I filled my 2nd firearm season tag today. Did it with my .50 GPR again. :thumbsup: It's been 4 years now since the CF shotgun saw a deer season. Still have 2 ML tags that kick in in 2 weeks. :grin:
With the small doe I shot Friday in the freezer, I was concentrating on trying for a decent buck. Saw a few yesterday, but passed on 'em hoping for a bigger one.
This morning all I saw were a few does until about a quarter 'til eleven. A doe and a dink walked down the hill toward me and the little one came right in front of me. Maybe 8 feet! Mom went on down the hill and the bambi was calling to her. It was cool. :thumbsup:
About then, I glanced across the ravine and saw a decent sized buck working over some brush. He was about 50-60 yards out and down toward the bottom, quartering away. I had a clear shot and the .50 boomed. That buck fell in his tracks! Hammered him!
All I could see of him was his antlers poking out of the weeds. They were twitching a little as I quickly re-loaded. Then the buck flopped and slid about 20 feet down the hillside. I aimed at him for a finishing shot but he laid there still. I figgered he was done.
Just as I lowered the rifle he flopped again and slid further down the hill. He was only pushing with his hind legs. His head and front legs weren't working.
Then he tried to get up and fell the rest of the way down the hill and into the creekbed where I couldn't see. I sat down and waited for 15-20 minutes to let him finish before I went to check on him.
Well when I got down to the bottom he was GONE! Holy smokes! That deer was hit HARD! He was DEAD! There was a flattened path coming down where he slid, a red stripe right down the middle. But the buck was gone. I couldn't believe he walked away! :shocked2:
There were thousands of tracks down in that creek bed coming and going every direction. I knew he had to have followed the creek or I would have seen him. Finally I was able to find a few drops of blood and figure out which direction he went. No more blood until I hit the fenceline, there were 2 more drops going into the neighbors place.
I called Dale and asked permission to tresspass and he came out to help me look. We looked all over for a 100 yards and found nothing! Dales dad was out hunting farther down the creek so we had to call it quits. No sign anyway.
I thanked Dale for helping me look and wished him luck for the evening hunt, then went back to where I was hunting. There was about 2 hours of shooting light left so I sat down and tried to figger what happened to my buck.
About 10 minutes 'til quittin' time I heard a shot from the neighbors. I hoped he shot my wounded buck. I still can't believe he wasn't there.
Back at the truck I get a phone call. It's Dale. His dad just called him. He took a shot at a yearling and thought he'd missed but went to check for blood anyway. When he got to where that deer was standing he looked over and saw a patch of white. It was my deer! WOO-HOO! :grin:
He turned out to be a bit bigger than I first thought. 10 points. 4 on the left, 6 on the right counting the split browtine. Plenty heavy draggin' too. :grin:
That Houdini buck went almost to the other side of the neighbors farm before he fell over! I'm still amazed he ever got up at all. The ball hit him a little high on the left. I'm thinkin' it musta knicked the spine??? hit one lung and broke a rib on the offside. I believe the ball is in his right front shoulder. I'll try and find it.
75grains Goex2F, PRB
With the small doe I shot Friday in the freezer, I was concentrating on trying for a decent buck. Saw a few yesterday, but passed on 'em hoping for a bigger one.
This morning all I saw were a few does until about a quarter 'til eleven. A doe and a dink walked down the hill toward me and the little one came right in front of me. Maybe 8 feet! Mom went on down the hill and the bambi was calling to her. It was cool. :thumbsup:
About then, I glanced across the ravine and saw a decent sized buck working over some brush. He was about 50-60 yards out and down toward the bottom, quartering away. I had a clear shot and the .50 boomed. That buck fell in his tracks! Hammered him!
All I could see of him was his antlers poking out of the weeds. They were twitching a little as I quickly re-loaded. Then the buck flopped and slid about 20 feet down the hillside. I aimed at him for a finishing shot but he laid there still. I figgered he was done.
Just as I lowered the rifle he flopped again and slid further down the hill. He was only pushing with his hind legs. His head and front legs weren't working.
Then he tried to get up and fell the rest of the way down the hill and into the creekbed where I couldn't see. I sat down and waited for 15-20 minutes to let him finish before I went to check on him.
Well when I got down to the bottom he was GONE! Holy smokes! That deer was hit HARD! He was DEAD! There was a flattened path coming down where he slid, a red stripe right down the middle. But the buck was gone. I couldn't believe he walked away! :shocked2:
There were thousands of tracks down in that creek bed coming and going every direction. I knew he had to have followed the creek or I would have seen him. Finally I was able to find a few drops of blood and figure out which direction he went. No more blood until I hit the fenceline, there were 2 more drops going into the neighbors place.
I called Dale and asked permission to tresspass and he came out to help me look. We looked all over for a 100 yards and found nothing! Dales dad was out hunting farther down the creek so we had to call it quits. No sign anyway.
I thanked Dale for helping me look and wished him luck for the evening hunt, then went back to where I was hunting. There was about 2 hours of shooting light left so I sat down and tried to figger what happened to my buck.
About 10 minutes 'til quittin' time I heard a shot from the neighbors. I hoped he shot my wounded buck. I still can't believe he wasn't there.
Back at the truck I get a phone call. It's Dale. His dad just called him. He took a shot at a yearling and thought he'd missed but went to check for blood anyway. When he got to where that deer was standing he looked over and saw a patch of white. It was my deer! WOO-HOO! :grin:
He turned out to be a bit bigger than I first thought. 10 points. 4 on the left, 6 on the right counting the split browtine. Plenty heavy draggin' too. :grin:
That Houdini buck went almost to the other side of the neighbors farm before he fell over! I'm still amazed he ever got up at all. The ball hit him a little high on the left. I'm thinkin' it musta knicked the spine??? hit one lung and broke a rib on the offside. I believe the ball is in his right front shoulder. I'll try and find it.
75grains Goex2F, PRB
