HKshutr

My first mistake like that, but it was bound to happen. I look at it this way. I still get to hunt, and I will get to learn more about the unit. And I will check that out wild woody. Thanks for the info!

I have never hunted whitetail, I have always been a desert muley hunter. I've been trying to get the multi-unit December muzzleloader hunt for some time now. That hunt (#1179) was my first choice. I was excited when my card got hit early. On Thursday, my buddy called me and said the results were up, and if I wanted him to check for me. I gave him my info, and he said "you got 6b whitetail". I was confused, and I asked him what hint # it was. He said 1079. I asked him to look up hunt 1179 in the regs. He goes, oh my gosh, that's the muzzleloader hunt. Talk about disappointment. How could I have been so cateless? Well, it looks like I'll be hitting up some of my buddies for advice.

I've spent some time in my jeep the last few weekends. I've seen a couple good coveys out there. Just hope they stay healthy through the summer.

Ya, that's him. With my trusty Remmy 700 .308. He wasn't huge, but he was a good looking buck!

A couple years ago, I got my first 20c tag. I knew the unit pretty well, but had never been drawn for it. I went out scouting the Saturday before the hunt. I saw plenty of sign, but no bucks. I decided I would scout again on Sunday, and I had picked a nice spot to glass a big wash near water with plenty of hills and draws around it. I got to the spot @ 30 minutes before sunrise. Around 8:30, I pulled the binos from my eyes for a rest, turned my head, and there was a nice 3x4 standing 150 yds away looking at me. I held still and watched him. After a few minutes, he just started meandering around, and eventually worked his way to a ridge @ 500 yds away and bedded down. I found my spot. Opening morning, I followed the same routine. Got the before sunrise, and waited. About 20 minutes after I got there, I hears a jeep park down the hill out of my view, and heard 2 hunters climb up, and set up to glass @ 200 yds away from me. They sat there until @ 6:30 and left. Then @ 7:00, a hunter in a yellow vest walked into view 100 yds from me, and spent about 30 minutes walking around in the saddle below me where I had seen the buck the weekend before. He sounded like A bulldozer. I was a little annoyed, but hey, he's got rights too. After he left, I waited about an hour, and decided to hike the ridge above what the buck had bedded down. I glasses and hunted hard the rest of that day, and the following day and saw nothing. Early Sunday morning, I decided to go back to my original plan. I set up in the same spit at the same time, and settled in. @ 7:30, again I lowered my binos for a rest, turned my head, and there he was in some trees @ 300 yds away. I froze and waited. He strolled around, and all of the sudden, I lost him. I kept panning slowly around, and Bam! There he was @ 220 yds away standing in front of a Palo Verde. Perfect shot, you know, the one you dream of. The sun was coming up behind him, and I had a hard time seeing his horns. I was sure it was him, but just couldn't take the shot without being sure. He slowly turned his head and looked back toward where I had first seen him, just like a doe does when she has other deer behind her. I still couldn't see horns, and I really started thinking it was a doe. Then he turned, and started walking at a 45 degree angle away from me up to the ridge. As he crested, I saw the horns. Oh crap! I pulled up my rifle, and BOOM! I took a shot as he was moving just at the top of the hill. I heard a loud crack, and watched him run over the ridge. I jumped to my feet like I was 18 again, reloading on the run, and hoofed it to the top of the ridge. I looked for him for 15 minutes and saw nothing. So I started looking for blood. After @ 5 minutes, there it was. A large bone fragment that looked like it came from the hind legs. The valley he went into was HUGE. So I called up my buddy who was @ 20 minutes away and asked him to come help me track him. When he got there, we hashed a plan. He would follow the blood trail, and I would walk the ridges above him. He started finding blood and we kept on going. It took about an hour of tough hiking before we found him. He got up from under a Palo Verde, and started gobbling up hill. I pulled up, and dropped him. When we got to him, we both said, "This is gonna be a rough pack out." I told him I would climb up the hill and look around. The top was about 50 yards away. I got there, and halleluyah! There was a road right there. I went and got the jeep, and pulled up to the road. We drug him up the hill, and that was it. Hunt over. That was absolutely the most satisfying hunt I have been on in a long time. Hard work, perseverance, and a good buddy to help me out. But man, I wish I had shot him while he was in front of that tree. It would have been a 50 yd drag straight down a hill to the jeep. But then again, would the hunt have been as satisfying as it was? Maybe.

