2024 grip and grin

#51
diggler1833 said:
Punched my first tag of 2024. I've not had a buck shrink on me from 27 yards before, but he did. šŸ˜„

More than likely, I got a bit too excited with the new season jitters and tried to add 20" to him. Either way, he did me a favor of running from the woods and into a pasture to die. I lost him on the run, and then couldn't find him in the open pasture at first. Blood trail wasn't great as I buried the NAP Killzone into his offside shoulder. It was otherwise a great hit, went through both lungs and clipped the top/rear of the heart from a slight quartering away.

I started to worry when I couldn't find him out in the open. That would mean he'd have ran at least an additional 100 yards into the thickest of brush here at the ranch. Since he went out into the pasture, I couldn't hear him running/crash from my stand either.

Stood on my pond berm to get a better vantage point, and found him right below me at the water's edge. Went about 60-65 yards total.

Was thrilled that I didn't have to try to track this buck in the dark through that brush. I shot him about 50 minutes before sunset, and started my search 30 minutes later after I walked back to the house. My first ever doe here I shot during rifle season in the evening (many years ago), lost her in that same brush patch, and finally found her by luck early next morning only 15 yards in.

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I have one stud that cruises through the ranch regularly this year (so far). I was hoping that it was this guy, but when I got up on him I realized that it wasn't even close.

Rookie mistake...my old ass got way too excited when I saw antlers. šŸ˜„ I've done that with a rifle several times, just not with a crossbow before.
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If you donā€™t get a bit excited when you draw on buck, itā€™s time to hang it up, lol. A dead buck and full freezer is always a win šŸ‘
 
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#52
Just got back from a double pronghorn hunt. Old lady drew her antelope buck tag she has waited 10 years for. We went out and scouted a day, looked over 40 plus bucks and made her hitlist. Number one buck was solidly on private that we didn't have access to and she wouldn't ask, so be it. Opening morning we checked on him and he was still there chasing does. We went looking for more bucks, found them and put a stalk on two different ones that we couldn't judge from the truck. She passed on them both after getting close enough to really see what they had going on. Her number two buck wasn't the tallest and didn't have the most mass or biggest prong, but he was beautiful and checked her boxes. After swinging back by and seeing that number one was still on the same private we went off to find number two. We found him in the afternoon and she decided to make a stalk on him before somebody else did. After a 1200 yard stalk we were in position. I razzed her just a bit while we were waiting for him to come if she really wanted to shoot him on day one. He walked into the scope at 210 yards and the the 260 went psssssht. Down he went with a hole in his heart. His does ran straight at us, got to 60 yards wheeled around and left their man. We brought him home and stuck him in the garage fridge, hide on, and headed out east to fill my doe tag. We spent the night and did a stalk at first light. The only doe in the group was skylined so I didn't shoot. Second stalk I was sure would fail, and it did. Third one worked out perfect. Spotted a group , circled around to get a "big" hill between us. Crept up the hill and the group came into view at 340 when I crawled over the crest. The 260 went psssssht and down she went. Loaded her up and headed home. I'll get them both butchered up and do the euros tomorrow. I told her she should mount hers but she just wants a euro, which Im fine with. Her critter after all. Definitely a change of pace hunting lopes than the pounding miles at altitude I did for elk last month.
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#56
Backpack hunt in CO
Unit I have hunted for years and had prior success in.
Steep and long pack in an area with no roads.
Much gratitude to my 2 hunting partners who worked their tails off helping me get the meat to coolers.

Also, that is a SH PX rifle.
Everything on it, down to the Unknown Munitions ammo I purchased with the used prefit, with the exception of the Hawkins direct mount rings, the Hawkins Hunter mag, and the MKM caps and throw lever came from the PX.
A true Hebrew Deal rifle that made our departed friend @Foul Mike proud. Would love to get to share the story of this hunt with him and hear his great laugh.



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200 yds, quick kneeling off hand shot.
Went 12 yds
 
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#60
Archery season was a fail for me. Switching to the recurve and not having all that much time to hunt is not a good combo. Headed out this am with the rest of the orange army for rifle opener. I prefer to bowhunt, but rifle hunting can be fun too. Hopefully not too much carnage this am and I can dig up a decent bull.
 
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#61
shields shtr said:
Archery season was a fail for me. Switching to the recurve and not having all that much time to hunt is not a good combo. Headed out this am with the rest of the orange army for rifle opener. I prefer to bowhunt, but rifle hunting can be fun too. Hopefully not too much carnage this am and I can dig up a decent bull.
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Our rifle opener is a week from today. That will be Saturday November 2. And runs to the end of the first Sunday in January.
 
#63
Like midwest women, a corn fed bull just has more massā€¦ā€¦

(I grew up in IA)

My ex, shortly after the birth of our daughter, thought it might be good to move to IA.
ā€œI could never work out and still be the skinniest chick in town!ā€
šŸ¤£šŸ¤£šŸ¤£

Darn nice bull there!!
 
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#71
I don't have a pic. Just wanted to share my wish I coulda moment.

Driving south on US 75 (in Texas) from Van Alstyne into Anna, there is a lot of construction as they rebuild the service roads further back before widening 75. Anyway, in the construction area near the traffic barricade on the northbound side, I saw a doe, a deer, a female deer.

Damn it.

First off, driving. Second, rifle not with me. Third, cannot discharge a weapon across a public road. Just not safe. But there she was.
 
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#73
Ronws said:
I don't have a pic. Just wanted to share my wish I coulda moment.

