Coach

Dream Buck for Sure!!! What an amazing, beautiful buck. Huge congrats and way to get it done!

Nice buck!!! Way to go, Laurie. Good job getting them out there dad!

Lionhuhter, I just took a Savage 14 American Std out with some handloads. I'm shooting 63 grains of IMR 4350 on 165 grain Accubonds. Just for comparison I brought my Savage "Field Police" rifle in 25-06. Much better trigger, 1” bull barrel. The first time I actually saw “clover leaves” where every hole was touching another was out of this gun. (The 25-06) I can honestly say, after burning a lot of powder and bullets at long range, the Savage 14 in .300 WSM shoots right along-side the 25-06. Seems the “right balance” is getting a .30 cal bullet to do what the smaller bullets do. This gun costs a lot less than some of the scopes on high end rifles that I’d challenge in good hands to shoot as well as this one does. I’m only good out to 500 yards and I know it. This gun, with hand loads can go way past that with practice.

That's one of the things I LOVE about this site. You found some hunting gear, and your first instinct is, post it up, find the owner, get it back to them. That says a lot about your character. Nicely done.

Nice bucks - I'm floored by the body size of those coues. Those bucks are eating well! Nice headgear too!

Nice job getting those boys our there! Hunting hard each day, and seeing so many deer - and doing it as a family - that's great stuff right there. Huge congrats to Brooks. Thanks for taking the time to write it all up for us.

Man, that is one SWEET rifle, in one of my favorite chamberings. Should go fast. Wish I were in the market for a new gun - that one's tough to beat.

Man, what a great buck! And to have your dad along with you - that is just awesome!. Huge congrats. Now it's dad's turn. Find him a big one!

Man, I'm sure glad you weren't hurt worse!

This is a really fun thread. I'm sure we've all got similar stories. Slamming doors, snoring all night, talking loud, a little too much drinking and bullsh!tting around the campfire. Share a "secret" spot with a friend at come back next year and it's a zoo. On the other hand, it's nice to have people you can go out with, share the time, enjoy the experience with, even if we all have to put up with eachothers' quirks. Personally, I almost gave up hunting a couple years back. My closest hunting buddy and I had a falling out, my other friends had so many work and family obligations, I found myself hunting alone most of the time. My kids, then were too young to really get into the tougher hunts. If I learned one thing, having a hunting buddy, even one that sometimes gets on your nerves, is usually better than going alone, over and over, and wishing you had someone there to share it with you. It also makes you a little more aware of what you are doing that is bugging the crap out of your hunting partner - lol.

Nice buck! Huge congrats. We do have to find you a better hat though, lol.

That's an awesome coues buck! Nice job.

Nice looking buck, Huge congrats. The plan doesn't always work out. Being agile and working with whatevery comes your way is the mark of an experienced hunter. IMO, you did really well.

Awesome!!! Great find.

Nice bucks! I hope we can see some other angles of that one on the left. Congrats to the hunters.

Hey guys, I'll be on a hunt where I have to carry a LOT of gas. As we all know, dumping gas from a WalMart can into a truck is a messy deal. Anyone have any good ideas for getting your truck refilled without gettting smelly?

I'd look hard at that Tomcat Ace High Benny is selling. IMO, it's a great fit for a girlfriend. As I mentioned on his thread, that's what my wife carries, and her mom. No need to work a slide like a PPK or similar small auto, and not the bulk of a revolver.

Nice job! That's a great looking buck. Thanks for the great story to go along with it.

SWDesertRat - thank you so much for the offer - I really appreciate it. I got with my dad today and we worked out a DIY system very close to this. Basically, it's a siphon with a traditional squeeze bulb and valve on the downhill side. Thanks to all the great ideas and suggestions. You guys are awesome.

So far, what I've heard is bucks that were 200" last year are 190-ish this year. Very little water in the spring seems to have had a negative affect on growth. That said, I can count the 190" bucks I've seen alive, in person on one finger, so I'm not too discouraged by the "less than optimal" horn growth. I'm not going up there with "200+ or nothing" approach. I just want to have a good time, see some good deer in amazing country, and if it is my turn to get a crack at one of those big boys, I hope all my practice and preparation come together when it counts. What's really cool, is how many people have been willing to share information so when I get up there I'll have a clue what I'm doing. Most, if not all of the people who have gotten me pointed in the right direction are from this site, and I am truly grateful to all of them.

Think about the caliber. 300 Wby in a super light gun has a lot of trade-offs. The same gun in .257 wby will do a lot better, accuracy-wise.

Twigsnapper, yes, I went with different wheels so I could run some 33" tires. The front is pretty tight with stock wheels so if you want to run taller tires, even with the same width, you need a little more room. I've got a post over on the campfire with pix of the truck after a 3" lift and new tires and wheels. Rossislider, yes, I'm selling just the wheels. I still have two of the old Big-O tires that came off, but I'm kind of saving those for my son's truck. The other two tires were very worn and ready to be recycled.

I'll provide pix if necessary. Got some custom wheels and want to sell the the stock wheels. Come get 'em.

My favorite all-around cartridges are .300 WSM and .270 WSM. With Nosler Accubonds, they do it all. That said, I'm in the process of reloading for my 25-06 as a "backup" gun for a strip tag. I'm going to load 100 grain Barnes TTSX on 50 grains of IMR 4350. That 25-06 is one amazing shooter - but as others have said, even though it's accurate out past 500 yards you lose a lot of energy, especially with a 100 grain bullet. I'll be shooting my .300 WSM Savage 114 classic as my primary gun - it just kills anything in front of it, with the heavy barrelled Savage 110 in 25-06 as a backup. I'll also bring my kids' Howa .270 WSM with 140 grain accubonds, just in case. They're all inexpensive rifles, but with handloads and practice, they all are very deadly. Who knows, if I like the way the TTSX shoot out of the 25-06, it might just be my go-to gun on this hunt. It's really heavy (1" bull barrel), but I've seen what it does to prairie dogs out past 400 yards. Shooting a 2"x4" target at 400+ yards, consistently, gives you a lot of faith. Add a solid copper bullet, and I have no doubt it's enough gun to get the job done.

IMO, if you have time, the only way to go is DIY. It's a lot of work, but well worth it. My family are picky eaters when it comes to game meat. If you take the time, and do it yourself, you are more likely to get super results. Think about it, these meat processors are going through lots and lots of elk this time of year, and the pressure is on to get them done fast. They just can't put the same attention to detail in as you can - it wouldn't be worth their time at $.80/pound to trim every bit of sinew and fat out, and save all the good "scraps" for grind.