3 shots, 3 kills

[7mmfan]

I started this season with a fair amount of work put into developing a new load for my rifle. By mid-September, I had it as dialed as could possibly be. The most accurate round I’ve ever worked up for that particular rifle. I entered the season with complete confidence in my weapon.

My first hunt was in Idaho. I arrived on October 14, the day before the elk opener. My group and I spiked out several miles into a big basin with high hopes of finding deer and elk in the area. Opening morning, Thursday the 15th, under a snowy sky, I loaded four shells into my rifle. Day one should have been a day of plenty for me, but I passed on animals I should not have and made poor decisions while pursuing others. I ended the day without firing a shot. Two others in our group shot bucks that day though.

Day 2 I was fortunate enough to make one well placed shot at 272 yards on an average 4-point buck. My uncle was also able to make a good shot on a buck that day, filling out the groups four deer tags in 2 days.

While packing out on day 3, I spotted a herd of elk below the trail. WAY below the trail. I made a good stalk on the herd that had 4 bulls and a spike in it. When I got to my shooting position, 220 yards out, I could only see the spike bedded facing away from me. The bulls had bedded down in the patch of timber just up from him and I could not see them, and I was out of options for moving around. After about 20 minutes laying there, the wind began to swirl, and I was nervous the whole group would wind me and be gone without a shot opportunity. I decided in that moment that 150# of spike elk meat was better than watching antlers run off through the trees, so I got settled in, and took aim at the only vital area I had. With the rifle on my bipod, and the butt of the stock on my binoculars, I had a rock solid rest and the crosshairs sat unwavering at the base of spikes head, right where it meets the neck. I squeezed through the trigger break, and when the scope dropped back onto the animal after the shot, the only thing different was that his head was now laying on the ground in front of him.
 
The rest of that day, and the following day were spent getting all of our meat out to the truck. In that time, I thought how nice it would be to round out my season at home with a blacktail, using just the 2 shells that remained in my rifle. Obviously, I did not drive around for 2 weeks with shells in my rifle, but I kept those two shells separate.

Finally, yesterday, a friend and I hiked into a series of good clear cuts and hunted all day, seeing no animals, and very little sign. As evening approached, I was losing confidence that we would see anything that day. While still hunting up the edge of a clear cut, I saw a doe get up about 100 yards out and move into the timber. I had a sense that she wasn’t alone, and I know that blacktail bucks will often stay put to let the threat walk by rather than exposing themselves. I decided that I was going to find that buck and shoot him.

Over the next 10-15 minutes, I moved ever so slowly. A couple of feet at a time. I’d spend the next full minute or two, glassing ahead near where the doe had been. Picking each stump, bush and tree apart looking for any sign of a deer. I took 2 more steps, pulled my binos up and started scanning again. Finally, I’d moved far enough to the right, and there he was. I could see his white face and ears partially screened behind a small fir tree, staring right at me. I could tell that he was a small buck, antlers sticking straight up in the air. Either a spike or forkie. I had told myself I wasn’t going to shoot a small buck as I had lots of meat in the freezer already, but this was a fun hunt, and it felt right. The only shot I had was at his neck, so I settled in and got my rifle on my shooting sticks. The buck’s confidence in his camouflage was his downfall, as he sat there and stared at me from 70 yards away. I took careful aim at his throat patch and squeezed through the trigger break for the third time this year. At the shot, he disappeared. I ripped out my ear plugs, and pulled up my binos, looking and listening for any sign of a fleeing animal. Silence was what I was greeted with. I took a straight-line course to where he had been and found him laying right where he’d been standing. The bullet had found its mark, slightly off, but lethal none the less.

I pulled the bullets from my rifle, handling the one leftover shell for the season. 3 shots, 3 kills. My friend and I worked up the buck, skinning him out fully to get the hide tanned, split the load, and hit the trail out to the truck. We had a great nonstop conversation while walking under the nearly full moon. It was a great way to end the season.

[h20hunter]

Outstanding

[7mmfan]

Outstanding

Hey you helped with the range day early on and some of your reloading equipment, so thank you H2O!

[h20hunter]

That rifle owed you big time for your patience.

[ShaneTyTrey]

Congrats!

[pianoman9701]

I'm glad you had an amazing season. Congratulations. 

[shootem]

What a great year. Congrats!

[Dan-o]

ery cool.

Great write up.

[Skillet]

Helluva year 7mmfan!  Thanks for sharing

 

[kukusya]

That’s awesome! Congrats!!!

[blackveltbowhunter]

Awesome shooting and season!

[jdb]

Tell us about the rifle and load

[Karl Blanchard]

high fives!

[RB]

Right on!

[Stein]

Beautiful season for sure!