You're hunting in your favorite deer hunting area and you get a shot at the absolute biggest buck you've ever seen. What gun and load would you want for such an opportunity?

For me it'd be my CDL .30-06 loaded with 165 Gamekings.

My Ruger M77 MkII in .260 Rem with a 129 gr. Hornady IL with 44 gr. IMR 4350 pushing it down the tube. Wouldn't even think twice that I didn't have "enough gun". Where are the .223 AI guys?

+1

I killed the biggest buck of my lifetime this year with my 22-250 loaded with a 64 gr Nosler Bonded Performance.

My SAKO .375 H&H Mannlicher with a 235 grain Speer over 83 grains of IMR 4350 - CCI standard LRP - or my Mauser .375 H&H with DST - same load.

The Mauser has never failed me on any hunt, with any animal hunted, and has made much, much meat.

Terry

My favorite hunting "area" is the state of Montana, where I live. I've been lucky enough to hunt some really great deer places from Old Mexico to Canada, but my biggest mule deer and whitetail were killed here, though about 400 miles apart. Either would qualify as the buck of a lifetime.

The mule deer was taken with a .280 Remington and a 160-grain Nosler Partition at 2950 fps, and the whitetail with a .257 Roberts Ackley Improved with a 115-grain Nosler Partition at 3050 fps.

Averaging both, my ideal load would be a 140-grain .270 bullet at 3000 fps. Both rifles were bolt-actions weighing around 7 pounds with scope, full magazine and sling. Obviously that would work--though the mule deer was taken at around 200 yards, and the whitetail around 85. Both dropped right there, due to being shot through the shoulders and spine.

.243 pushing a 95 grain nosler BT
anything more is overkill, one deer dies as easily as the last. none of em are made of iron

I think I've already killed my whitetail and mule deer of a lifetime but you never know.

Both were killed with a 270 Winchester and 130 NPT. Aiming was done with a 4X Leupold.

Well, my buck of a lifetime is still roaming the woods. On that day, maybe I'll be carrying my .280 Rem loaded with 150 grain Partitions fueled by 58.5 grains of H4831. But I won't be skeered if I'm toting my Montana 7-08 loaded with Hornady 154 grain round nosers...or my 7x57, etc, etc.

For me....anything chambered in 300 Savage using 180 grain Rem Corelokts. Preferably a Savage 99 EG or my Savage 20. Neither had failed me yet.

I hope it's not my biggest deer in northern New Hampshire. Dressed a 203 and the damage was done with model 70 featherweight classic in 308 with 150gr.

Remington 700 Mountain Rifle .260 Remington
3-9x40 Vari-X II
129gr Hornady Interlock PSP
47.8grs H4831

My buck of a lifetime - so far - was a 154" gross score 10 pointer taken at about 35 yards using 120 gr Nosler BT at about 3120 fps from a 284 win model 70. My wife shoots the 120 gr TTSX at about 3180 fps or so out of her Rem 700 7-08ai, and she has taken a couple of 130 class wall hangers over the last 3 seasons, one at 45 yds, one at 194 yds. I wouldn't hesitate to use either load on any deer in NA.

I've killed my two biggest bucks with a M88 in 308 WIN, but if I was planning a trip for the buck of a lifetime I would take my M70FW 270 WIN and a 130 grain Interlock handload.

if i could choose i would use my m77 in a 300 mag and 165gr gamekings, but my biggest buck to date(11pt)scored 151 and change was taken with my 30-30 using 150gr corelokts.

I killed my buck of a lifetime with a Howa 30.06 with 150 grain cor-lokts at 40 yrds. He went straight down.



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The one in my hand at the time. I don't deer hunt with one that won't kill deer. It would probably be a M7600 30-06 w/165gr bullets. That's been in my hands more than any of the rest I have.

It sure would be nice to see a pic of those deer, MD.

If I could pick the rifle for such a shot it would be my .280 Ackley Improved with the 120 grain Nosler BT at around 3,325 fps. That load is pure poison on whitetails near or far.

Second choice would be the Tikka T3 in .243 with the 95 grain NoslerBT at just over 2,950 fps.

