Post by: 7mmfan on October 31, 2020, 12:13:48 PM
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.
Post by: h20hunter on October 31, 2020, 12:17:39 PM
Post by: 7mmfan on October 31, 2020, 12:22:35 PM
Outstanding
Hey you helped with the range day early on and some of your reloading equipment, so thank you H2O!
Post by: h20hunter on October 31, 2020, 12:24:27 PM
Post by: ShaneTyTrey on October 31, 2020, 12:26:28 PM
Post by: pianoman9701 on October 31, 2020, 12:28:18 PM
Post by: shootem on October 31, 2020, 01:06:08 PM
Post by: Dan-o on October 31, 2020, 02:25:05 PM
Great write up.
Post by: Skillet on October 31, 2020, 03:03:10 PM
:tup:
Post by: kukusya on October 31, 2020, 04:26:36 PM
Post by: blackveltbowhunter on October 31, 2020, 04:27:24 PM
Post by: jdb on October 31, 2020, 06:56:02 PM
Post by: Karl Blanchard on October 31, 2020, 08:17:04 PM
Post by: RB on October 31, 2020, 08:23:10 PM
Post by: Stein on October 31, 2020, 08:27:11 PM
Post by: dvolmer on October 31, 2020, 08:43:55 PM
Post by: Lucky1 on October 31, 2020, 09:07:28 PM
Post by: cbond3318 on October 31, 2020, 09:18:57 PM
Post by: fishnfur on October 31, 2020, 10:04:51 PM
Post by: 7mmfan on October 31, 2020, 10:23:13 PM
Tell us about the rifle and load
Rifle: 20 year old Ruger M77 MKII Stainless 7mm Rem Mag
Load: 63 gr IMR 4831, Barnes 145RX. .75 MOA groups consistently.
Here is the last group I shot at 400 yards before the season.
Post by: 7mmfan on October 31, 2020, 10:28:12 PM
Really cool. What you gonna kill with the other bullet?
Going to keep it separate for a bit. See if maybe I can find an end of season bear. If I can't, I'll probably go do some long range shooting at tiny objects and see if i can hit them. I have a little 1 qt milk jug dubbed the. "Money jug". Itnwould be a good 500 yard target.
Post by: fishngamereaper on November 01, 2020, 06:29:04 AM
I would save that bullet. It's earned it's place as the 4th round in your rifle for the rest of it's life. Who knows, maybe it's lucky.
Post by: Gonehuntin01 on November 02, 2020, 08:04:14 AM
Post by: The Fin on November 03, 2020, 10:30:28 AM
Post by: bracer40 on November 03, 2020, 10:37:32 AM
Post by: 2MANY on November 03, 2020, 01:39:30 PM
Glad you found success!!!!
Post by: ctwiggs1 on November 03, 2020, 01:48:41 PM
Post by: 7mmfan on November 03, 2020, 02:55:04 PM
Great job man. You're little dude is going to be eating top notch meat for another year. Congrats! :tup: :tup:
May have to give the little booger up for adoption, he seems to be on a meat protest lately :yike: :chuckle: . Made a blade roast last night that was to die for, wouldn't touch it. Wouldn't touch the elk tenderloins last week either. Not sure he's even mine at this point. :dunno:
Post by: ctwiggs1 on November 03, 2020, 03:28:32 PM
Great job man. You're little dude is going to be eating top notch meat for another year. Congrats! :tup: :tup:
May have to give the little booger up for adoption, he seems to be on a meat protest lately :yike: :chuckle: . Made a blade roast last night that was to die for, wouldn't touch it. Wouldn't touch the elk tenderloins last week either. Not sure he's even mine at this point. :dunno:
Pfff they change their minds like the wind changes direction. My kids have gone from wanting to hunt swans (gotta rein that one in) to never wanting to hunt because it hurts animals to their favorite dinner is meat.
Post by: OutHouse on November 03, 2020, 04:37:24 PM
Post by: 7mmfan on November 03, 2020, 05:06:35 PM
Great job man. You're little dude is going to be eating top notch meat for another year. Congrats! :tup: :tup:
May have to give the little booger up for adoption, he seems to be on a meat protest lately :yike: :chuckle: . Made a blade roast last night that was to die for, wouldn't touch it. Wouldn't touch the elk tenderloins last week either. Not sure he's even mine at this point. :dunno:
Pfff they change their minds like the wind changes direction. My kids have gone from wanting to hunt swans (gotta rein that one in) to never wanting to hunt because it hurts animals to their favorite dinner is meat.
You're telling me. We went hunting Sunday for a bit and he was upset we didn't shoot anything. Then was sad an elk got killed on the hunting show we watched today. He's 3, that pretty much explains it.
Post by: 2MANY on November 03, 2020, 06:49:01 PM
Post by: 7mmfan on November 03, 2020, 08:31:10 PM
3 shots, 3 kills, 3 year old.
Nailed it