gillettehunter
AH ambassador
I started off this year with my crossbow. The ranch I hunt is perhaps 40 miles from town. Lots of mule deer country and a few whitetails on the creek bottoms. Over 50,000 acres. I prefer to eat a whitetail so I'll focus more on them than a mule deer. If I see a really good muliey then well and good. Otherwise I'll take a whitetail.
My first 3 outings I had saw a few deer, but nothing in range or big enough to shoot. I spent the half days in tree stands. I was in the middle part and N end of the ranch. In 2020 there was better feed on the neighbors place, although many of the deer come back to the ranch I hunt to bed. He seems to have better cover. One day I had 3 different skunks near the stand and kicked one up walking back to my truck in the dusk. Was afraid at one point he was going to crawl under my truck for safety...... Luckily he didn't.
The 4th trip out I sat on the Southern border to see if I could ambush a deer going out to feed in the evening. I simply found a log to sit on and wait with a tree at my back to break up my outline with some downed brush around me. A while after I set up I looked over my left shoulder and there were 2 mule deer. One was a fork horn. The other was a 4X3 on the main beam. The mule deer in this area often have no or small brow tines. He seemed to be perhaps 2 1/2 or 3 1/2 yrs old. He was at 42 yards and walked to within 36 yards heading to the field to eat. I passed on him , but it was a fun encounter.
Opening day of the rifle season found me on the N end of the property. A lot of deer had been feeding in a field just across the fence. I arrived about 45 min before daylight. I took a chair and shooting sticks perhaps 5-600 yds from the truck and set up in some cottonwoods. As it got light I shifted position a bit to see better. I was on a stream next to mature cottonwoods. I was hopeful some of the deer would come to water or bed near me.
Perhaps an hour after daylight I saw some movement to the N of me. I pulled up the binos and saw a pack of 7 coyotes. I thought about shooting one, but knew it spook any nearby deer. So I decided against it until I saw 2 of them line up. A double on coyotes would be unusual. By the time I decided to shoot they had moved. They went from just over 200 yds to 140, but I had missed my chance for a double so I let them continue unmolested.
45 minutes later I again saw movement on the far side of the stream. Pulling up my binos I saw 3 whitetail bucks. I got my rifle set on my shooting sticks while seated in the chair and looked them over. 1 that was a 5X5 and 2 that were 4X4's. I picked out what seemed to be the largest one, which was the 5X5 and pulled the trigger as he walked towards me at around 130 yds.
The rifle I was using is a Tikka T-3 with a custom barrel and stock in a 6.5 SS. I'm shooting a Berger 156 grain bullet at just over 3000 fps. I have a new Nightforce scope on the rifle. First year with a new stock and the scope.
I was steady when I pulled the trigger. He was close enough that I thought I heard the thump of the bullet impact. The recoil is not bad but pulled me off of the target. On recovering I could still see 3 deer. They all jumped and ran 15 or 20 yards and then stopped to look around. I suspect that they were unsure if it was a shot or thunder from a storm. Carefully looking at the deer one was a 5X5! I tried to determine if it was the same deer and I had just missed or if it was a different deer. I couldn't believe that I missed. The deer were all looking back and I thought to myself. They have to be looking at the deer I shot.
After several minutes I decided that I wasn't going to shoot again. I felt that I had been solid when I pulled the trigger and couldn't of missed. As I got ready to stand up I saw 2 more bucks behind the 3 that I had been looking at. Both whitetails. When I stood up to go have a look they all left in a hurry. After crossing the stream and going up the bank I could see my buck was down DRT.
I'd pulled the trigger, not squeezed and moved my impact point up a little and took out his neck. He never felt a thing. Not a huge deer, but mature. Very fat and he tastes good. I'm hoping to get out to the ranch to hunt some coyotes soon. Should be time to do it. I'll post a pic from my cell phone.
Bruce
My first 3 outings I had saw a few deer, but nothing in range or big enough to shoot. I spent the half days in tree stands. I was in the middle part and N end of the ranch. In 2020 there was better feed on the neighbors place, although many of the deer come back to the ranch I hunt to bed. He seems to have better cover. One day I had 3 different skunks near the stand and kicked one up walking back to my truck in the dusk. Was afraid at one point he was going to crawl under my truck for safety...... Luckily he didn't.
The 4th trip out I sat on the Southern border to see if I could ambush a deer going out to feed in the evening. I simply found a log to sit on and wait with a tree at my back to break up my outline with some downed brush around me. A while after I set up I looked over my left shoulder and there were 2 mule deer. One was a fork horn. The other was a 4X3 on the main beam. The mule deer in this area often have no or small brow tines. He seemed to be perhaps 2 1/2 or 3 1/2 yrs old. He was at 42 yards and walked to within 36 yards heading to the field to eat. I passed on him , but it was a fun encounter.
Opening day of the rifle season found me on the N end of the property. A lot of deer had been feeding in a field just across the fence. I arrived about 45 min before daylight. I took a chair and shooting sticks perhaps 5-600 yds from the truck and set up in some cottonwoods. As it got light I shifted position a bit to see better. I was on a stream next to mature cottonwoods. I was hopeful some of the deer would come to water or bed near me.
Perhaps an hour after daylight I saw some movement to the N of me. I pulled up the binos and saw a pack of 7 coyotes. I thought about shooting one, but knew it spook any nearby deer. So I decided against it until I saw 2 of them line up. A double on coyotes would be unusual. By the time I decided to shoot they had moved. They went from just over 200 yds to 140, but I had missed my chance for a double so I let them continue unmolested.
45 minutes later I again saw movement on the far side of the stream. Pulling up my binos I saw 3 whitetail bucks. I got my rifle set on my shooting sticks while seated in the chair and looked them over. 1 that was a 5X5 and 2 that were 4X4's. I picked out what seemed to be the largest one, which was the 5X5 and pulled the trigger as he walked towards me at around 130 yds.
The rifle I was using is a Tikka T-3 with a custom barrel and stock in a 6.5 SS. I'm shooting a Berger 156 grain bullet at just over 3000 fps. I have a new Nightforce scope on the rifle. First year with a new stock and the scope.
I was steady when I pulled the trigger. He was close enough that I thought I heard the thump of the bullet impact. The recoil is not bad but pulled me off of the target. On recovering I could still see 3 deer. They all jumped and ran 15 or 20 yards and then stopped to look around. I suspect that they were unsure if it was a shot or thunder from a storm. Carefully looking at the deer one was a 5X5! I tried to determine if it was the same deer and I had just missed or if it was a different deer. I couldn't believe that I missed. The deer were all looking back and I thought to myself. They have to be looking at the deer I shot.
After several minutes I decided that I wasn't going to shoot again. I felt that I had been solid when I pulled the trigger and couldn't of missed. As I got ready to stand up I saw 2 more bucks behind the 3 that I had been looking at. Both whitetails. When I stood up to go have a look they all left in a hurry. After crossing the stream and going up the bank I could see my buck was down DRT.
I'd pulled the trigger, not squeezed and moved my impact point up a little and took out his neck. He never felt a thing. Not a huge deer, but mature. Very fat and he tastes good. I'm hoping to get out to the ranch to hunt some coyotes soon. Should be time to do it. I'll post a pic from my cell phone.
Bruce
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