So far this season, I have shot three deer:
-The first was opening day, 10/20. At 7:40 AM I shot a 115 lb spike 60 yards out from my ladder stand, overlooking a clear cut. I was shooting a Savage Model 116 7mm Remington Mag, loaded with Hornady Superformance 139 grain SST ammo. The bullet hit right behind the right shoulder at a quartering to angle. Everything in front of the diaphragm was turned to soup. The deer ran less than 40 yards and piled up. No bullet was found or recovered.
Nice opening day!!
-Evening 10/23, I was hunting another ladder stand overlooking a food plot built in a clear cut 60 yards from the tree line. At 6:45 PM, I saw movement on the far side of the food plot. I noticed right away that this was a large deer. Then, I noticed antlers.
Since I already had the small "whatever" buck, this one had to have at least 4 points one inch long or better. A quick look through the scope confirmed that he met that standard.
Even without a camera guy behind me telling me, "He's a shooter!", like the super star outdoorsman hunters on the TV hunting shows, I knew this one was good enough. At 125 yards, I sent a 139 grain SST 7mm Mag bullet behind the buck's right shoulder. He jumped straight up in the air and ran 50 yards before dropping dead in the brush. The bullet passed clean through turning the heart and lungs to mush.
Back at camp, he weighed in at 155 lbs, field dressed. The 8 point antlers had a 13 1/2" spread and were quite nice.
-Saturday morning 11/10, I was in a ground blind overlooking the Little River in Wilkes County. This time, because shooting distances would be short, I was hunting with a Smith & Wesson M&P15 with an S&W Tactical .300 AAC Blackout upper. Trigger work on the M&P was done by Blake Knight, owner of Trading Place Pawn and Indoor Gun Range, in Monroe, GA. It was loaded with a 125 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip bullet loaded by Atlanta Arms and Ammo, of Social Circle, GA.
At 8:30 AM, a doe stepped out of the brush 45 yards in front of my blind. The deer faced me at a quartering to angle. I placed the cross hairs on the center of the chest and squeezed off the shot. The 125 grain bullet entered the chest, leaving a 1 1/2" entrance wound and breaking three ribs. The lower half of both lungs was destroyed and the heart blown free of any arteries and veins. Amazingly the deer still managed to run about 100 yards. The bullet did not penetrate passed the diaphragm. No bullet was found or recovered. However, it did leave a good blood trail and blood tracking was not difficult.
This one weighed in at 100 lbs, field dressed. My freezer is now full and my wife is not looking forward to the smell of cooking venison jerky!!
Pictures of the spike, the 8 pt buck and the doe (before the shot)attached below:
View attachment 137623
-The first was opening day, 10/20. At 7:40 AM I shot a 115 lb spike 60 yards out from my ladder stand, overlooking a clear cut. I was shooting a Savage Model 116 7mm Remington Mag, loaded with Hornady Superformance 139 grain SST ammo. The bullet hit right behind the right shoulder at a quartering to angle. Everything in front of the diaphragm was turned to soup. The deer ran less than 40 yards and piled up. No bullet was found or recovered.
Nice opening day!!
-Evening 10/23, I was hunting another ladder stand overlooking a food plot built in a clear cut 60 yards from the tree line. At 6:45 PM, I saw movement on the far side of the food plot. I noticed right away that this was a large deer. Then, I noticed antlers.
Since I already had the small "whatever" buck, this one had to have at least 4 points one inch long or better. A quick look through the scope confirmed that he met that standard. Even without a camera guy behind me telling me, "He's a shooter!", like the super star outdoorsman hunters on the TV hunting shows, I knew this one was good enough. At 125 yards, I sent a 139 grain SST 7mm Mag bullet behind the buck's right shoulder. He jumped straight up in the air and ran 50 yards before dropping dead in the brush. The bullet passed clean through turning the heart and lungs to mush.
Back at camp, he weighed in at 155 lbs, field dressed. The 8 point antlers had a 13 1/2" spread and were quite nice.
-Saturday morning 11/10, I was in a ground blind overlooking the Little River in Wilkes County. This time, because shooting distances would be short, I was hunting with a Smith & Wesson M&P15 with an S&W Tactical .300 AAC Blackout upper. Trigger work on the M&P was done by Blake Knight, owner of Trading Place Pawn and Indoor Gun Range, in Monroe, GA. It was loaded with a 125 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip bullet loaded by Atlanta Arms and Ammo, of Social Circle, GA.
At 8:30 AM, a doe stepped out of the brush 45 yards in front of my blind. The deer faced me at a quartering to angle. I placed the cross hairs on the center of the chest and squeezed off the shot. The 125 grain bullet entered the chest, leaving a 1 1/2" entrance wound and breaking three ribs. The lower half of both lungs was destroyed and the heart blown free of any arteries and veins. Amazingly the deer still managed to run about 100 yards. The bullet did not penetrate passed the diaphragm. No bullet was found or recovered. However, it did leave a good blood trail and blood tracking was not difficult.
This one weighed in at 100 lbs, field dressed. My freezer is now full and my wife is not looking forward to the smell of cooking venison jerky!!
Pictures of the spike, the 8 pt buck and the doe (before the shot)attached below:
View attachment 137623
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