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Author Topic: 3 shots, 3 kills  (Read 5890 times)

Offline 7mmfan

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3 shots, 3 kills
« on: October 31, 2020, 12:13:48 PM »
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.
I hunt, therefore I am.... I fish, therefore I lie.

Offline h20hunter

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #1 on: October 31, 2020, 12:17:39 PM »
Outstanding

Offline 7mmfan

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #2 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!
I hunt, therefore I am.... I fish, therefore I lie.

Offline h20hunter

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #3 on: October 31, 2020, 12:24:27 PM »
That rifle owed you big time for your patience.

Offline ShaneTyTrey

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #4 on: October 31, 2020, 12:26:28 PM »
Congrats!

Online pianoman9701

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #5 on: October 31, 2020, 12:28:18 PM »
I'm glad you had an amazing season. Congratulations.  :tup:
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Offline shootem

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #6 on: October 31, 2020, 01:06:08 PM »
What a great year. Congrats!

Offline Dan-o

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #7 on: October 31, 2020, 02:25:05 PM »
ery cool.

Great write up.
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I wonder how many people will touch their nose to their screen trying to read this...

Offline Skillet

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #8 on: October 31, 2020, 03:03:10 PM »
Helluva year 7mmfan!  Thanks for sharing

 :tup:
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Offline kukusya

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #9 on: October 31, 2020, 04:26:36 PM »
That’s awesome! Congrats!!!

Offline blackveltbowhunter

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #10 on: October 31, 2020, 04:27:24 PM »
Awesome shooting and season!

Offline jdb

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #11 on: October 31, 2020, 06:56:02 PM »
Tell us about the rifle and load
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Offline Karl Blanchard

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #12 on: October 31, 2020, 08:17:04 PM »
high fives!
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Offline RB

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #13 on: October 31, 2020, 08:23:10 PM »
Right on!
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Offline Stein

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #14 on: October 31, 2020, 08:27:11 PM »
Beautiful season for sure!

Offline dvolmer

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #15 on: October 31, 2020, 08:43:55 PM »
Great work!!!  And I really enjoyed the write up!!!
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Offline Lucky1

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #16 on: October 31, 2020, 09:07:28 PM »
Really cool. What you gonna kill with the other bullet?
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Offline cbond3318

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #17 on: October 31, 2020, 09:18:57 PM »
Solid work buddy!
Just tend your own and live.

Offline fishnfur

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #18 on: October 31, 2020, 10:04:51 PM »
Great season!  Congrats.
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Offline 7mmfan

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #19 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.
I hunt, therefore I am.... I fish, therefore I lie.

Offline 7mmfan

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #20 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.
I hunt, therefore I am.... I fish, therefore I lie.

Offline fishngamereaper

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #21 on: November 01, 2020, 06:29:04 AM »
Good job. .nice animals.  :tup:

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.

Offline Gonehuntin01

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #22 on: November 02, 2020, 08:04:14 AM »
Congrats

Offline The Fin

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #23 on: November 03, 2020, 10:30:28 AM »
Congrats on an awesome season  :tup:
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Offline bracer40

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #24 on: November 03, 2020, 10:37:32 AM »
Awesome story! Congratulations on a great season.....so far.
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Offline 2MANY

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #25 on: November 03, 2020, 01:39:30 PM »
I wondered about you a few times in October.
Glad you found success!!!!

Offline ctwiggs1

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #26 on: November 03, 2020, 01:48:41 PM »
Great job man.  You're little dude is going to be eating top notch meat for another year.  Congrats! :tup: :tup:

Offline 7mmfan

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #27 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:
I hunt, therefore I am.... I fish, therefore I lie.

Offline ctwiggs1

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #28 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. 


Offline OutHouse

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #29 on: November 03, 2020, 04:37:24 PM »
That's a heck of a season right there! Thanks for sharing the story they really do get confident with their own camouflage I think that's the best way to put it.

Offline 7mmfan

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #30 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.
I hunt, therefore I am.... I fish, therefore I lie.

Offline 2MANY

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #31 on: November 03, 2020, 06:49:01 PM »
3 shots, 3 kills, 3 year old.

Offline 7mmfan

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Re: 3 shots, 3 kills
« Reply #32 on: November 03, 2020, 08:31:10 PM »
3 shots, 3 kills, 3 year old.

Nailed it
I hunt, therefore I am.... I fish, therefore I lie.

 


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