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

Got one of those too. A390 Silver Mallard. Love it. It's never had an issue ever. But lo and behold, my boy has taken a liking to it. Trap, skeet, ducks, he's gotten pretty good with it. I took him to ND this year. One morning, I had to get out of the blind to stretch my legs. I'm having a nice talk with him when he yells at me to "get out of the way!" He one times a drake at 30 yards coming into the decoys. Everybody is looking around for who shot that and he's sitting there smiling. I'm not sure I'll ever get to shoot it again.

My wife actually asked what I'm laughing about! "Professional opinion?" "... "Pretty professional." Priceless!

What did you shoot it with...a truck? Dang.

Well it isn't because some of us haven't been trying to get a damn tag! lol.

If I don't get one next year I'm going to raise holy hell!

whew, it is a good thing you are a couple of perfeshanalls or you never could have trailed that meager trail. that took some serious skills.

Who shot it?

I did.

(shamefully)

Meat buck. (barely a buck)

Joe was real close to where I was, if the little spike was headed his direction I surely would have let it walk.

I haven't shot a deer since 2013-2012 (I think?)

I just needed to break a bad streak, hopefully it's not looked down on too terribly. Certainly no meat will be wasted, it was a lung/heart combo shot that left both shoulders intact.

I don't have much of a story. I was trying to get the deer moving towards where my buddy and his daughter were in a stand, and the 8 kept going the wrong way, so eventually I was too dang hot and tired to GAF anymore and shot him the last time I jumped him up.

Heart/lug shot. Had to "track" him about 30 feet. Tenderloins were yummy on the grill Saturday night.

Shot 'em with a Savage Axis .223 that I was only carrying because it was the only rifle up there that hadn't killed a deer. 55gr TSX going 3250 or so.

Anybody that looks down on someone for the buck they shoot needs to be struck with a bag of nickles.

Everyone likes a big buck, but we like to eat too.

What do you mean barely a buck? That sucker scores in the 25 range.

That is soooo wrong and soooo right at the same time.

gophergunners buck

Dave, I'm with Tom,

The only way I ever shoot a decent buck, is if it walks past before a spike, fork horn or immature buck.

I love deer hunting, but fundamentally, I do it to feed my family.

Meat is meat & the little ones, while not providing as much meat, do eat BETTER !

No ribbin from me !

Nice Jeff !!

Love da shootin stick.

Dave-you'll never hear a disparaging word from me for shooting a spike. You can't eat horns, and you've got mouths to feed. I will never be the guy holding out for an 12 point and letting a 6 point walk. I'm just not wired like that, and I don't have a month every year to deer hunt. If I'm lucky, I get two weekends. I'm gonna hope for a legal animal, and be darned grateful to get one.

The old 99 has some special meaning to me. Dad hunted with a 99. Went out on the day my older brother was born and bought it on a loan. Mom would have skinned him alive if she'd known. It was always known that that gun would come down to my brother, and when Dad passed, it did. The one I own was owned by one of the other guys in our camp. When he quit hunting, he sold it to me. It's not Dad's but I'm sure Dad handled it, or shared a stand with Bob when he still had that gun. It's priceless to me.

Special thanks to MILES58 for the handloads he cooked up for me. Varget powder and a 130 gr. TTSX bullet. Way more accurate than I could ever ask for. Now the proof's in the pudding.

Camp Isabella does not have enough cell service to load any pictures. We still only have the one. It has been too warm and too windy, nothing is moving.

If you buy a license, you can shoot whatever you feel inclined to shoot, that is what dat der blue paper thingy says! I was hoping that we might have had a younger version of yourself shoot it!

Lauren struck again. She shot a doe last night. We blood trailed it until it got close to the willow swamp and then decided to back out until morning. Man, was she mad she had to go to school instead of trail her deer this morning! I had mixed feelings on it, but mama laid down the law. So my Dad and I found it today. Fun trail to follow, not too hard, not too easy. I think she owes me a DQ though for field dressing her deer! So she is 12 years old and has shot 4 deer. Way better than I ever did!

I think I will bring a boy out with me tonight. I don't plan on shooting anything but it is sooooo nice outside.

Oh, nice buck Gopher! We do have to work on your picture taking skills though.....!

By the time I got him gutted out I could barely hold my arms up-really. I had to suck wind for 20 minutes just so I could walk out and get the deer cart.

Good job fellows. Glad to see Dave and Gopher end the long dry spells. Missouri Rifle starts tomorrow. Good luck to ya'll