The center-grip 308 Winchester XP-100 drew first blood Friday afternoon. It was a hurried double kneeling short shot at around 50-60 yards, Using Bog-Gear's tripod and PSR top/Holland's small field bag. I was doing the sneaky sneak on my way to place where I was going to sit for the rest of the day (no artificial blind of any kind, just nature).
The doe was either just coming out of cover or was just inside cover (trees and shrubs). We seemed to discover each other at about the same time. I was in the open though.
Even though I had the XP-100 in my hand and my Bog-Gear (legs extended) in the other, I could not get set up quickly enough to make a shot. She turned around and walked back into cover, and then threw up her flag and waved it a few times going away from me and to the left. Now, I need to get about another hundred yards so I can try to get set up on a two-track that's going to be going to my right and wait there, hoping that she will cross and give me a shot opportunity. As I was walking faster to get to that spot to set up, I look to my right and there she was or a different one, I'm not quite sure, just inside cover - basically broadside.
Given the spookiness of these deer here this year, I didn't think I was going to get a shot opportunity, but you don't know unless you try, so I kneeled, spread the legs on the tripod, and centered up as quick as I could and took the shot.
I didn't range distance before or check afterwards.
Dropped on the spot...The 168 grain Hornady A-Max (Hornady TAP) performed admirably.
We (Dan's family) had smoked backstrap this evening-Delicious!
We were in the foothills of the Big Horn mountains, outside of Story, Wyoming. Yes, we have whitetail here.
The two different ways that I hunt this place, is doing the slow sneaky sneak, which has given some good results, but it also ends up with the just wasn't able get it done before they move into cover (which happened more than one time on Thursday and Friday morning). The other way, is to put yourself in a place to where you have a reasonable view, of where you can tell they have crossed, in semi-open areas. I usually am sitting with my back against a tree.
You cannot bait with a corn feeder either. It snowed lightly about half of the time of the two days, and you can tell by the terrain, that it is not flat. Where I was doing my stand hunting, it was more flat there than a lot of the other different places. Temperatures ranged from teens to low 30?s. Dan tagged out to using his Bayside Custom Gunworks S&W 357 Magnum R.A.A.P.
Good times with a good friend.
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Originally Posted by Stephen Cohen
