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Momma sealed the deal this afternoon in the rain.

We were busy sitting in the rain not seeing anything when she shot her finger out and said “there’s a deer”! I whispered for her to be still and quiet. As I cut my eyes over I saw a set of antlers coming up over the rise about 60 yards. I instantly recognized it as a funky looking buck my dad and I had both seen earlier this year and dubbed him “the Pronghorn”. I told her not to move and to let him walk on out if he would and she wanted him. After a brief staring contest he decided to feed on up the hill and when he put his head down she was able to get her gun up. As soon as he stepped into the open “BOOM” and he ran over the crest of the hill where I heard him pile up and slide down the face on the rocks.

We moseyed over and there he was, shot perfectly and dead as free lunch about 20 yards from where she shot him. He’s an odd character, heavy bases and pretty good brow tines but like his antlers are stunted above the brows. He’s bigger bodied than the buck I shot last Saturday, certainly not a yearling basket rack. She thinks he’s pretty neat and we’ll euro him to go on the corner shelf in the living room.





She used my Pre64 FWT 30/06 tonight because for some reason it is the only thing I have anymore that has scope caps. Ammo was some 1980’s vintage S&B factory stuff with 150gr SPCE bullets. They lived up to their name as the entry hole was a perfectly round .30 caliber hole, just like a wadcutter through a paper target. Lungs were centered with a 2” hole through them and the exit hole was about 1” diameter. I’m not much of a factory ammo guy or a 150gr 30/06 fan but these seem to work pretty well on this buck and a giant pig I shot a couple years ago.

We’ll get these two worked up and in the freezer before we shoot any does. I’ll probably go hunt when I can with my dad but our rifle season is pretty well concluded in this house. It’s been a good one, we’ve hunted every day of the season so far, made some great memories and seen some great bucks.

Friday night found my sidekick and I out at the cabin on the ranch in anticipation for the opener Saturday morning. He HAD to have a fire in the stove, never mind that it was 58deg.
I kept the door propped open so we didn’t turn into raisins and we played a few hands of dominoes to pass the time. Little fellow is getting pretty good at counting the spots and knowing that only 5,10,15 scores as he puts it. My dad came out and played a hand with us but went on home as he had a funeral to attend in the morning.
After much protest following a long fitful night of trying to keep a 5 year old in his sleeping bag, on the bunk, not too warm, not too cold, not too scary, and not too thirsty. I rousted him up and talked him into eating some chocolate donuts and having some orange juice. By shooting light we were out the door and on our way to our sitting spot for the morning.

We saw bucks chasing does all over the place on our 1/2 mile hike to our morning post, a good sign but no keepers. We watched a big bunch of does feeding for a while and got to see 3 raghorn bull elk doing their thing for half an hour or so. We decided to make a loop and head for the cabin at about 9:30 or so. As I peeked over a rise down to the bottom below I saw a doe come cautiously out of a big thicket. We quickly sat down and got the glasses on her and where she’d come from. Sure enough here come an old gray buck hot on her trail. Following close behind him was the next generation, an obviously young 8 pointer with heavy palmated antlers, he will be a hammer next year if he makes it.

The doe went into a briar patch and laid down as old Wilfred made a line of 4 scrapes along the edge of a hackberry grove. The younger buck stood watching from a safe distance. After tending his scrapes the bigger buck disappeared into the briars with the doe.

Me and young son used this opportunity to get behind the hill and close the distance by about 100 yards. When we crept back over the top there were no deer in sight and I was a little bit scared they’d glimpsed us or heard us and shagged out. We didn’t have to wait long to find out. I guess the smaller buck had tried to make a move and when he entered the bramble the doe came squirting out quickly followed by the bigger buck.

I’d decided after passing several nice bucks last year on the opener and never catching back up with them that I would shoot one on the first day this year if I had the opportunity on an old heavy buck. Seeing him head toward an opening I assumed the prone position and switched the safety off on my 257Wby. When he stepped into the opening at about 250 yards I pasted the crosshair on his armpit and squeezed one off. I didn’t hear it hit but it felt good. As we hung tight I assured the boy that I was pretty certain we had him. Pretty soon here came the doe up the hill towards us to pass through a saddle about 40 yards away. The young buck made a cautious circle all the way around the briar patch looking and stomping as he went, satisfied he came at a lope following the doe like he was on a string.

We made our way down to find one very dead old gray buck lying about 30 feet from where I shot him. Another victim of the 85gr Ballistic Tip at warp speed. It’s been a while since I’ve killed one bigger than this, though he’s not a monster. I’m pretty proud of him though especially since I got to share it with my 5 year old partner.
We still have a bunch of doe tags plus trying to get Momma on a buck, and if we get lucky we might find a cow elk to put up for the winter.

Good luck to the rest of the Okies out there.