It's been a great season with lots of time out in the field for me, but a tough time spotting a buck. We had the traditional deer camp and only one buck was spotted, but we had fantatic fellowship and the natural beauty is second to none "Up North". It's my goal every year to bring someone who has either never hunted or who hasn't hunted in several years. This year we had 3 people like that, which was awesome. While none of them got deer they enjoyed it and will be back next year. Year after year, however, it seems that while we respectfully observe that tradition we come a bit south to actually kill stuff.
One of my good friends who'd "returned to the fold" a few years ago after I invited him several years in a row bought a TC Impact this fall and has been itching to use it to take his first deer ever. I was anxious to oblige, and knew exactly where to go to do it. One of my clients has a soybean farm where he bow hunts but doesn't gun hunt, so Jim and I went out there yesterday with doe tags burning holes in our pockets.
I was itchin' to bloody the Savage 110 .338-06 I built a few winters ago. Just after first light, a few does stepped out into the field about 150 yards in front of me and, as a guy w/ 5 kids, I was excited to have meat in the freezer:
![[Linked Image]](http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/efrrwake99/Hunting%202010/P1380703.jpg)
![[Linked Image]](http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/efrrwake99/Hunting%202010/P1380707.jpg)
So after I had her hangin' I enjoyed some tea and a celebratory "snack" in the shack:
![[Linked Image]](http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/efrrwake99/Hunting%202010/P1380714.jpg)
with a loaded 338-06 cartridge topped with a 180 NBT included to commemorate the event. As one would expect, that bullet worked wonderfully on that whitetail doe putting her down right where she was hit, and causing massive damage to the lungs and a nice big exit wound.
In the evening it was Jim's turn. He'd hunted a bit as a kid and gone up with his father the last couple of years for the traditional Michigan deer camp but had yet to see a deer while deer hunting. I had him sit in a very promising spot on the farm where deer come in to feed on the winter wheat in the evening. At last light I heard the distintive blast of a 50 cal ML.
As it turns out he kept hearing a noise in the little streambed where he was seated. It was getting late and he was anxious but put his gun up on sticks so he could be prepared. He had some places picked out where he expected deer to appear and windows through the brush where he could shoot so he was ready. She stepped into the field in front of him but to his surprise there were tall shrubs blocking a clear shot. He contorted himself to get the shot and as a result had more than venison to show for it.
![[Linked Image]](http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/efrrwake99/Hunting%202010/P1380717.jpg)
Fortunately he did have venison too... a nice big fat corn- and soy-fed doe. She showed herself at about 60 yards and he put the shockwave bullet right where it belonged. Fueled by 90 gr of powder I was suprised to see no exit,
![[Linked Image]](http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/efrrwake99/Hunting%202010/P1380721.jpg)
but it was a perfect shoulder shot (as you can see from the little red dot in the pic above) and our post mort today confirmed that the bullet simply destroyed both shoulders in addition to jellifying the lungs and blowing the top off the heart. The lack of exit wound on the doe that dropped right there in its tracks was a definate sign of bullet failure! You can tell by the look on his face that he is TICKED:
![[Linked Image]](http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/efrrwake99/Hunting%202010/P1380720.jpg)
...and even more upset with the way our day's work was reduced to "groceries" in the "grocery getter":
[img]http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/efrrwake99/Hunting%202010/P1380726.jpg [/img]
[img]http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr166/efrrwake99/Hunting%202010/P1380729.jpg [/img]
It was a great experience, though we agreed that there is still an air that attends our northern camps that isn't quite captured in these home-based forays. We each had yesterday and today off, so we spent today in his garage butchering our deer and had a second great day in a row, grateful that we got our deer yesterday as it was in the mid-40s, windy, and rainy all day today.
Thanks for reading,
efw
One of my good friends who'd "returned to the fold" a few years ago after I invited him several years in a row bought a TC Impact this fall and has been itching to use it to take his first deer ever. I was anxious to oblige, and knew exactly where to go to do it. One of my clients has a soybean farm where he bow hunts but doesn't gun hunt, so Jim and I went out there yesterday with doe tags burning holes in our pockets.
I was itchin' to bloody the Savage 110 .338-06 I built a few winters ago. Just after first light, a few does stepped out into the field about 150 yards in front of me and, as a guy w/ 5 kids, I was excited to have meat in the freezer:
So after I had her hangin' I enjoyed some tea and a celebratory "snack" in the shack:
with a loaded 338-06 cartridge topped with a 180 NBT included to commemorate the event. As one would expect, that bullet worked wonderfully on that whitetail doe putting her down right where she was hit, and causing massive damage to the lungs and a nice big exit wound.
In the evening it was Jim's turn. He'd hunted a bit as a kid and gone up with his father the last couple of years for the traditional Michigan deer camp but had yet to see a deer while deer hunting. I had him sit in a very promising spot on the farm where deer come in to feed on the winter wheat in the evening. At last light I heard the distintive blast of a 50 cal ML.
As it turns out he kept hearing a noise in the little streambed where he was seated. It was getting late and he was anxious but put his gun up on sticks so he could be prepared. He had some places picked out where he expected deer to appear and windows through the brush where he could shoot so he was ready. She stepped into the field in front of him but to his surprise there were tall shrubs blocking a clear shot. He contorted himself to get the shot and as a result had more than venison to show for it.
Fortunately he did have venison too... a nice big fat corn- and soy-fed doe. She showed herself at about 60 yards and he put the shockwave bullet right where it belonged. Fueled by 90 gr of powder I was suprised to see no exit,
but it was a perfect shoulder shot (as you can see from the little red dot in the pic above) and our post mort today confirmed that the bullet simply destroyed both shoulders in addition to jellifying the lungs and blowing the top off the heart. The lack of exit wound on the doe that dropped right there in its tracks was a definate sign of bullet failure! You can tell by the look on his face that he is TICKED:
...and even more upset with the way our day's work was reduced to "groceries" in the "grocery getter":
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It was a great experience, though we agreed that there is still an air that attends our northern camps that isn't quite captured in these home-based forays. We each had yesterday and today off, so we spent today in his garage butchering our deer and had a second great day in a row, grateful that we got our deer yesterday as it was in the mid-40s, windy, and rainy all day today.
Thanks for reading,
efw