But thus far my biggest buck was taken with a .30/06 and the 155 grain Hornady AMAX that left the barrel at around 2,850 fps.

Savage 110L in .25-06 shooting a 117 Hornady sp. Bang flop at 100 yds.

Archery equipment.

Something about killing big bucks with a bow really ramps me up......

.264 Win Mag with 125gr partitions at 3300fps. That combo still hold the world record mule deer and I have used it out to 545 yards so I know it works. reflex264

264 Win Mag with 140 AMAXs or 260 with 123s.

End result will be the same.

I hear good things.

Good heavens! I must have missed this one Scott, details please.

NOT the gun!

HBB and SKane, very nice bucks.

In my hunting area, the shot would more than likely be 150 yds or less so my 7mm-08 with 154 RN's. If for some reason, I had to stretch it out, still my 7mm-08 with a 140 Partition or 154 Spire PT.

I would not feel bad if I had my 280 shooting 160 partitions in my hands but the more I use it, the more I love the 7-08

TZone and SKane, here in New England and the Norteast, I know a few "bucks of a lifetime" have been shot with a 760/7600 in 30-06, though many up here use the 180 gr bullet

Scott great buck!

This year?

Muzzleloader will do fine, and in the past a 30-30.

A deer of a lifetime doesn't die any harder.

I know it probably won't be what I choose, IE will be the gun in my hands at the time....

But if I knew that I was going to have the chance, IE a trophy hunt, then it would be nothing less than a 300 mag of any flavor, and a 168 plus grain ttsx bullet. Very possibly ranging up to any mag flavor of 338 and up to a 225 ttsx bullet.

You get all the penetration for any angle shot on any deer with the above and they are flat enough to deal with on long shots, buck the wind which is more important and just flat get it done.

The only reason its going to be different than what i normally carry is that I want to be able to safely take ANY shot distance or angle that I might have to. They don't die any harder is somewhat true, but with what I often carry there are some limits to shots I"ll take.

Deer are easy to kill IMO. My 7-08 and 7mags usually kill with 140-160 partitions or accubonds. I did kill my buck of a lifetime, a 213" typical muley with an interlokt though.

Hunting the northeast for deer, 358 win shooting 200gr hornady's, killed my biggest buck to date less than a week ago with that load. If I was going where the shooting was longer I'd be bringing my 308 loaded with 165 partitions. Both guns are savage 99's C, not a classic but love the clip feed.

MM

I'm not a trophy hunter, but I have a question for those who are.

If you kill what you really think is a deer of a lifetime. What then? What's your goal? If you think you could do better, than it wasn't a deer of a lifetime.

Just wondering.

Sako II in 308 Winchester.

Leupold 2x7 of some fashion.

That one Skane posted up would satisfy any itch I ever got for trophy horns. That being said I've found as I get older I care less about the size of the horns and more about the quality of the hunt. Shot the biggest buck of my life last week, all I was doing was standing next to a tree and he walked up. I'm thankful, but I really like still hunting and bringing the hunt to them, my hunt of a lifetime would be in the adirondaks hunting a big buck and connecting on a mature buck that I tracked down and killed, I don't think the size of the horns would mean much to me at that point. And yes the 358win is going with me on that one.

MM

I was trying to think like a trophy hunter. If I was one I don't think I could ever admit I got the deer of a lifetime. I would always think I could get one better. So, any deer I shot would just be another deer no matter how good it was.

If I was going on a trip to hopefully kill my buck of a lifetime, I'd have to take my T/C Venture in 6.5x284 win. 129gr Hornady at 3000fps would really mess up any deers' day at any range I care to shoot.

Lots of good alternatives. But my current favorite is a 257Bob with 120gr Speer Deep Curls at 2950.

250 savage.

Would be my second choice.

Same here. So I'd want the one that would look coolest in the photos. Just kidding, it'd be the one I'm most confident with, as far as shot placement.

I am just now reading this thread and this IS WHAT I WAS GOING TO POST.

If I don't have confidence in a rifle/cartridge for where I'm hunting---I will NOT carry it. I have morin one capable of whatever - wherever I'm hunting.

