Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Deer Guns this year?

This old Model 70 30Gov't06 has been working for me for 30 years and my Grandfather since 1937 when he won it in a big buck contest. I still have not been able to live up to the 37-3/4" buck that he won it with but I keep trying.

We still have a month to wait. I like it that way though. It's good and cold in December and that's how I like my hunting to be.

"I still have not been able to live up to the 37-3/4" buck that he won it with but I keep trying."


37 3/4" buck??

Moose, glad you like those December seasons.. Haven’t there for several years.. Used to hunt. Each year in Clearfield Co. but those hunts are pretty much over as the camp sold.. Used a lot of long range rifles in one area.. Guess I miss the hunts, but give me Oct. every time for hunting..

Center, nice buck and rifle.. I bought a book of Idaho’s Greatest Mule Deer.. They killed some monsters in years past..

Well in Wyoming I agree with you as December is way too cold with that wind.

leaving Thursday for Montana, Tikka T3 .270 and a sporterized 8x57 Mauser

Sorry that I was wrong on that 37-3/4", it's actually 38-3/4" or a bit more if you go from outside to outside!

Only two. Remington 7600 Carbine 30-06 or Remington 7600 in 358 Win.

Great buck! thanks for the pic!

Welcome, that rack resides on the wall of my office..........I've shot elk that had smaller racks than that big old mule deer!

It deserves to be in a prominent locale!!

Browning Hell's Canyon

6mm Creedmoor

Ready for long range with the 103 grain ELD-X

Took this buck at 90 feet, should of had my .45 Long Colt carbine....

Wow!.........just wow! I saw that pic on here once before and it's still awe inspiring.

Tried and true:
Remington 742 Woodsmaster.......Rem 150 Core-lok
Marlin 336C........Hornady 150 Whitetail

Taking this 30 06 this weekend

T/C Contender Carbine with MGM 21" bull, chambered in 357 Magnum.. either 158 XTP or 180 Cast WFNGC, or...

T/C Hawken, 50 caliber patched roundball, though I may try the Lee R.E.A.L. bullets this year if I can get them to shoot right quick, or...

Custom Ruger 77 UL, Roberts with the Barnes 100 grain "Blue Meanies", or...

If I can lure one close enough, my Ruger Flattop Blackhawk Lipsey's Stainless 5.5" 357 magnum, shooting an RCBS 38-150 cast from straight wheelweights.

or the old standbys...

Custom Remington 7, 250 Savage with 100 grain Ballistic Tips, or...

Winchester 70, 30-06, with 150 grain Ballistic Tips.

I had high hopes of picking up something else before the season, but even if I do now, I'll never have the time to wring it out. I've been wanting to get back into shooting nothing but cast bullets, vintage levers, and single shots...I miss those days.

A real looker there hanco. Very nice.



Uh, don't scratch it up.

I need to get a better picture, it has eye guards that are an inch wide and 3 inches long. A big old buck for sure. I remember my grandpa complaining about how tough and chewy he was. lol

Well I got my buck on the last day of the season in my area. Tuesday the 31st of Oct. A big bodied 4X4 mule deer. I hunted 8 days and could not find any bucks to shoot. Either there were none, or none I wanted to shoot because they were so small.

At about 45 minutes after shooting light on the 31st I shot a heavy 4X4.

I grabbed the same rifles I used last year as I walked out the door at 5:30 AM. A full-stock M98 Mauser in 8X57 I made for myself.
I used a Hornady SST 170 grain. I hit the buck as it came towards me at the juncture of it's neck and shoulder. Bang-flop.

The bullet went through the neck and both lungs and tore up the liver too, but I lost it in the gut pile. I found shards of copper and lead in the neck so I know it was breaking up a little bit. My load, from my short 18" barrel, is only 2450 FPS and the range was 140 years. In my gun this load shoots a ragged hole at 100 yards.

I killed deer and elk with this load last year, and I think the bullet is a bit too prone to come apart. I am happy with it on deer if the angle is right, but I didn't get much penetration on last years bill elk. I killed it OK, but the best penetration I have seen with this bullet so far is about 20"

Sorry, no pics. I didn't take the camera with me. I bunched the deer about 6 hours ago.
I'll go back out for my elk next week, and I'll try to get one with my 9.3X57 with a 250 gr Nosler Accu-Bond bullet.
If the elk are not in the high brush and trees and I can't get within 300 yards I'll have my old 300H&H along in camp. It's on of my "cheating guns" so if the season get close to the end and I can;'t get a close shot as I like to, I'll break out the 300.