2024 grip and grin

[264win]

Punched my first tag of 2024. I've not had a buck shrink on me from 27 yards before, but he did.

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. I've done that with a rifle several times, just not with a crossbow before.

If you don’t get a bit excited when you draw on buck, it’s time to hang it up, lol. A dead buck and full freezer is always a win

 

[zeroz]

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.

 

[zeroz]

Finished up the euros of the pronghorn and her buck.

 

[RedTimber]

Finished up the euros of the pronghorn and her buck.
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Did you boil them or use beetles? They both look good.

 

[zeroz]

Boil. It comes out good enough for me. You lose the intricacies of the nasal cavity but whatever. Its so fast and I dont have to deal with keeping beetles alive and the stink that I've heard they create.

 

[powdahound76]

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.

200 yds, quick kneeling off hand shot.
Went 12 yds

 

[J-Fonz]

First buck!

 

[jbuck88]

Middle boy couldn't quite connect on his 4pt. Buck fever took over and he pulled high and right.

Oldest boy tagged one. Not as big, but had kickers so added some character.

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

Not gonna lie
I saw "Grip and Grin" and thought this was some homo erotic woke shit..
Glad I was wrong
Anyway, been a good season.

 

[shields shtr]

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.

 

[Ronws]

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.

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.

 

[xdeano]

Ok, I'll play. This is an archery kill from Sept 21st 2024.

Deano

 

[powdahound76]

Like midwest women, a corn fed bull just has more mass……

(I grew up in IA)

My ex, shortly after the birth of our daughter, thought it might be good to move to IA.
“I could never work out and still be the skinniest chick in town!”


Darn nice bull there!!

 

[powdahound76]

My daughter, 12 and first year hunting in CO, with her first deer.

22” 6.5 creed, 140 gr Berger hunter.

Little steep on the packout….

 

[Oregonmuley]

Finally have something to contribute Must say I'm getting too old for this solo hunting/pack-out stuff.

Yesterday morning just before the snow got serious!!

 

[Charlie112]

Finally have something to contribute Must say I'm getting too old for this solo hunting/pack-out stuff.

Yesterday morning just before the snow got serious!!

Good Job!!!!!

 

[hlee]

Went deer hunting this weekend. Overall, it was pretty slow. But, this morning I got a buck and 2 does…

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

The rut is going hard in the northwest.

 

[diggler1833]

A big cull I've been trying to remove since season opener. Unfortunately he's bred multiple times by now.

 

[zeroz]

Thats a cool 6 pt. I need one of those. There is one down on the lease in Bama id like to cross paths with this year. He's not as big as that one but the deer down there are small in general.

 

[Ronws]

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.

 

[zeroz]

Huh?

 

[Modoc]

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.

Tag soup here and yesterday morning there was a big 4x4 Black Tail Buck in my parent’s back yard. 2 weeks after season closer.

Photo is from a couple years back with the same situation.

 

[Potsy]

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 ‘em).
Probably my biggest deer. Didn’t have a clue he was in there….

 

[hlee]

Still looking for the right deer, but put down a couple more corn thieves…

 

[zeroz]

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 ‘em).
Probably my biggest deer. Didn’t have a clue he was in there….

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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?

 

[Potsy]

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 I’m not fretting the difference. I will re-zero with the new batch.

Getting more conservative in my old age……

 

[psinclair]

90 grain Atip, 455 meters.

 

[psinclair]

2024 6X6

 

[psinclair]

Spot and stalk black bear, May 2024

 

[psinclair]

Antelope 2024

 

[powdahound76]

Just dang……

I still remember that huge 400”+ bull years back you got with an 80# recurve……

 

[zeroz]

Hell of a year sir!

 

[RPN]

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 I’m not fretting the difference. I will re-zero with the new batch.

Getting more conservative in my old age……

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.

 

[Potsy]

Not to say there’s none, but there’s very few misses in that A-Bolt.

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

Mr. Sinclair, on the other hand, will make a man feel like he’s not done much this season. Which reminds me, unless Santa Claus brings them, I need to get a couple of his slings on the way…..

 

[Ronws]

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.

 

[Potsy]

Dad has an A-Bolt II .270WSM, sans BOSS.

It also hammers. Sort of a trend…