Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters A Close-in Deer Rifle

i have hunted in swPA and northern WV (Fairmont to Clarksburg area). most of which i hunt is brush covered wood like this...



the longest deer (doe) i shot was 365+/- yards on my friend's field. i can count my fingers and toes, have a few left over, that i have shot deer from 100 to 300 yards. i don't or can't remember the number of deer that i shot under 100 yards or 50 yards. i used to hunt for antlers, but i found out that antler soup ain't that good. i am a meat hunter now, besides which, i am disabled too (i had a stroke, right arm/leg are kaput). and Mule Deer, i can remember only 2 old bucks that were anything but tasty!!!

my first deer (small spike) was about 7 or 8 feet and i got it with a Winchester top eject m94 in 30-30 with open sights. i did a bunch of killing deer with the 30-30. my furthest shot with the 30-30 was about 175 yards, give or take. i put her in the safe for about 20 -25 years and then i sent her to JES Reboring and he did his magic to make her 35/30-30. then i put on a Williams FP aperture sight and i have got 2 does and a buck.

my next rifle was a new Remington m700 Mountain rifle in 30'06 with a 4x Bushnell or Tasco, whatever it was, it was cheap. i killed a number of deer with, but it just wasn't me. so i traded it for a new Remington m700 BDL and 3-9x Swift. i traded and sold it for an ADL and then CDL and then i traded it to a Savage m116 ss adjustable muzzle brake in '06. then i traded it for a Remington m7 in 7-08 with a 3-9x Swift. a nice little rifle that deer hate. i bought and traded many more rifles. i bought alot of 3-9x Swift scopes (old ones that had an over-the-counter warranty.

i set the Swift scopes to 4x and that is way i hunted, 6 - 9x was for targets. i hunted 4x for years and then my eyes got bad and then it 6x. then 10 years or so ago, i was gifted an 1898 Springfield Armory in 30-40 Krag from my grandpap. i could not see the open sights, so i an Redfield 102K aperture sight and it was good as rain. when i was 18yo, i was in the US Army and thats when i 'found" the aperture sight. i luved m16a2 apertures, but for years, i just plain forgot about them. my son holds the record (me and 2 sons) for the furthest shot on deer (doe), 173 yards (laser range finder) with a Krag using 165gr Ranch Dog and H4198. i have old Redfield's and Lyman's aperture sights on a 7.65x53, 8x57, 30-40 Krag, '06 and a couple more. while i have only one Williams aperture.

i can't see (danged eyes) the target or the deer using open sights, but i can see the target/deer using the aperture sight. when i had the 35/30-30 with open sights during deer season. i was sitting in my spot when a doe came within 30+/- yards from me. i put the rifle on my shoulder and lined up the shot, until...........i couldn't see the doe. she was like a brown blur to me. when i lifted my head off the sights, she was there. when i put the sights back on, brown blur. she walked away from me and i had the eye doctor's appointment the next day. i have glasses now, they are a "cure" for nearsightedness.

i have a story that i did about 12+ years ago. i have a Ruger No. 1 in 270 Winchester with a 3x9x Swift. she can part your hair at 400 yards. she is a shooter!!! anyway, i have her out one season and i'm trying to still-hunt for deer. then i see the deer and it is about 10 or 12 feet. the 8 point was screened by brush (see the picture on my post and then you know about brush). i put the rifle on my shoulder and i could see the deer. i was trying to thread the needle to shoot the deer in the chest. i finally found the spot on the brush that i could shoot the buck high shoulder in the lungs. so i did and the buck ran. i waited about 1/2 hour and then i began tracking the buck. where i first shot it all i can find is a little bit of brown fur. luckily, i was on a deer trail thru the brush, when 20 yards later, i found him. i took the round out and then i seen 6x on the scope. well, can i imagine that, i used a 6x on the scope. i should have put in 4x but.... now i have 2-7x Leopold's and 2-7x Vortex's. 2x is nice for me to take hunting, but 6x is for targets/deer.

i have hunted compound and crossbow for years, but i still like my rifles. i gave up hunting archery about 3+/- years ago, it got to be pain using crossbow with one arm.