A couple years ago, I got my first 20c tag. I knew the unit pretty well, but had never been drawn for it. I went out scouting the Saturday before the hunt. I saw plenty of sign, but no bucks. I decided I would scout again on Sunday, and I had picked a nice spot to glass a big wash near water with plenty of hills and draws around it. I got to the spot @ 30 minutes before sunrise. Around 8:30, I pulled the binos from my eyes for a rest, turned my head, and there was a nice 3x4 standing 150 yds away looking at me. I held still and watched him. After a few minutes, he just started meandering around, and eventually worked his way to a ridge @ 500 yds away and bedded down. I found my spot. Opening morning, I followed the same routine. Got the before sunrise, and waited. About 20 minutes after I got there, I hears a jeep park down the hill out of my view, and heard 2 hunters climb up, and set up to glass @ 200 yds away from me. They sat there until @ 6:30 and left. Then @ 7:00, a hunter in a yellow vest walked into view 100 yds from me, and spent about 30 minutes walking around in the saddle below me where I had seen the buck the weekend before. He sounded like A bulldozer. I was a little annoyed, but hey, he's got rights too. After he left, I waited about an hour, and decided to hike the ridge above what the buck had bedded down. I glasses and hunted hard the rest of that day, and the following day and saw nothing. Early Sunday morning, I decided to go back to my original plan. I set up in the same spit at the same time, and settled in. @ 7:30, again I lowered my binos for a rest, turned my head, and there he was in some trees @ 300 yds away. I froze and waited. He strolled around, and all of the sudden, I lost him. I kept panning slowly around, and Bam! There he was @ 220 yds away standing in front of a Palo Verde. Perfect shot, you know, the one you dream of. The sun was coming up behind him, and I had a hard time seeing his horns. I was sure it was him, but just couldn't take the shot without being sure. He slowly turned his head and looked back toward where I had first seen him, just like a doe does when she has other deer behind her. I still couldn't see horns, and I really started thinking it was a doe. Then he turned, and started walking at a 45 degree angle away from me up to the ridge. As he crested, I saw the horns. Oh crap! I pulled up my rifle, and BOOM! I took a shot as he was moving just at the top of the hill. I heard a loud crack, and watched him run over the ridge. I jumped to my feet like I was 18 again, reloading on the run, and hoofed it to the top of the ridge. I looked for him for 15 minutes and saw nothing. So I started looking for blood. After @ 5 minutes, there it was. A large bone fragment that looked like it came from the hind legs. The valley he went into was HUGE. So I called up my buddy who was @ 20 minutes away and asked him to come help me track him. When he got there, we hashed a plan. He would follow the blood trail, and I would walk the ridges above him. He started finding blood and we kept on going. It took about an hour of tough hiking before we found him. He got up from under a Palo Verde, and started gobbling up hill. I pulled up, and dropped him. When we got to him, we both said, "This is gonna be a rough pack out." I told him I would climb up the hill and look around. The top was about 50 yards away. I got there, and halleluyah! There was a road right there. I went and got the jeep, and pulled up to the road. We drug him up the hill, and that was it. Hunt over. That was absolutely the most satisfying hunt I have been on in a long time. Hard work, perseverance, and a good buddy to help me out. But man, I wish I had shot him while he was in front of that tree. It would have been a 50 yd drag straight down a hill to the jeep. But then again, would the hunt have been as satisfying as it was? Maybe.

http://www.huntersfriend.com/2013_PSE_Stinger_3G/best_compound_bow_for_the_money.htm You can get the bow package at Cabela's for $399.99 + arrows, field tips, muzzies, releases, and case for @ $560 + tax.

Well guys, I paid $419 for the bow, $25/6 for the arrows, $25 era for the releases, @ $30 for the muzzies, and @ $25 for the case when it was all new. If they are having a fire sale on this now, so be it. I felt I was bing fair. My intentions aren't to try to rip anyone off.

7 month old PSE Stinger 3G with 3 pin sight, whisker biscuit. 27 1/2" draw length and 60# pull. Comes with 10 Cabela's graphite arrows with 100gr field ttips, 6 muzzy broad heads (never shot), 2 releases, quiver, and a plano hard case. Nothing wrong with it, I just decided to stick to rifle hunting. I have shot it @ 50 times. Never dry fired, and never blown the string off the cams. It is ready for it's first tune up. $475

Good looking buck Eli! Congrats to you all on a successful hunt!

Precisely why I asked the question Bobbyo. It is one of those borderline rounds. Shot placement is even more critical with a round like that. But I also believe that a not so great hit on a 200 pounder with a popular round could produce the same results. That is also why I don't take 400 or 500 yard shots. If I do use this rifle to hunt Muleys with, I will definitely need to be sure of my shot. Thanks for the input.

I liked what I saw on the ballistics charts on the Corbon 150 gr, but I would rather load than buy factory ammo. I have heard of people loading .308 bullets in the 7.62 cartridge, but that is not something I want to do. Wouldn't my accuracy suffer? This is the bad side of the reloading and shooting addiction, always tinkering, always wanting to try something new.

Marlin sent me a ups return label last week, but haven't used it yet. I don't think the rifle is worth that much headache. I might call Marlin and see what they say about giving me my money back. The words "go pound sand" are coming to mind. I will probably never be happy with the rifle now.

I bought it at a gun show several years ago. They were made for a limited time, and they are somewhat rare now. It is a Hawkeye version with a 16 1/2" barrel. Very easy to pack, and pleasant to shoot. It would be a great gun for a young hunter. One of those situations where I "just had to have it"! Now it sits in the gun cabinet looking pretty. I've come close to buying one if those stainless mini 14s on several occasions, but was able to fight off the urge. And prdatr, that looks like some great ammo. I looked around a little for 150gr reloading bullets, but haven't found any yet. I'd love to work up my own load with 'em!

No doubt More D. My father in law had been looking for a semi- auto 6mm that had been in his family for quite a while. His nephew's wife sold it after he died in an accident. He managed to locate it through a friend of a friend of the family. My wife took it out last year, but didn't get a shot. I may give that one a go too. BTW, my wife and pa on law got the September early bull hunt in Unit 10 this year. Wish her luck!