Comments thread: February 2015 Photo contest

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Comments and Q's about the spectacular hunting photos go here.

[taco650]

Nice buck Tar Heel!

[62chevy]

Attachment 129211


Shot this gal (fella) with a camera in the Sawtooth area in Idaho while Elk hunting. I've never encountered a Badger face-to-face in the wild before and this made my day!!! I am about 15 yards away from the den here and had to zoom in with the camera as ANY movement in her direction just about initiated an attack. As I slowly backed away you could see her relax. Sure got a kick out of seeing her.

That is just to Cool !!!

[sav300]

Ammohead,its a savage 99.That counts in my book.

[Tar Heel]

Nice buck Tar Heel!

Thank taco650....that was Clark County Virginia just along the Shenandoah River. Got that rascal with a Isaac Haines 50 cal flintlock I built.

[taco650]

Thank taco650....that was Clark County Virginia just along the Shenandoah River. Got that rascal with a Isaac Haines 50 cal flintlock I built.

What was your range, situation, etc?

[Tar Heel]

What was your range, situation, etc?

I was still hunting after having scouted the area for sign. I picked the best area on a perfect day which dawned clear and cold after a few days of miserable weather. The bucks were hungry and horny and I knew they would be moving. Nothing appeared in the morning hours, or at least I didn't hear or see anything since the wind was still blowing some as the low pressure system moved out of the area. I had a nice lunch, pulled the cows knee off the lock since the weather was clear. I checked the pan for the 50'th time being alert for any noise.

Along about 2:30 in the afternoon, just as shadows began appearing and fooling me, I heard some rustling off to my right. Sure enough, here comes the buck looking a lot like we do when we are hungry. He definitely had a goal in mind as he purposefully made his way through the pines and into the thinner area which was at the edge of his marked territory. He was angling away slightly but I reasoned he may turn broadside to me to follow the contour line of the high terrain. At just about 75 yards, he turned to the right and pretty as a picture, stood fully erect, head turned away but on full alert. As I brought the cock rearward and the click was heard by him, he turned his head in my direction trying to locate me. I knew I had a very small window to take the shot before he bolted. I lined up the sights and squeezed the trigger for what seemed like hours but was actually about a second or two.

The shot went off, smoke filled the clearing and the deer disappeared. I reloaded as fast as I could and approached the area where he was standing. There he was. A nice clean shot at 75 yards. I was using a patched RB with 90gr FFG GOEX. That rifle is a shooter and is deadly accurate. She has a very fast lock time which of course helps shoot her accurately. Every deer I have taken with a RB in 50 or 54 caliber drops like they were pole-axed. The killing power of the patched RB is uncanny. I never saw the need to use anything "better" than those.

I have to admit that I feel that the primitive weapons season should be for primitive firearms only. Just call me old fashioned but jeez...those rifles work just fine if you do your part. That hunt was one of my more memorable BP hunts. Others have been great but for some reason, all of the factors aligned that day to provide me with one of the best days afield I have had.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I assume hunts from the past fall are worthy.

Not a cast boolit. Still count?

Yep, all good.
It just needs to be a Quality photo from "your" hunt or "your" hunting group, preferably from the recent past...So if your Buck is strewn across the hood of your minty 1964 Ford Fairlane wagon, be sure the dealer's window stick is cropped out

[ammohead]

Jon,

My 2014 buck.

Sav300,

A rare 99 in 284 Win.

[taco650]

I was still hunting after having scouted the area for sign. I picked the best area on a perfect day which dawned clear and cold after a few days of miserable weather. The bucks were hungry and horny and I knew they would be moving. Nothing appeared in the morning hours, or at least I didn't hear or see anything since the wind was still blowing some as the low pressure system moved out of the area. I had a nice lunch, pulled the cows knee off the lock since the weather was clear. I checked the pan for the 50'th time being alert for any noise.

Along about 2:30 in the afternoon, just as shadows began appearing and fooling me, I heard some rustling off to my right. Sure enough, here comes the buck looking a lot like we do when we are hungry. He definitely had a goal in mind as he purposefully made his way through the pines and into the thinner area which was at the edge of his marked territory. He was angling away slightly but I reasoned he may turn broadside to me to follow the contour line of the high terrain. At just about 75 yards, he turned to the right and pretty as a picture, stood fully erect, head turned away but on full alert. As I brought the cock rearward and the click was heard by him, he turned his head in my direction trying to locate me. I knew I had a very small window to take the shot before he bolted. I lined up the sights and squeezed the trigger for what seemed like hours but was actually about a second or two.

The shot went off, smoke filled the clearing and the deer disappeared. I reloaded as fast as I could and approached the area where he was standing. There he was. A nice clean shot at 75 yards. I was using a patched RB with 90gr FFG GOEX. That rifle is a shooter and is deadly accurate. She has a very fast lock time which of course helps shoot her accurately. Every deer I have taken with a RB in 50 or 54 caliber drops like they were pole-axed. The killing power of the patched RB is uncanny. I never saw the need to anything "better" than those.

I have to admit that I feel that the primitive weapons season should be for primitive firearms only. Just call me old fashioned but jeez...those rifles work just fine if you do your part. That hunt was one of my more memorable BP hunts. Others have been great but for some reason, all of the factors aligned that day to provide me with one of the best days afield I have had.

Great story! Thanks for sharing. Makes me want to get a flinter and go hunting!

[Beerd]

Tar Heel: you da man! left handed flintlock?

RugerFan: did you pack that buff out on the cat?


and 99's are cool!
..

[Tar Heel]

Tar Heel: you da man! left handed flintlock?

Yup. I am a south paw with a long gun and a RH shooter with a hand gun. I was real popular on the teams. With the rock gun, you really need the flint on the correct side. Modern firearms do not matter. I can work a RH bolt just as fast as a RH shooter. Practice......

[chuckbuster]

IllinoisCoyoteHunter
"Ya think you used enough powder Butch?"

Tar heel
Nice story

Kevin

[Idaho Mule]

All great pics and stories guys. Celt, I am sure glad that thing didn't climb your leg, they can get a little testy ya know. JW

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

Winelover, very nice!!! Always nice to see a woman that can handle a bow!!!!!

[waksupi]

Attachment 129413

10 mm and Mr. Squirrel. I was at work and saw him in a tree. All I had was my CCW. I don't get much time to hunt anymore. The legs were salvaged.

Ya, but you ab-so-lutely ruined the hide!

[M-Tecs]

A hunting buddy and myself with some ducks and geese.

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

Ric, I don't keep the hide anyway. I know...unbelievable, right?! LOL I was more on pest control because over the past couple years these tree rats have been damaging the trees we grow on our tree farm. In years where food may be on the slim side (ie, nut trees don't produce as many nuts) these pesky rats chew the outter bark on young trees to get to the softer inside layer. They literally peel the outer bark back and eat the inside layer. It's crazy...up until a few years back when we had a very low mast production on the native trees, we never saw anything like it. Most of the damage was at ground level, but then we started noticing more damage at the first set of branches. They were sitting on the first branch and devouring the inner layer of bark!! LOL

[pcolapaddler]

This is a grand memory. Made me think of my step dad & dad - neither hunt, but there are memories of other times together. Thanks for posting it.

[Djones]

You guys are the best. Looking at your pictures at the end of a hard day's work has made my day!!