Success came on my second deer season in D-15. What a rush...
Let me first say my thank you’s. Thanks and hats off to my hunting partner Jeff Macabe. I can’t thank you enough for both your friendship and time out in the field. At this point in time, I have learned most everything I know about hunting from him.
OK, about my first buck.
It was an evening hunt. Spotted the buck at 450 yards with my hunting partner. The buck was standing broadside with 4 does around him down low on the next ridge over. Stalked it and closed the gap to give me a 303 yard shot. I am above it shooting down. Still had a bit of sunlight left but the buck was in shade of a hill. The buck had now bedded and was facing away with a 1/4 turn to the left. A few problems came to mind. First I have never shot over 200 yards at all let alone with my rifle (Remington 700 - 30.06) and my target is now much smaller (bedded and 1/4 turned and just over 300 yards away). After a short discussion with Jeff I decided to shoot Jeff’s 7mm mag instead of my rifle. He knew his rifle and reticule marks well into the 400 yard range. He was able to describe where to sight in on the buck. Up to this point in time in my 2 years of hunting, I had never had a scope on a buck. I had a good rest in the prone position. One shot and he was mine! Wow, I was pumped.
Now I needed to get him. Again, I need to give Jeff a lot of thanks. I had this idea that I wanted to take the entire buck out of the field minus the entrails of course. This would have been fine except this buck is so far down the ridge it was completely ridiculous bring him out of it whole. It should have been quartered and hiked out. Again, kudos to Jeff, he help me haul the buck up and out of this steep ridge it was down in, all in the dark. Thanks again Jeff.
Let me first say my thank you’s. Thanks and hats off to my hunting partner Jeff Macabe. I can’t thank you enough for both your friendship and time out in the field. At this point in time, I have learned most everything I know about hunting from him.
OK, about my first buck.
It was an evening hunt. Spotted the buck at 450 yards with my hunting partner. The buck was standing broadside with 4 does around him down low on the next ridge over. Stalked it and closed the gap to give me a 303 yard shot. I am above it shooting down. Still had a bit of sunlight left but the buck was in shade of a hill. The buck had now bedded and was facing away with a 1/4 turn to the left. A few problems came to mind. First I have never shot over 200 yards at all let alone with my rifle (Remington 700 - 30.06) and my target is now much smaller (bedded and 1/4 turned and just over 300 yards away). After a short discussion with Jeff I decided to shoot Jeff’s 7mm mag instead of my rifle. He knew his rifle and reticule marks well into the 400 yard range. He was able to describe where to sight in on the buck. Up to this point in time in my 2 years of hunting, I had never had a scope on a buck. I had a good rest in the prone position. One shot and he was mine! Wow, I was pumped.
Now I needed to get him. Again, I need to give Jeff a lot of thanks. I had this idea that I wanted to take the entire buck out of the field minus the entrails of course. This would have been fine except this buck is so far down the ridge it was completely ridiculous bring him out of it whole. It should have been quartered and hiked out. Again, kudos to Jeff, he help me haul the buck up and out of this steep ridge it was down in, all in the dark. Thanks again Jeff.
