Went hunting today...

[Ian]

Just culling a small spike buck from a red deer herd, but it's a cast bullet harvest and meat is in the refrigerator.

Powder coated Lee 35-200-RF, gas checked, 50/50 air cooled alloy at 1980 fps MV, shot from "standing" on my kneecaps @ 85 yards to get above the shin oak after several hundred yard belly-crawl. He was bedded down enjoying the sun and a full tummy so all I had was a head shot. He looked at me and I shot him between the eyes, sorry no bullet was recovered but the flat nose bullet did its job quite well.

 

[yodogsandman]

Good stalk and good shooting! Is that the ol' 35 Rem you've been working on? Reloader 7?

 

[fiver]

you wasn't gonna eat that part anyway... good job

 

[35 shooter]

Yep, you saved all the meat on that one. Good shooting.

 

[Winelover]

Congrats.

 

[Intheshop]

Sounds like a great stalk.Good hunt,fire up the grill.

 

[KHornet]

Instant kills are great, no tracking! Congrats!

 

[L1A1Rocker]

Good shootin there Tex! How's the meat on those deer?

 

[Ian]

Good stalk and good shooting! Is that the ol' 35 Rem you've been working on? Reloader 7?

Yep, the basket-case Marlin I've been gradually resurrecting. 31 grains of Reloder 7 is where I stopped the load workup, still had room to go but there seemed to be a sweet spot right there so I quit. I switched off from the H335 due to the possibility of cold-weather hunting and I'm glad I did, it was just above freezing. This was a very small red deer, I was prepared for a bigger spike buck which is why I chose the .35, but this little runt was a better one to take out of the herd.

 

[Ian]

Good shootin there Tex! How's the meat on those deer?

I guess you'll find out soon enough....

 

[gman]

Nice when a plan comes together. Congratulations!

 

[S Mac]

Great job. Red deer, native I guess?

 

[Chris]

Good shot, Ian.

 

[Ian]

Not native to the Americas, this example was from a large, private ranch herd. Wish I had some pictures of the "good ones", there were four bucks that looked like they had brush piles on their heads, one I counted 19 points.

 

[Chris]

We shot these in Germany when I was apprenticing there. They get big, well over 300 pounds... maybe bigger. Heck of a rack, too.

 

[Ian]

I believe these are the western European subspecies, probably exactly the same as those found in the beech forests of Germany. You mentioned good shot, I'll claim "lucky", with the definition of luck being the intersection of opportunity and preparedness....I've spent a lot more time practicing single shots at placed targets from field positions than I have actually hunting, so while no expert, I at least have a little confidence that I can hit things. Having wooded/hilly property where I can put up pie plates here and there and wander out to make one shot a day from kneeling or standing at different distances for a few weeks prior to hunting season (whether I hunt or not) is something I practice and advocate others do as well if they can.

 

[Chris]

I sure agree about practice. In addition to shooting offhand, I have got rifles at several points about the house. When I think of it I pick them up and acquire a target out the window as quickly as I can. The idea being to see the target and have the sight on it very quickly, it becomes muscle memory to see, point, and aim and shoot. Should be able to see it and be on it as quick as you can get the rifle up.

Also you spoke of kneeling... we take whatever position we can, but I have found shooting from a squat with both elbows on knees to be quick and effective. Those little guys in Vietnam liked to do that.

 

[waco]

Nice job! And by the way......You look nothing like I pictured you in my head! LOL

 

[Brad]

Well done. That load should have made a significant impact on his grey matter.

 

[Ian]

It did the trick. The load was designed for a boiler room shot but in the field you takes what you gets.

Walter, I'm even uglier in person, but figured after all these years of posts you guys could stomach a photo.