That's right, folks, after years of experience and learning with guns, and several almost-hunting experiences, I finally go to go whitetail deer hunting. Saw three bucks, four does, and one too fast to tell on Monday, and one buck on Wednesday. What clear shots I got and took are another story, one I will tell more of when I've had more experience to put the others in perspective. Started out with my 35 Remington M760 pump action, but gladly accepted my friend's offer to use his Win M70 7mm Rem Mag after he took his deer for the season.
Put it this way - I've learned a heck of a lot of what shots to take, and have more than experienced the other side of the story - getting the dang thing back and ready to eat. While I did not take anything yet, between five of us hunting there were two deer taken on the first day of the season, and I had the full experience of gutting, skinning, and chopping, separating the good from the bad, and encountering sights and smells I never knew existed.
The part of it all that I am the most thankful for is what a friend with decades of experience hunting all over the continent taught me and his kids, both by instruction and by example.
More to come later.
__________________
Trust is earned, not... GIVEN away. - Worf
Fun... I wouldn't call it fun at all. But not everything good about life is fun. I used a scope, and am now wishing I had see-thru mounts for it. That and many other learning experiences later.
My caliber disputes and discussions may well go in a slightly different direction now. I'm gradually becoming a fan of the small medium bores, ie 6.5-7mm.
I almost field-gutted one of the deer, but the day was running out and we decided to take it back to the farmhouse with a tractor. This was of course after I dragged his heavy arse down a hill, accross a creek, and up a hill.
__________________
Trust is earned, not... GIVEN away. - Worf
Last edited by BattleRifleG3; 12-01-2005 at 06:34 PM.
well that 7mm rem mag is and has always been my choice for deer elk and antelope, I do not like chasing wounded animals. Dont know much about ballistics, etc, but that old bdl of mine takes em down quick
Fun... I wouldn't call it fun at all. But not everything good about life is fun.
What? Degutting that deer wasn't fun? Or telling mama you brought home the bacon(venison)? Or that you outsmarted the deer with your stealth and cunning? Or that your aim was dead on target? Come on, BGR3. Tell me again that this isn't fun.:nod: Well...at least it's eductional beyond knowing all the data about your gun(s) and might come in handy in case all he ll breaks out someday when you need these skills.:lucky:
Of course, pulling that deer through the creek, up a hill and more, back to your vehicle I would agree wouldn't be fun for me, either.
Ok BRG3....Now we're still wait'in for the "rest of the story.":nod:
Gutting and skinning and chopping was very much a learning experience. In short, no I didn't bag anything, but came very very very close on multiple occasions. In two cases the reasons I didn't were very tough judgement calls. Both cases are related. And the second case taught me to choose differently in the first case.
__________________
Trust is earned, not... GIVEN away. - Worf
I'm going to ask a legitimate question. Not trying to be funny or anything, albeit there is a chance you won't answer anyway because you rarely do participate in my ramblings (respected as your choice)
What did you take from this experience. I'm not asking waht you thought about the gun(s) you shot, what you think of big bullets vs small ones, how bad a gut pile smells, waht kind of knife you used, how cold and miserable you were etc..
I'm challenging you to pour your feelings out on the key board and tell everyone here how you felt about this hunt personally. Did have aby bearing on you as a human being & how you veiw wildlife and life in general. How do you feel afterward?
Everyone knows big and little bullets kill deer. Everyone knows a knife slices them open. What were the emotions? That my friend you might have to do some soul searching for. If not, well that's another thread
im glad you got out and experienced hunting. hopefully those deer you missed, you missed clean. at the very least, its a good learning experience. like i said before, shooting living, moving animals isnt allways easy.:assult: aim for the heart.
Oh my, you blokes are getting deep now, Jerry do you charge by the half hour.
Sure Mick
I just want to hear a hunting story and see some pics and stuff. I got a doe this year and was happy with it. My brother and his friend got the big body bucks, not real big racks, but nice body size.
Story of the deer hunter...any similarities to real life are purely coincidential.
First there's the deciding to hunt or not. Next you decide what, when and where to hunt. Proper licenses must be bought. Might even view some film on various hunts at this point. Then comes buying the supplies. Next in line is the target practice to sharpen skills and cleaning and checking of all your hunting equipment. Then the lingering anticipation is on your mind night and day for weeks beforehand as you go around with a silly grin, just knowing that you'll bring home a 12 point buck in a few days. Next it's the day before the big "H." Got the truck or van loaded with more equipment and supplies than six people should need but redundancy is the name of the game. Finally the morning, or should I call it the late night before the big "H" day, along about 3:00 a.m. you're up, stuff in your vehicle, slurp down a cup of java, and off to the most exciting thing in your life for months, maybe even since last year's opening day deer hunt. With equipment in hand, on your back, under your arms, and anyway you can drag it to that preplanned hunting spot, and you're overdressed for 10 degrees below zero temperature, you start getting a nervous sweat...maybe it's from all the work and energy you're exerting carrying that stuff for a mile or two. Oops! forgot one thing. The rifle's still in the back seat of the truck. Go back, load it to the maximum , with at least five rounds of 30-06, 150 grain rounds, knowing you'll probably see that many deer within 100 yds from where you step into the hunting range and continue trudging stealthfully in your flame orange outfit knowing that wildlife will all lay low while you move around them as you search for your tree stand in total darkness. Finally, find the stand, set everything on the frozen ground, look up at that 12 foot tall postage sized shaky platform you'll call home for the next several hours and decide how to mount those stairs with all your gear. Hmmm! Too much stuff. Decide to leave it all on the ground except the rifle and binoculars. Make it slowly to the top, making sure to not fall off or to make too much noise. You finally make the big turn at the top of the tree stand, carrying your rife and binoculars, and then slowly turn around very carefully to flop your cold arse on the hard miniture piece of wood that's called a seat which you'll hang onto as you guard your territority like a chicken hawk looks over an open pasture along the road.
Next, you wake up as you realize you've been sleeping on that tree stand and luckily haven't fallen to the ground breaking all your weary bones and more.
The rest is easy. You just sit there, keep your mouth shut, don't move, and mainly don't snore. Even if a 12 pointer doesn't show up within range, you now decide that even bambi is fair game, which is better then geting shut out for the season. He ll, you can now boast for another year that you got your deer during this past hunting season.
And that's my story and I'm stick'in to it.
BRG3...is this something like your story which we're still wait'in for?
I'm going to ask a legitimate question. Not trying to be funny or anything, albeit there is a chance you won't answer anyway because you rarely do participate in my ramblings (respected as your choice)
What did you take from this experience. I'm not asking waht you thought about the gun(s) you shot, what you think of big bullets vs small ones, how bad a gut pile smells, waht kind of knife you used, how cold and miserable you were etc..
I'm challenging you to pour your feelings out on the key board and tell everyone here how you felt about this hunt personally. Did have aby bearing on you as a human being & how you veiw wildlife and life in general. How do you feel afterward?
Everyone knows big and little bullets kill deer. Everyone knows a knife slices them open. What were the emotions? That my friend you might have to do some soul searching for. If not, well that's another thread
I absolutely plan to share much more, just haven't yet because the story at the time wasn't completely over, that and I was hoping to reflect a little and have a few talks with the folks involved to put it all in the best perspective. I mean good talks, "what did we learn" types of talks, talking about what made the most difference, and how some of my views have changed because of it.
__________________
Trust is earned, not... GIVEN away. - Worf
Well...at least it's eductional beyond knowing all the data about your gun(s) and might come in handy in case all he ll breaks out someday when you need these skills.:lucky: 