From 6mm Rem, 270 W, 06, 7 RM, 300 WM, & 8 RM wherever is covered.

Mauser - I'm not being smart but there are more than one that qualify as bucks of a lifetime.

Just because I (might) kill a 180 class--I'M NOT quiting.

My two biggest have been with my least favorite weapon--primitive season muzzleloader.

If it had to be for any deer anywhere at any time--my 30-06 with 130 TTSX pushed as fast as feasible. I like what it does for penetration, and it leaves a big enough hole that lung shots are no problem.

For my home turf, my 243 has been getting it done just fine with most any bullet of 80 grains and up. Since I shoot it more accurately, it probably would actually be my best bet.

KMM and Scott:

Great Bucks guys congrats.


A .308W in my hands would please me as far as the original question. 150gr NBT.

Vanguard 30-06 loaded with Hornady interlocks.

MH: They don't all have to be monsters to be fun... so you keep hunting and shooting bucks and let the Big One's just fall into place.

My personal philosophy on killing big deer is ...don't dawdle,kill based on frame,and shoot a lot of them.

I can kill a huge one, I"ll mount it to pay it respect, but I always shoot does and culls since we love the meat.

In fact not counting culls and does, i often go years between shooting a buck, and its becoming harder and harder now too, since I typically try to shoot only 6.5 year old bucks and larger than the last.

At some point I"m sure I'll never kill a mature buck again in my life. Might be closer than I think.

But does and culls...every year since I eat...

It just so happens that the biggest whitetail that I ever killed was taken with a .30-06 and a 150-grain Partition, because that was the only big game rifle I had back then. The biggest mule deer was taken with a .243 Winchester and a 95-grain Ballistic Tip, because that was about all the recoil that I could stand at the time (broken hand). Like Bob, I just try to shoot the best one that I think that I am likely to see each year.

I've never been of the opinion, and this is OT, that I have to shoot the best deer I see each year. Contrary I assume I"ll shoot a mature buck about once every 5 years.

But then I have the extra bonus of does and culls for the meat.

But if I didn't, I"d probably shoot the youngest/smallest buck I could each year assuming I didn't see the "one"

Jeff I have been on hunts where I went hardcore and passed everything....this creates a big dilemma because I love the meat!

Nobody has mentioned my gun/load yet! My Beretta 390 with a rifled barrel and 2 3/4" Federal Premium Barnes Expander Slugs.

To answer the questions, just because you shoot what you may consider the buck of a lifetime, doesnt mean that you dont enjoy shooting other ones, small or large. I would really enjoy shooting a huge buck, that doesnt mean I dont enjoy shooting large bucks, or does or whatever. If the folks that are meat hunters can enjoy shooting all deer, so can the folks that enjoy shooting mature bucks. Also, the "Deer of a Lifetime" isnt always measured by inches. My current DOAL isnt the biggest I have shot, but was a really fun deer to shoot that was pretty big.

I believe DOAL is defined only by ourselves.

Hmmm...

I've killed two huge bodied deer. I have looked at one through the scope at about fifty yards that was smaller but had much bigger horns. I doubt I will ever shoot another "big" deer, whether it's a huge body or big horns. I like eating young deer too much. I won't even shoot a doe old enough to have twins anymore. It's a yearling doe, a two year old with a single fawn or a fawn for my table. I am fortunate enough to be able to pick and choose, and I have looked at deer for more than an hour before I decided they'd be good eating.

I shot a 200lb+ doe this year with a .223 and a couple weeks later I shot the biggest fawn I ever killed with the same .223 rifle but a different load.

I think I'd be as happy with whatever rifle I was carrying as I would given my choice of what's in the safe when a buck with big enough horns to tempt me into shooting one more big one showed up. Whatever I shoot is always enough to kill a deer at the maximum range I might have to shoot. I don't believe that bigger deer need more killing to be dead. I only shoot Barnes bullets at deer, so penetration at whatever angle I might need is not a question for me.

A 7-08 with 120 ttsx and varget took my best 198 7/8"

Bob thats what spikes, culls and does are for. I was always amazed while guiding, that folks thumbed their noses at them...

