Bradsknives, I commend you for holding off on that shot. Yes, many deer have been killed with that shot but many more have probably been wounded. If you would have had a center fire rifle or the deer would have been half the distance or less. A twenty gauge slug is going to have expended a lot of energy by 80 yards.
I was watching a couple of does, hoping for a shot, when the buck above came in. I was more than ready to shoot a doe so I didn't hesitate on the buck. I know with jobs and family, my time afield is limited, unfortunately. I was looking to put meat in the freezer and that's what I did. Same as you. Any game in the truck is a trophy.
I'm guessing that you are the same as me and you don't always have a managed herd on 1000 acres to hunt and thus you don't always the luxury of passing on a 1 1/2 year old buck.
IMHO, you did fine, Sir.
Besides, that would have made for a very messy field dressing. Lol
Coyotes during deer season are always a tough call. I try to take out everyone I can but I am always thinking Old Mossy Horns may be within ear shot.
Decided on a whim to go out yesterday evening after we got back from church and lunch. Got in the stand around 3:30. Snow started coming down hard shortly after. Very beautiful scene hunting over cut corn field. About 5:15pm I saw a buck off to my left at about 400 yards moving up a vertical stand of timber. He swung around a cut through in the timber and started making his way across the field headed toward a river bottom. He was a hundred yards out when I stopped him and let the H&R single shot .44 mag sing. He ran 70 yards and fell over.
One of the few times I have evening hunted alone. Such a beautiful back drop and he came in strutting like a prize pony. When I got up to him he was actually a bit larger than I thought. He was medium size 8 point with some trash on his bases.
I made perfect shot but at 100 yards there was no exit wound. The entry wound was the size of my finger and actually had plugged up after spilling down his side initally. His lungs were just jelly. My first kill with the .44 mag using hornady XTP 240gr bullets. I am pretty impressed by this cheapo gun and the ammo. I was clovering with it at 125 yards during practice and I am by no means a marksman.
Very blessed to have the experience. I'll try and get a pic up later even though they were pretty bad in the dark and snow.
I've shot coyotes with deer at the other end of the field, they usually just look around a little and go back to feeding. I got my buck during bow season and don't really need any more meat so I'm coyote hunting the rest of the week, I'm on vacation.
Congrats clfergus on a nice buck.Decided on a whim to go out yesterday evening after we got back from church and lunch. Got in the stand around 3:30. Snow started coming down hard shortly after. Very beautiful scene hunting over cut corn field. About 5:15pm I saw a buck off to my left at about 400 yards moving up a vertical stand of timber. He swung around a cut through in the timber and started making his way across the field headed toward a river bottom. He was a hundred yards out when I stopped him and let the H&R single shot .44 mag sing. He ran 70 yards and fell over.
One of the few times I have evening hunted alone. Such a beautiful back drop and he came in strutting like a prize pony. When I got up to him he was actually a bit larger than I thought. He was medium size 8 point with some trash on his bases.
I made perfect shot but at 100 yards there was no exit wound. The entry wound was the size of my finger and actually had plugged up after spilling down his side initally. His lungs were just jelly. My first kill with the .44 mag using hornady XTP 240gr bullets. I am pretty impressed by this cheapo gun and the ammo. I was clovering with it at 125 yards during practice and I am by no means a marksman.
Very blessed to have the experience. I'll try and get a pic up later even though they were pretty bad in the dark and snow.
I'm not much of a gun hunter admittedly. I love my bow hunting. I got looking back and I have not hunted with a slug gun in over 15 years. Some muzzleloader from time to time, but I have been pretty much a bow only hunter for a long time. For some reason though last winter I got the urge to build a "Thumper". I'm an AR junkie and the 450 Bushmaster was intriguing to me.
Fast forward to Sunday morning. I have a good friend (Steve) from Ohio who comes over to hunt every year. In recent years it has been more about his boys than him. But Sunday morning, his son encouraged Steve to go hunt alone. I talked him into taking my Thumper. I told him where to go and what the deer would likely do. Sure enough an hour into the morning out steps a beautiful 9 pointer right where I said it would. Steve made the easy 40 yard shot and 20 yards later the buck fell on his face. I was guiding his son and we didn't have much luck, but he could not have been happier for Dad.
Steve and his 9 pointer with my Thumper.
For some silly reason last summer I put in for Pokagon. I totally forgot about it actually until talking to a friend who always hunts there. He did not get drawn for the first time in many years. Turns out ... I did ... LOL. I had no clue where to go and almost didn't go. He talked me into it and even gave me his GPS to hunt the spot that he always goes to. So last week I went in and locked my climber to the tree that he recommended. I got to the park crazy early and beat everyone in the gate. At about 7:45 this morning I saw a real nice 8 pointer who had somehow dodged the sea of orange (I could see 5 other guys in orange from my location). At 60 yards I stopped him and let the Thumper bark. 20 yards later the buck was on his face. About a half an hour after I shot him I had a small doe come in and actually sniff my buck. As she lifted her head from sniffing him I let the Thumper eat again. She went 15 yards. Pretty small doe but it is a reduction hunt and that is the goal. They were the only deer that I saw this morning. An awesome morning to be in the woods with the snow falling. I have to admit, it was kind of fun to let the big gun roar too.
My Pokagon buck and doe.
Nice deer guys. Congratulations to all.
I do love my .450 Bushmaster. I affectionately refer to it as the "Beast Master". Four Whitetails and a Mule deer have suffered it's wrath.