Cousin who purchases an orchard permit in WVa each January, was out with his wife's family up from Florida each year.
That one year back in the 70s, they weren't seeing anything to take for the week. Got home the last day and his wife tells him there is a dead buck up by some apple trees, from out of the kitchen window.. about a 250 yd shot.
Ben asked her what she shot it with, and she said the one rifle you left behind here...it was loaded, so I shot it in the head from here....Adults didn't believe it, so they sent the two nephews up there to see if there was a deer up there. They came back with their pants on fire, telling the adult males there was a big old dead buck up there... The Men folk go up and sure enough there is a dead buck. They at first couldn't figure out where she hit it, until one noticed that one eye was gone and the off side ear had a big hole in it. She had said she aimed at the eye.
Ben takes several deer a month, every month, all year, with that orchard permit, that the state charged $2.00 for back in the early 70s.. just purchased it at the county court house. It was good for up to 25 deer. His boys grew up on venison, and pork.
After a couple of years, Ben quit using his other rifles and just used that Rem 700 in 22.250. All he ever used for ammo, was Remington ammo with a 55 gr SP. He quit shooting deer 2 seasons ago, in 2022. Killed the largest buck yet, and decided it was time to hang it up.. its just them and his grandson... Ben is 73 now and is moving slower these days. he's sold off all of his rifles long ago.. but kept one shotgun and that Model 700 in 22.250. That rifle has taken 20 something plus deer a year since about 1974 or 1975. Multiply that by 47 years or so.
So Ben will certainly tell ya a 22.250 will take a deer down, all day long.