Well my chance came last season on what I suspect will be my deer of a lifetime. I got him on a after work 1 hr. quickie hunt. I had grabbed my 308 Stevens 200 equipped with a Nikon 4x UCC scope. Worked like a charm, one 150gr PowerPoint thru the boiler room and I had my deer of a lifetime.

Holy mackerel what a hog!!

beautiful buck,what a hog !!! ,what did he weigh ?

I'm certainly not a trophy hunter and shoot a lot of does and occasionally a small buck to eat. With that said, I do like looking for a nice buck. I was fortunate to kill the biggest buck I have ever seen this fall. Lots of people have told me I will never kill a bigger one. That would be fine, but I just can't bring myself to call it the "buck of a lifetime." I told one friend that it may be but the beautiful thing about deer hunting is that I don't have to retire. I'll just start looking for the next one.

However, this was about what I would shoot . . . as many have said, I'd be happy with whatever I had in my hands. For the buck I killed this year, however, I used a Ruger 77 in .30/06 with a Leupold 2.5-8x scope. I was shooting 150 grain Barnes TTSX ammo. That was my go to rifle for many years because it was all I had. I thought it was fitting I got my nicest buck with it. I suppose if I knew I was going to be presented with a shot at another big one I would probably take the same rifle simply because I have so much confidence in it.

Good God what a BEAST!

My biggest Buck. 270 Win. 58gr.H4831sc 140 gr. Accubond, 110 yds, never knew what hit him.

I killed my best buck to date this year with a .270win shooting 130gr. Power Points. I may get a bigger deer down the road but I doubt I'll ever kill another like this one.

Heck of a whitetail! Glad that you honored him by dispatching him with your faithful .270.

That looks like a whitetail-fallow cross. Is there such a thing?

Nope. Melanistic color phase.

Only thing missing is the saddle! Man, I love that buck.

justin,
What a cool looking deer!

SchaZAM!!

Something about only getting one chance really gets me fired up. The .50 cal wins this one.

who said one chance?

That's a dandy!

Been awhile since I seen that pic. Thanks for posting again.

Would like someday to even come close to tagging a couple like that and who knows. One thing for sure is you have to go where they have a chance to grow and reach that size or you will be looking for something that doesn't exist.

All that being said, a well done hunt that results in a Deer has always been enough to satisfy me. The Doe I shot in Pa this year I may have passed on a couple times.
We had more than a few, a couple days pre and post bad weather they were out grazing and most every evening I saw between 10 and 20 doing so. Didn't shoot because I figured sooner or later a Buck would join the party. One did, but it was late and too far with that constriction.

Finally bounced three of their beds on the last afternoon in an area I know they hole up in during nasty weather and got close to get a shot. I will always remember it as a trophy hunt.

And from the posts and the variety of equipment used, it shows what you use has little to do with success.
_____________________

Best of both WT and Mule Deer were killed with my 7mm Rem Mag the gun I hunt the most with, so that'd likely be my pick unless I had the .30-06 with that day. Wouldn't feel handicapped with either.

This thread needs more mule deer pics......

Laffin'....Tis a shame you don't have any, Pat.

Got any?

Thinkin' back ... the three biggest bucks of my life SO FAR ...

1) Rem Seven in 7mm-08, 140 grain partition.

2) Marlin .45-70, 400 grain Speer

3) TC custom shop Renegade, .58 with a .570 patched round ball and 120 grains of Goex FFg.

If I thought it likely I'd get an even bigger one, I'd want to do it with some panache ... so Ruger single action .44 or a .257 Roberts.

Tom

Louie what a beauty that one is. Love those tall tines. Great deer brother!

Rick dressed he was 331

Skane and Pat agreed more muleys would be a good thing. Its been a while since I've been after them but they were the first animal I ever traveled for . Montucky circa 1989

Skane I'm kinda jealous of that one you have with the monster club up top. That ones got some serious wall appeal.

My "deer of a lifetime" isn't huge by any means, but it's the first one I ever killed, using a Rem Model 7 6mm, with an 85 gr Speer boattail

7600 carbine in whelen with 200gr corelokts.

