1st one down

[AZbowhntr]

Well my first Coues deer is out of the way. We had quit the weekend with everything from pouring rain to beautiful sunshine.

 

I didn’t end up getting to my trailer until about 1:30am on opening morning due to a prior commitment Thursday evening. Saw one shooter bull still running with at least six cows on the way in. I actually stopped and grabbed a cow call and jumped out and called for a couple minutes. The bull was about a 100 yards off the road bugling like crazy. Just wouldn’t come in out of the dark. Anyway, 5:30am came way too soon. I hunted Friday morning by myself in an area that we took a nice buck out of last year. Glassed several elk and a couple does and fawns but no bucks. All of my friends were pulling in sometime during the afternoon with Chef pulling in as soon as he was able to get off work and head up. Which ended up being noon. Guess he couldn’t wait any longer. Well Friday afternoon we headed back in with six of us glassing. More elk and no Coues deer. So Saturday we decided to hunt another area with much the same results, no deer. We just could not figure them little suckers out. We saw everything else. A lot more elk and even about 25 turkeys. Boy the bulls were still going crazy. Saturday night we had 3 separate bulls bugling at least every half minute for about an hour and a half. Several bulls finally came out of the timber with a couple real nice ones.

 

Sunday morning comes along and we decide to go back into the same area that we were hunting the night before but to hunt it from a different position as we knew that there were deer in there. We just weren’t seeing them. We had been glassing for about an hour or so and hadn’t seen anything when one of the guys decided to walk around a little bit. Well comes across a bear track so him and another guy decide to follow it. It took them to the next ridge where they circled around. About this time myself and a couple others are just hanging out glassing and chatting when I look up and see a buck at about 50 yds right smack in front of me. I quietly say “BUCK, right there”. They both instantly start looking through their binoculars asking where. I say “no right here in front of us”. They see it and about that time it turns and watches us for a minute or so. In the mean time we are quietly talking about the plan. My friend Greg asks me where my rifle was. Of course I reply “in the truck”, which at this time I get a lecture on always having my rifle next to me. The buck finally turned and looked in a different direction and Chef and Greg both started quietly yelling at me the go, go, go. So I drop into the grass and start belly crawling the 25 yds to the truck. I’m wearing a down vest that is making the swishing sound so I can’t hear a word they are saying. Well the buck steps behind a tree and they are both telling me to get up and run. So of course I can’t hear them so I just keep crawling through the wet grass. About this time Chef comes sprinting by me to the truck and grabs my rifle. I see him and jump up and grab the rifle from him and chamber a round and start looking for the buck. In the mean time my PH Chef runs back to the truck and grabs the shooting sticks and brings them back and sets them up for me. So I find the buck who now knows something is up but isn’t sure what yet. When I get the cross hairs settled on him he is broadside and JERK. The safety is still on. Off goes the safety and the buck starts to turn away so when I finally take the shot he is quartering away. Perfect archery angle. But when you see the pictures you will see that it is not the perfect rifle angle. The buck kicked up and started running. Chef is yelling at me to put another round in him. Of course being a hand loader I am bent down picking up my spent brass. Well we start chasing after the buck but don’t find him. So we head back to the spot where he was when I shot him. Chef says “there is blood on my pants” so we follow his tracks till we find the blood. We find a little bit and as we start following the blood trail it turns into a blood swath. Apparently the 168 grain SMK did its job. Well we find the buck about 100 yds away. He is definitely not the biggest buck in the area but he is a very pretty little buck. We later ranged the shot at 81 yds. So much for the new 6.5X20 scope and all the practice.

 

We have had several laughs since Sunday morning about the whole thing. I think that is the most important part of hunting is getting out there and having a good time. This is something that I will remember for the rest of my life. Having several of my best friends there to share is even better. Here are a few pictures. The last one I will try to post a link so that you don’t have to see it if you don’t want to. It is the exit hole. I am shooting the Lazzeroni Patriot that is made by Savage with 168 gr Sierra Match King HPBT. I don’t think I have ever seen anything like this. The bullet went in perfect and came out the back side shoulder. It broke three ribs and completely blew the off shoulder socket to pieces. Just a warning it is graphic.

 

Thanks for reading my long winded tale.

 

Me and the buck

 

Chef and I

 

Greg, Chef and I

 

The whole gang

 

Warning, this one is graphic! Exit wound

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/oegbert/picture021.jpg

 

 

[lucky2hunt]

Congratulations on your buck! Spending time with good friends and good laughs are what it's all about! and....Holy Heck! What an exit!!!

[fatbastard]

Nice buck, better story. As for the exit wound . Speed kills, weight destroys, and both combined make hamburger I guess. Forget blood, you guys should have been looking for meat spray where you shot him.

[izquik72]

Great story and a nice buck.

 

Looks like that round would work well on Buffalo, Elephant, Grizzly bears, etc

[cramerhunts]

Congrats Orlin! Great job on the write up, sounds like a blast.

[Faster Daddy!]

Congratulations AZBOWHNTR! The old "there's the deer", "where's your gun" story. I hate it when that happens. Anyways, it worked out for ya. Check with some of the others but I don't think sierra recommends the "match king" for hunting and thus explains your bullet exploading. I think that is why they make the "game king". The match kings are just for paper. I believe the exploading bullet would be just a devastating wound on one side of an elk or larger game. Again, congratulations on your buck!

 

[BowNut]

Wow what an exit! Great story cool looking deer. Thats the only thing about Sierra Match King's they will blow out half the deer one shot and the next shot could punch a 30cal size hole in and out.

[The Coues]

Congrats!!!

[Chef]

Saturday night we had 3 separate bulls bugling at least every half minute for about an hour and a half. Several bulls finally came out of the timber with a couple real nice ones.

 

Let's just say they were rutting harder than in the unit I was helping Stan out during the archery hunt. It was unbelievable!

 

My friend Greg asks me where my rifle was. Of course I reply “in the truck”, which at this time I get a lecture on always having my rifle next to me.

 

You forgot the part where Greg was saying "stop" "go" "stop" "go" everytime the buck looked in and out of our direction!

Kind of reminded me of this vid...

Plus he's giving you the lecture! That was awesome.

 

About this time Chef comes sprinting by me to the truck and grabs my rifle. I see him and jump up and grab the rifle from him and chamber a round and start looking for the buck. In the mean time my PH Chef runs back to the truck and grabs the shooting sticks and brings them back and sets them up for me.

 

I think I needed a Gatorade and a stretch after all that running! I'm just glad we were able to make it all work.

 

...JERK. The safety is still on.

 

This I learnt after the fact. I think you were too embarrassed to tell us! Another one for the campfire!

 

Chef is yelling at me to put another round in him. Of course being a hand loader I am bent down picking up my spent brass.

 

I still can't believe that I looked up only to find you looking hard at the ground for your spent case!

 

He is definitely not the biggest buck in the area but he is a very pretty little buck.

 

It's going to look awesome mounted together with your bobcat.

 

We have had several laughs since Sunday morning about the whole thing. I think that is the most important part of hunting is getting out there and having a good time. This is something that I will remember for the rest of my life. Having several of my best friends there to share is even better.

 

Very well put. It was great to just be out there looking for bucks and enjoying the company. Nothing better than hunting with good friends.