I had the opertunity this past fall to chase some free range Mule deer in West Texas with my dad and brother. We did quite well and the three of us managed to tag out by the second day of our 3 day hunt. Bellow are some photos of our adventure.
My brother and I drove in and arrived mid afternoon. Technically we were a day early for hunting but the owner had us in the jeep with a guide soon after we arrived. He told us to take a rifle in case a big boy came out. About an hour after riding around I spotted some does up on a hill so we stopped and glassed the area. After 20min of glassing a nice buck came over the hill top behind the does. The first thing I thought was damn he is nice! I realy wanted my little brother to have the first shot at a buck. He didn't argue to much when I told him to get his rifle. I set him up on the HOG saddle and I layed prone beside him. I lazed the buck at 396 yards. We had a ridiculous 3 o'clock wind at 25mph. Our guide was a great guy but he knew nothing about long range shooting. As I was reading wind and getting range I heard him tell my brother ok now hold about a foot over his back and a foot to the right. Little brother looked at me like wtf? Lol. by this time buck fever had set in hard, I think the actual hill top we were on was shaking. I told him to quit being a pussy and dial 2.3mil up and hold 2 mil wind. The 178amax found its way, high shoulder shot with full pass through and he was DRT.
Me with my little brothers deer.
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The next morning I hunted the south side of the ranch with my guide. Dad, brother, and guide hunted the north side. After five or six hours of heavy glassing and riding around I spotted a BIG buck bedded under a tree on the edge of a ravine. When I pointed him out to the guide his jaw dropped. So i knew it was a big buck. We set up on a hill top which put us with in 502 yards of him. Wind was non existent but because of the angle he was laying down at I only had a shot at the side of his neck. I took the shot and hit him perfect his head just dropped to the ground and he never twitched. The rifle was a .308 with 178 Amax.
My firing position. You can see the ravine in the upper left hand side of the picture.
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The buck!
Dad got this nice buck with my brother that same morning. The shot was 290 yards with a .300WSM
On the last night of the hunt I made a great shot on this Javelina at 750 yards. First shot hit through the vitals and DRT. .308 win 178gr Amax.
My brother and I drove in and arrived mid afternoon. Technically we were a day early for hunting but the owner had us in the jeep with a guide soon after we arrived. He told us to take a rifle in case a big boy came out. About an hour after riding around I spotted some does up on a hill so we stopped and glassed the area. After 20min of glassing a nice buck came over the hill top behind the does. The first thing I thought was damn he is nice! I realy wanted my little brother to have the first shot at a buck. He didn't argue to much when I told him to get his rifle. I set him up on the HOG saddle and I layed prone beside him. I lazed the buck at 396 yards. We had a ridiculous 3 o'clock wind at 25mph. Our guide was a great guy but he knew nothing about long range shooting. As I was reading wind and getting range I heard him tell my brother ok now hold about a foot over his back and a foot to the right. Little brother looked at me like wtf? Lol. by this time buck fever had set in hard, I think the actual hill top we were on was shaking. I told him to quit being a pussy and dial 2.3mil up and hold 2 mil wind. The 178amax found its way, high shoulder shot with full pass through and he was DRT.
Me with my little brothers deer.
[/URLThe next morning I hunted the south side of the ranch with my guide. Dad, brother, and guide hunted the north side. After five or six hours of heavy glassing and riding around I spotted a BIG buck bedded under a tree on the edge of a ravine. When I pointed him out to the guide his jaw dropped. So i knew it was a big buck. We set up on a hill top which put us with in 502 yards of him. Wind was non existent but because of the angle he was laying down at I only had a shot at the side of his neck. I took the shot and hit him perfect his head just dropped to the ground and he never twitched. The rifle was a .308 with 178 Amax.
My firing position. You can see the ravine in the upper left hand side of the picture.
[URL=http://s1181.photobucket.com/user/chaltermann/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2BE9DCEB-7AA9-4FFC-B908-4BDF439ADAF5_zpslo310xw8.jpg.html]
The buck!
Dad got this nice buck with my brother that same morning. The shot was 290 yards with a .300WSM
On the last night of the hunt I made a great shot on this Javelina at 750 yards. First shot hit through the vitals and DRT. .308 win 178gr Amax.