A friend used to use a Whelen with 200 gr Hornadys. From the deer I saw him shoot with it , I'd say it was a great choice. That load was devastating.

what is a deer of a lifetime??? most deer of a lifetime stories are about the ones that got away due to a stupid badly placed shot.they are the ones that will keep you awake at night.these days with everyone feeding deer and tryin to grow bigger deer there is always a bigger one out there it seems.i try to kill the biggest deer that i've seen in my hunting area,some years i do some years i don't. i enjoy eveything from shooting practice to time in the stand to the kill and yes even the butchering of animals.the whole thing makes them all deer of a lifetime.

my tikka t3 lite in 270win,hornady 140spbt.

Well said. We rifle hunt for quality bucks that we are proud to put on the wall. Our standards aren't quite as high for bow hunting. We also love the meat and most years will get a doe late in the season if we haven't had an opportunity on a buck. Hope has been most successful here lately with one buck a year for the past 3 seasons. Two with a rifle, 7-08ai shooting 120 gr TTSX at 3180ish fps, and one with a bow.

2013, 194 yds, 7-08ai, 120 gr TTSX


2011, 40 yds, 7-08ai, 120 gr TTSX


2012, Bear Homewrecker, Muzzy MX-3, at 20 yds


Here's my one contribution recently:
2012, 284 win Model 70, 120 gr NBT, 3120 fps, 35 yds

Remington 760 in 30-06 with 165gr Hornady SP handload
Ruger M77 MK II in 308 with 150gr Hornady SP handload

This is a hard question to answer for me as I hunt such a wide variety of terrain. I killed my largest to date with a 45-70 handi rifle that I have not had out of the safe since 2009.
I have killed more deer with a 300wm Browning BAR than any other gun.
If I leave the house today;
If I plan to shoot less than 300 yards my 25-06ai is what I take, it is a custom Sako AV topped with a meopta 4-12x50 shooting 110 accubombs at 3410fps.
Beanfield hunting that could exceed 300 yrds gets my rem sendero 7rm out. It is topped with a swarovski 5-25x52. I shoot 150 nbt over imr4350 for 3100fps.
I got a nice 10pt yesterday with it at 423 yrds

I'll take damn near anything so long as it's slinging good bullets.

If I was going on the hunt of a lifetime or knew the buck of a lifetime was going to show up on a certain day, I would definitely have my custom Pre-64 257Wby in my hands. Got a Conquest 4.5-14x50 with target turrets up top, slinging 100gr TTSX's.

A Savage model 99 in .250 or .300 Savage. Just depends on which one I'm carrying that day.

this

So far I've had 2 instances where I had The-Big-One come in on the Opener, well before sunrise. In each case, I've had my Savage 99 in 308 WIN in hand.

If the next Deer-of-a-lifetime comes in, I'll probably be holding the '99.






The load? I download the 308 WIN to 300 Savage levels. I use H4895 under a 165 grain Hornady Interlok SP.

Shaman, I believe I've killed deer with that exact gun, in those same overalls, kind of funny. I mean not the exact some ones, I have my own pair.

MM

LOL

A few years ago we were talking about how somebody was trying to sell their B&C mount for $10K. At the time, I'd just gotten that big boy back from the Taxi, so I made the offer that if someone wanted to give me $10K, I'd throw in not only the mount and the rifle, but I'd throw in the S10 that dragged him out, and I'd even let them rent the family for a while so they could back the buyer up on how he'd taken the monster.

I think I still have the pics. Let me dig a bit. . .

(dig, dig, dig . . )





Sadly, I had no takers.

BTW: I found some bibs at Wing Supply the other day that are close to those. They're a different pattern, but they're Walls. It's been close to 10 years since I've found good cheap 3X bibs. The ones you see in the picture were the last pair I found. I'm still wearing them too.

Good question, thankfully I"m picky about my shots, and I"ve passed a couple bigger than anything I have. Rather than risk a bad shot. Glad I do it that way. There are a couple I can still see at times though...

