Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Birth of a deer camp

I missed the picture first time I went thru the pages. Awesome Ryan. Congratulations.

Stan in SC

Thanks Stan!
and thanks to everyone else, it was likely a tag of a lifetime. according to the stats the earliest I should be able to draw that again will be in 25 years when I'm in my 60's.

That's an awesome trophy. I'm really glad you got one. And it's a beauty of a bull!

Good to hear all is well with you Stan!!

Nice bull Ryan!

A few more details on the rifle please as far as build, etc........

Savage 110 donor was a 30-06. I ordered the barrel from - http://www.gunshack.com/savagebarrels. had a local gun shop thread the muzzle for me and screw it all together again.
stock is a choate tactical or something, it's comfortable but the grip is a little large for my liking. I tuned the trigger myself.
bases are 20 MOA and made by burris, as are the 30mm rings.
scope is a Burris MTAC 4.5-14 and I really like it.
Suppressor is a Lane Scorpion magnum all titanium. specs are here:
http://www.lane-products.com/products/scorpion-magnum.html

I did most of the work originally, but when I brought it in to be threaded they pulled the barrel and re-headspaced it.
absolutely love hunting with a suppressor, makes it sound like a .22 short you're shooting oh, and hardly any recoil, I watched my bull take the hit through the scope with very little climb.
after season I'm going to probably take the bases and rings off and use threadloc when I put them back together, I forgot originally and it's been nagging at me. probably fine as is, but I can't stand it. I have about 500 of the 140 NBT's I need to swap for the 150's as I only have about 300 of those left. next will be my 308 hog hunter that needs a tune up, it was shooting the 168 vld into teeny groups at 200 yards but the barrel came looseas I was unscrewing the can, which made me nervous it was that easy. so I got a new barrel nut on the way and I'll strip it and put it back together hopefully by deer season. in the mean time I need to stretch the legs on my 280AI cause the deer come november may be out further than 80 yards

oh, I will likely be getting an oversize recoil lug and bedding it to the Choate, even with that aluminum bedding block I'm not trusting it not being bedded. I may step up to a better stock, I just wish they weren't so durn expensive.

Sounds like a fun toy!!

yes it does, a hot rod elk rifle.

Good Job Ryan!

Welcome Justin!

Stan, glad to hear you were not part of the mess!

Nicely done Ryan!

And classy too with a 280AI.

We had a busy weekend but it was a blast. Oktoberfest on Saturday after work, the up to the new WI deer camp to sort some things out.

I had found a few spots over Labor Day weekend, but didn't firm anything up. This past weekend, all the spots I'd picked, were also favorites of someone else. There was a stand in almost all of them!

I found one I hope nobody else did and put a camera up. I'll come back this coming weekend with a stand and a fresh SD card to see what's there.

I haven't hunted WI since 2009 and forgot what it's like where other people are around. Here in MN the only hunter I've seen since 2010 other than our party, was a guy that was lost wandering an old logging trail in 2012. He was more than happy to see me!

The kids and I are headed up for the MEA weekend to mess around in the woods. It was supposed to be the youth hunt, but there isn't one in our area due to the lack of deer. We're going to finish Jack's stand, shoot A LOT with the rifles, and then hopefully, get them on some grouse.

Thursday we are going to kick it all off by pulling the engine on my '55 Ford truck. The bolts are out of the motor and trans mounts, the hood is off, and the front clip is off. So, it shouldn't take too long, but you never know with this stuff... well, Dave does.

Good luck with the old ford.

I will be headed back to my old deer camp soon. To the camp that originally lit the fire in me for creating a camp for my own family.

Heading back to the iron range where I will walk a trail far back into the woods to an off the grid camp, accessible by foot, atv or snowmobile only.

I will meet with old hunting partners, these are my cousins, uncles, my dad, a brother.

We will be spreading the ashes of my recently departed uncle. He was basically the camp boss back when I hunted in that camp. I really enjoyed being around him, he will be missed. More importantly he will be remembered.

I can't think of a better spot a deer hunter would rather be for a final resting place.

To me it's where I'd want to be.

It's been a while since you've been there, no? It will be nice to go back, spend time with the others, and share the laughs and memories.

I'm pretty excited about heading back to hunt WI. We will have a decent group up there. Seven or so. I'll have tent set up and there will be two campers.

I'll sleep in the tent, and we'll probably use it for our gathering/eating area since the campers are small.

I consider myself very lucky to be able to share two opening days just a few weeks apart in two states that are rich in Deer Camp tradition.

its been better than 10 years I think.

Sorry to hear about your uncle, Dave.

Did you get in a tree yet male chicken #7?

thanks, he was a guy I looked up to quite a but growing up.

Sorry for your loss, ND! Thanks for the welcome Rooster. Tzone whereabouts in WI, I think I said it before but I hunt in Vilas county. Though I haven't been able to hunt WI for 6 years unfortunately, ugh, something always pops up. Wow, that's an awful nice looking elk, Ryan.