First rifle hunt, deer #2 for 2005


fisherguy

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Well the first rifle hunt for me this season was a blast...in more ways than one lol. It was an area I had never been to with a bunch of my dad's buddies. First morning he set me up on a small rock knoll on the edge of a beaver dam the deer cross on, and with a view to some grassy openings in thick alders. After sitting for 45 minutes in the morning I pulled out the rattling antlers and did a sequence. Halfway through it sounded like a horse was galloping up behind me. There is an extremely thick area of brush, and behind that, about 30 yards behind me the bit of a hill drops off about 8 feet to the lower swampy area. I dropped the antlers, spun with my gun in hand, and was staring at a big buck, 30 yards away, with only his head visible above the brush...needless to say he was gone fast! He must have been just over that crest of the hill in the low area when i started rattling. I was kicking myself for missing that opportunity, when twenty minutes later i hear a deer coning through the thick alders about 60 yards out, and approaching the small 10 yard open grassy patch. An important note here, party hunting is legal in Ontario, and one of the guys had to leave the next morning unfortunately, so had told us that whoever got a shot first should take it, and he would tag it so he would have meat to take home. He was hunting about 500 yards from me. So, i start to see deer parts, and can make out antler. I got my gun ready pointed at teh opening, and at 40 yards, out steps a small 8 point. I have already passed a number of bucks this size this fall with the bow, but when someone's hunt gets cut short meat is meat. I made a mouth fawn bleat and rather than stop he took one more step and turned towards me. He was 40 yards out, quartering hard to me, and about 10 feet lower than me(due to the rock knoll i was on). I held the cross hairs high and forward on teh near shoulder figuring that should get both lungs and squeezed off a shot. The buck dropped almost to his knees, then took off into the thick stuff. Everything seemed good, but i still waited 25 minutes before walking over to where he stood. Once i got there i started to worry...no hair, no blood, just tracks in the mud. I followed teh trail about 10 yards and still no hair, no blood. At this point i was a bit worried, a hit from the 7mm and 175 grain bullets at that range should have left some sign of a hit, and considering i aimed for shoulder bone ought to have droped him there. Just then i looked through the brush, and 25 yards farther on thought I could see a leg. It was, and there he was, down for the count. The shot hit rifht where i aimed, clipped bone, but didn't break it all the way, jellied both lungs, shattered a rib on the far side, and lodged just under the hide. The last 10 of the 35 yards he went was sprayed red, and he plowed into a small poplar as he fell. I pulled out my radio and called over the guy who wanted it, he arrived just as i finished gutting it to tag it and help me drag it the 400 yards through the brush.

A side note, the next day one of the other guys nailed the deer I rattled in about 300 yards from where I was sitting...a beautiful 11 point in the 150's. THe rest of the week i passed on more deer (including a big but weak racked 6 point broadside at under 25 yards) but never got a shot at the one i was looking for. (still have almost 6 weeks to get him grin.gif ) Here is A pic of the buck as I found him. 2005_1102Image0011.JPG

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