As to what it means, it means just that to me, the best deer I will ever kill. Not the best that year or so on. I only kill mature bucks or cull bucks these days. So I don't always get to shoot a mature buck each year. Sometimes not for 4-5 or more years. No big deal. I still think the young culls and does eat better anyway.
Especially after cutting up a 6.5 year old buck that had been aging for 2 weeks yesterdya... meat was still tough and smelled....

My favorite for deer is my Ruger M77 Hawkeye 358 Win using a 225 grain NP's over a near max load of Ramshot TAC. I wouldn't hesitate to use it out to 250+ yards and it shines as a woods gun as well. It's been on an unsuccessful elk hunt as well and will go again.

Obviously, it would be the very gun that I'd chosen to take on that particular hunt. Otherwise, why would I be there if I wasn't packing a gun that was anything other than adequate for whatever ethical/legal situation that arose?

White model 91 .451 With a little bit of powder and a huge hunk of soft lead.

1st gen 700 Ti .260 Rem, 2x8 VX3 leupold.
That's all I need and all I have been using for the past 7 years.
Edit to add, hand load with 120 gr. Barnes TSX 's

Pre-64 model 70 FWT, .308, 165 gr. partitions over RL-15.

Custom Remington ADL 700 in .280 Remington.

Cooper .280 Rem with 150 gr. Partitions.

Nice Deer Rifle, Grunt.

My old 700 BDL 270 Winchester loaded with 150 gr. speer hot cor bullets.

Ruger 308, Federal P308TT4 165s.
Ruger 257 Roberts, Nosler 110 Accubond.

Either would work for me.

My 700 Mtn in 7x57mm shooting the 120g X bullet. More deer with that rifle then any other I own.

More DRT then ALL my other rifles combined.

If it is going to be a once in a life time and I can plan for it ahead, I just have to go with what I know will work and has the proven record of doing so.

You always shoot best with the rifle you know best and always shoot well.

What I used two days ago to kill my buck of a lifetime.

264 Win Mag pushing 120 gr Bal Tips going 3200 fps.

I killed this one below at 180 yards. Crushed shoulder and took off the top third of the heart.

Gun. Pre-64 Model 70 Winchester. 26 inch barrel. The Westerner.

I knew this buck was around, hence why this gun got the nod. Last five shots (before this buck) went into a 3 inch spotter, at 300 yards.

Its a laser and hell of a gun for a sporting rifle. For you guys that know me, know that I have fired and owned a ton of guns. This one is really special. If I ever lost this Westerner, I would be looking for another the next day.

RAS, That's a beautiful buck,Congratulations!

Biggest mule deer fell to 130gr NPT from a .270win.

VERY nice buck.

What did he score?

DF

I have never been let down with my 270 win and any decent 130gr bullet though I'm partial to the NPT

For WT's and not knowing how far, I'd take my 6.5-284 Pre-64 with 26" Krieger, wearing a Z5 3.5-18x44 BT. It will shoot half MOA to 400 and almost that good to 600, the Outdoorsmans turret calibrated for the 140 gr. VLD load at 3,000 fps ahead of 48.8 gr. RL-17.

Lots of confidence, sitting in a box blind with that gun...

DF







M-70 blueprinted with Borden's Bumps and Jewell trigger.

Doubt many have seen Borden's Bumps on a pre-64 M-70.

22LR between the two shiny things lol just kidding

Jokeing aside id hopefully have my Ruger m77 300 winmag shooting 150gr softpoints.

same biggest 10 point of my lifetime with a 223 loaded with Barnes 62 grain TSX ran 25 or so yards. The next biggest a 12 point was with a 308 150 grain corelocks, this one ran close to 100 yards!

I killed a 11 pt. Buck that field dressed
weighed 200 lbs. even.
I happened to be using a Howa 1500 7mm
Remington Magnum firing 160 grain Nosler Partitions?
He collapsed at the shot. He was only 80 yards away.
I think that would work on anything except the Big Five and I won't be going to Africa again unless I marry another travel agent.

7mm-08 Savage bolt action with 120 BT and varget going 3050,,,,,

7x57AI loaded w/140gr BT's at 3050fps. Have killed all of my trophy deer w/it. Brown stock, Jewell trigger, Douglas XX barrel at 22in, and 3-12x42 Klassic S&B. powdr