Driving south on US 75 (in Texas) from Van Alystyne into Anna, there is a lot of construction as they rebuild the service roads further back before widening 75. Anyway, in the construction area near the traffic barricade on the northbound side, I saw a doe, a deer, a female deer.

Damn it.

First off, driving. Second, rifle not with me. Third, cannot discharge a weapon across a public road. Just not safe. But there she was.
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Tag soup here and yesterday morning there was a big 4x4 Black Tail Buck in my parentā€™s back yard. 2 weeks after season closer. šŸ˜”šŸ¤¦šŸ¼ā€ā™‚ļø

Photo is from a couple years back with the same situation.
DSC_0029 (2).jpeg
 
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#76
Potsy said:
Middle Tennessee 8. One of the few deer that got bigger when I walked up to it.
Just this morning. A-boltII .25-06, 100 grain Partitions. RL-22 (about a grain too hot, but it stacks ā€˜em).
Probably my biggest deer. Didnā€™t have a clue he was in thereā€¦.

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Nice deer! If the load is a grain too hot why dont you dial it back a bit and tune the boss?
 
#77
Thanks!
Well, I loaded 57 grains in a batch a looong time ago. It stacks partitions, but seemed a touch warm over the chronograph (like 3,350 out of a stubby barrel) especially on a warm day. About through this batch. Just loaded another batch at 56 grains.
That rifle has always shot pretty fantastic with about anything, so Iā€™m not fretting the difference. I will re-zero with the new batch.

Getting more conservative in my old ageā€¦ā€¦
 
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#84
Potsy said:
Thanks!
Well, I loaded 57 grains in a batch a looong time ago. It stacks partitions, but seemed a touch warm over the chronograph (like 3,350 out of a stubby barrel) especially on a warm day. About through this batch. Just loaded another batch at 56 grains.
That rifle has always shot pretty fantastic with about anything, so Iā€™m not fretting the difference. I will re-zero with the new batch.

Getting more conservative in my old ageā€¦ā€¦
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They don't get a lot of press, but I've never seen an A bolt that doesn't shoot really well - and that slim stock is nice to carry in the hand.
 
#85
Not to say thereā€™s none, but thereā€™s very few misses in that A-Bolt.

Back in ā€˜96, Mom and Dad bought me that rifle when I graduated college. Grandparents bought the scope. Probably the last gun Iā€™d part with. Glad I took that deer with it.

Mr. Sinclair, on the other hand, will make a man feel like heā€™s not done much this seasonšŸ¤£. Which reminds me, unless Santa Claus brings them, I need to get a couple of his slings on the wayā€¦..
 
#86
I have not had an A-Bolt but I am aware of someone who does and has unalived several animals of different species. From whitetail to black bear. Mark Boardman at the Vortex Nation podcast will wax poetic, and his fellow miscreants Ryan Muckenhirn and Jimmy Hamilton will roast him a bit about his admiration for his A-Bolt in .300 WSM. Factory stock, no brake or suppressor.
 
#92
zeroz said:
Yeah, thats a beast. What do you think he went, +/-250?
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We donā€™t have a scale, so I can only speculate. Certainly more than 200, but also less than 300. Two fiddy is as good of a guess as any.

Thatā€™s a sow, and she was butterball fat. And, she didnā€™t stink like a boar. Hell, the buck smelled considerably worse. I butchered them both, and am more excited about the pork loin than I am the venison loin.
 
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#93
hlee said:
We donā€™t have a scale, so I can only speculate. Certainly more than 200, but also less than 300. Two fiddy is as good of a guess as any.

Thatā€™s a sow, and she was butterball fat. And, she didnā€™t stink like a boar. Hell, the buck smelled considerably worse. I butchered them both, and am more excited about the pork loin than I am the venison loin.
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Then I will gladly accept the venison loin, thank you.

Awesome harvest.
 
#94
hlee said:
We donā€™t have a scale, so I can only speculate. Certainly more than 200, but also less than 300. Two fiddy is as good of a guess as any.

Thatā€™s a sow, and she was butterball fat. And, she didnā€™t stink like a boar. Hell, the buck smelled considerably worse. I butchered them both, and am more excited about the pork loin than I am the venison loin.
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Awesome. Thats a giant sow. Biggest one Ive gotten was 209 and she was delicious. Hard to beat a big prego sow as far as meat goes. Little ones are more tender but the big sows have more fat and the cuts are more substantial and you can do more with em.
 
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#95
Ok, not technically 2024, but it is the end of my 2024-2025 season. I drew a tag for the Scimitar Horn Oryx hunt through the Texas Draw Hunt System. 4 days, guided, meals and lodging, on the Mason Mountain WMA. This guy picked the wrong piece of brush to stand in. I put a 162 gr ELD-X bullet in his shoulder from 186 yards (lrf verified). He bowed up and ran about 80 yards, expiring mid-stride. Not only will he make a beautiful mount, but ā€œscimitarā€ is supposed to be some of the best game you can eat.

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#96
hlee said:
Ok, not technically 2024, but it is the end of my 2024-2025 season. I drew a tag for the Scimitar Horn Oryx hunt through the Texas Draw Hunt System. 4 days, guided, meals and lodging, on the Mason Mountain WMA. This guy picked the wrong piece of brush to stand in. I put a 162 gr ELD-X bullet in his shoulder from 186 yards (lrf verified). He bowed up and ran about 80 yards, expiring mid-stride. Not only will he make a beautiful mount, but ā€œscimitarā€ is supposed to be some of the best game you can eat.

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What time is dinner? I live a few towns south of the Red River and it could take a while to get there.
 
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