Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Blacktail Buck and a 100gr. TTSX

General buck season started last Saturday here in WA state. The first 5 days were warm enough to hunt in shorts and a tank top....not so good. Saw very few animals and no bucks.

Weather moved in the last couple of days. Couldn't get out yesterday though, but made it out this mornin'. Found a young buck and a doe about 8am on a side hill about 200 yards away. When I made him out to be a buck (smallish 2X2), he had just stood up in his bed and was about to drop over the backside of the small hill he was on. He stopped for a second looking directly away from me. I had a good stump rest and placed the crosshairs at the base of his skull and he immediately dropped at the shot. As as happened before, somewhat to my dismay, the doe stood over him until I had to chase her away....I always find that a bit heart wrenching when that happens. Just sayin'.............

The 100gr. TTSX entered the base of the skull dead center and exited the bucks mid-nose area. His right eye looked like a rockfish's eye's when brought up fast from 200ft deep and both ears were blood filled. His demise was immediate and meat loss was non-existent. Very little to report as no bullet was obviously recovered and no pics as I was alone and it was rainin'......big time.

Can I draw any conclusions from this shoot in regards to components......not really. But a 100gr. TTSX movin' along at a good clip is no less capable than other well made .257 pills that I've used these last several decades.

On to elk which starts next Saturday...............

Good luck to all 'Fire members this season...................

I know how you feel about the weather. This will be the first year I hunted sense I moved to Washington. I skipped opening weekend and went out the first Monday and Tuesday with the wife for her first time hunting ever. We saw a body but nothing else Monday, and 2 yearling spikes Tuesday which she passed on.

Over all I think we did pretty good, as she intends to head out this week while I am work. Plus we juggled her surgery and a week off at work for me, to schedule a full week for Elk. We haven't filled any tags (yet), but she enjoyed it none the less. Hopefully I've got a full time hunting partner now!

mortre - now's the time to be out there!! This current weather system is perfect for W.WA state huntin'. Welcome, BTW!!

I'm also takin' off for elk startin' tomorrow mornin', as we've got to set up camp and all. Seems like we're perhaps gonna have some of that white stuff on the ground.........hope, hope.

Good on you for huntin' with your wife and better on her for goin' it alone when she needs to......... You guys saw more animals than many when the weather was bluebird, so it seems that you've got the right idea. It just takes time and alot of glassin'.......alot!!

I also postponed another spinal surgery until Nov.12th so I could make it through deer and elk season. Gettin' the deer out wasn't so bad as a nice fella helped me get it out to the road, but elk is a differnt matter. My son will spend those first 4 days,so I'd better score during his stay.......

Good luck to the both of you, but it sounds as if you won't need any. You both sound dedicated enough to put in the time and effort. My wife of 34 years tried deer one year and was successful, but it just wasn't her thing......such is life. Wouldn't want her out there if she didn't "feel it" like I do.

Good luck on elk as well. This is the time of year that finds me more in the woods than in my house. Wouldn't want it any other way.......

Take care Mortre and best of luck to you both...........

magnumb;
I'm glad to hear you got out and made meat this fall. Congratulations on the buck too.

As a by the way, our initial testing on the 80gr. TTSX was quite good out of our youngest's .250AI. So far so good anyway.

All the best to you and yours magnumb and good luck on your upcoming hunts and your back surgery.

Regards,
Dwayne

Howdy Dwayne!! Congrat's to yours as well.......so far so good with these Barnes pills....... I've no doubt, if given the chance, that the 180gr TSX's will do the job on any bull as 3 have fallen to these pills these last few years (300WSM's).

Back surgeries, getting to be almost an annual thing......... Perhaps this will be the last one.......hope so.

Need to get another bull as last years was split a couple ways, as per our camp etiquette. I've given away my bucks for the last 7 or 8 years to a disabled hunter so I'm hopin' that either my son or I can fill the locker with some elk meat.....

Take care Dwayne and my best to you and yours and best of luck on any upcoming hunts that you may have......

Ouch, I did the spine surgery once. I would hate to go through that every year. I am about due for another though I believe. Unfortunately I won't be able to get back out for deer this year myself. And due to work we had to rearrange our elk plans. Originally asked for the 1st week of Nov off for Eastern and it got denied do to some equipment that was supposed to come in end of Oct. So I got the second week of Nov and we were planning to go Western down by South Bend. Last night, boss called. Equipment has been delayed so I can't have second week, but told me I could have the 1st week until the 5th. So now, it's re-juggle her surgery and start planning for Eastern again.

Good luck your surgery and season!

You shut him off in a hurry! Good job.

mortre - I hate it when plans don't pan out, especially when you've had to rearrange them before. Such is life, but it can be more than a bit frustrating.

This will be my 6th lower back surgery (1 spinal fusion involving 6 titanium bolts and 4 laminectomies prior) and one base of neck, spinal surgery. I'm always GTG after each surgery, but inevitably, the strengthened parts make the neighboring area's weaker and we start all over again. I'm a bit worn out by the whole thing, but there's very little if any options at this point.

That's why I'm gonna go elk huntin' this season with my son and our friends, 'cuz you just never know............ It doesn't feel good, but it wouldn't feel good sitiin' in front of the TV either..........

Best of luck on your season and her upcoming surgery. Seems there's no one that is exempt from such "fun".......

My best to you both and may your current elk hunting schedule remain stable at least until you get out of cell phone range...... BTW - turn the damn thing off.

Nice job, Ken! Sounds like that 100gr TTSX worked out just fine!

Congrats on the blacktail! I got completley and utterly skunked this year. Glad to hear someone else is getting bucks.

Brian.

Thanks Jordan! I think that you and I had a feelin' we'd be happy with our choices.......

Another good year for you as well. It was tough findin'a buck this early season, but once the weather turned, the deer started actin' showin' themselves........thankfully.

Take care........

Thanks Brian! Truth be told, seein' that one buck made my season and if he'd been a wee bit smarter or me a bit less lucky, it would have been tag soup for me as well......

I was gettin' more than a bit frustrated as I am very methodical about my glassin' and pre-season scoutin' and I just couldn't make it happen like most years. Not a bad thing really as it was quite humblin' and I learned alot goin' through the motions for those first several days (new areas/patterns and access points).

Weather, luck, destiny, wisdom, experience, Karma...........a bunch of options and combinations to choose from when considering each years individual results. After all is said and done, whether "successful" or not, we come away much more enlightened and satisfied than any of those that didn't go afield, IMHO........

Take care Brian.........