, this was about the easiest I have ever shot clover leaf groups from any rifle I have.
one load at one oal with one bullet and load development was done.

Mary I didn't weigh it but it's bigger than I am by a lot.
I forgot the stick for hanging it so I quickly cut one at the kids place, we got it half way up and it broke the 1x3.
I did weight just the head and about 3" of neck and it was 29 lbs, the neck is about basketball diameter.
I was guessing close to 300 lbs live weight he is bigger bodied than the 30" buck I have here on the wall.
and he also has more diameter on his antlers.
his fat head makes his antlers look smaller.

[runfiveslittlegirl]

OnHoPr, he called me on Sunday to tell me he got a deer just to make me mad because I had all my in laws coming over and I couldn't go with him. Which is why I didn't believe him when he called me to tell me he got this one.

[Hamish]

Nice 4X3! run, congrats on still getting out there,,,,,,,,great post. :drinks:

[dragon813gt]

the rifle is a Bergara. [F-14 I think they call it] in 30-06.
it's their synthetic stock and matte finish rifle the stock is duratouch or something like that [it's not hard plastic]

I'm pushing the bullets along in the 2800 fps area, with some 4064.
they should re-name the rifle line to the 'stupid accurate once you figure them out' brand, this was about the easiest I have ever shot clover leaf groups from any rifle I have.
one load at one oal with one bullet and load development was done.


The manufacturer name explains why it was so easy. They make great barrels. Their B-14 line is very affordable. A Timber in 30-06 has been on my list but I haven't found any locally. I need to sell some guns to buy some new ones. But that just leads to regret. Good thing I've only done it twice :laugh:

[runfiveslittlegirl]

well I tried wearing a hat like that hunting,,,,, once........................ just once.

there will be more stories to follow as the kids get their deer Littlegirl has tomorrow and Sunday and Trystan has Friday and Sunday.
I'm still not sure on whether the nephew is going to be able to go or not.
but at the least I should be able to get Dawn to put up some pictures of the roads and snow and such.

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[runfiveslittlegirl]

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[runfiveslittlegirl]

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[Texas by God]

Way to go! Good looking fat buck. What is this snow you speak of? Two more weeks till opener for us-95 degrees yesterday. Btw what weight are your home made bullets-180grs? Best, Thomas.

[runfiverun]

they come out at 152grs with a little lead at the point.
think of a sierra 150gr game king, then round the point over at the nose.
Brian done a very good job on my swage die, they come out approx. .001 away on the ogive from the sierra's.
I'm beginning to think I do need to get some longer jackets and bump the weight, or get a pinch trim die to cut back some corbin jackets I have that will make about a 190gr bullet.

Dragon:
you won't regret buying one, right after I shot this one I looked long and hard at their wood stocked rifles.
they had one in 6.5 Creedmore at the same shop, and I also looked at one in 308 with the same stock as the 30-06.
if the 6.5 hadn't of went out the door I would have probably bought it. [that's after buying the 0-6, heck I even almost talked myself into another 308]
I'm completely sold on these rifles.
I have back packed this rifle in and carried it on the 4 wheeler plus had it riding in the truck and it just does what it's supposed to do. [smoothly and properly]

I really need to upgrade the scope from the $200.00 vortex I put on it to a better model, but I have no complaints about it's performance either considering how much snow and mud and bouncing about it's seen.
you put the crosshairs where they are supposed to be out to about 325 or so yds. and your gonna hit.

[TCLouis]

What is that white along the road, we had high 80s yesterday and mid 50s today.
High 80s and I can not even think deer hunting.

Again Congrats on a well earned "trophy"

[runfiverun]

that white stuff is on the road next to the road and all over everything.
if you go down about 400' in elevation it's turned into mud, if you go up 300' it gets deeper and deeper.
hanging out in the transition zone from the mud to the snow is where many of the deer are.

[dragon813gt]

hanging out in the transition zone from the mud to the snow is where many of the deer are.

That sounds about as fun as hunting bear in the swamps. Some family members laugh when I put waders on to go hunting. They always come back empty handed. And they eventually put theirs on when I need a hand dragging one out.

[runfiveslittlegirl]

Here's the recovered bullet.
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[taco650]

... I'm pushing the bullets along in the 2800 fps area, with some 4064.


Congrats on a nice, big buck!

I'm surprised you didn't get a complete pass through with your shot. I shot a decent size GA whitetail doe today (at best half the size of your buck, live weight) in the shoulder with a HDY 150gr Interlock from my old Ruger '06 going about 2700 from an old batch of 4320. It hit in the scapula behind the joint a couple inches about midway (top to bottom) and was a complete pass through. Range was about 75 yards. Lungs were soup and I had a one inch diameter exit hole. First DRT I've ever had too. Guess the size of the deer must be the difference.

[runfiverun]

we used this same bullet on a smaller buck and it just sucked the insides out the back side.
I could see blood on the snow where the shot was taken and where it slowly walked to before stopping to suck wind.
I really like 2 holes too but hit a rib on the way in [and broke 3 of them] I think the bullet may have tumbled on it's way through.
you could physically see the impact knock the wind out of this guy and it dropped him on the spot.
he tried struggling to his feet but only managed to make his way about 20' forward and down hill about 10' before he was done.

I'm gonna work on a stronger core and see if I can't get a bit better penetration.
I found the bullet just under the skin on the off side after about 16-17" of internal penetration and after punching the rib bone[s] at the entrance.
I can't really call it a bullet failure it just didn't meet my expectations on this deer.
and the rib punch might have contributed to that.