First deer with the Savage
Dec 3, 2011 14:15:56 GMT -5
Post by jgar on Dec 3, 2011 14:15:56 GMT -5
The regular firearms season was horrible. Spent most of my time trying to get my boy a shot at a decent buck or a doe. He passed up a 4 point at 50 yards and that was the only shot he had all season. With wrestling tournaments on Saturdays, his practices in the afternoons and the terrible weather we have had around here hunting time is limited.
This morning I went out alone, first day of muzzleloader season, he had a tournament. I picked a spot today in finger of trees that sticks out from a woods into a harvested bean field. The woods runs straight south about 350 yards and meets another woods running east and west. The corner is a crossing from one woods to the other, deer use it all the time. Was just planning on using today as a scouting trip to try to see how the deer were moving to try to set up my boy tomorrow.
About 9:30 this morning 6 does start to cross followed by 2 small bucks. 4 does and the bucks angle into the other woods while 2 doe start walking the woods line straight towards me. Both keep looking behind them. I am thinking that a buck or another doe is behind them. Finally I see something pop into the field....a coyote.
The coyote is 75 yards behind them which is 300 yards from me. They keep walking towards me and when the does stop the coyote stops too. He does not seem to be gaining on them but the does are getting spooked. The does are getting about 150 yards out when the smaller one spooks and runs my direction. She stops about 50 yards in front and 30 yards to the right of me. The larger doe has turned and is facing the coyote with her tail in the air, the coyote is facing her about 50 yards in front of her. Both of them are just staring at each other and I am wondering what is gonna happen here. After about 30 seconds the larger doe spooks towards me running full bore, the smaller doe takes off too, she enters the finger i am in and angles into the larger woods. The large doe stops just before she enters the corner of the finger i am in and the big woods to check on the coyote. The coyote is still just standing there. I already had my sights on the doe when she stopped, if the coyote would have been following I would have waited on him. The doe was slightly quartering away, put the crosshairs just behind the shoulder 1/2 way up the body and touched off. The impact just about knocked her down, she recovered and ran about 60 yards before she fell. The coyote was still in the field, looking at where the doe fell. I got started on the reload and when I looked up he was gone.
I paced off the distance to the doe when i shot and it was 27 steps. When I field dressed her there was a golf ball size entrance wound inside her ribs just behind the shoulder, the exit on the ribs was golf ball size too and came out the shoulder.
My normal load is 63 grains of RE7, BCR and a 325ftx. I wanted a load that was easier for me to shoot under normal field conditions so this load was 45gr of 5744 ,RCR and a 250ftx. Could not have been happier with the performance of this load. Will see what the shoulder looks like when I skin her out.
This morning I went out alone, first day of muzzleloader season, he had a tournament. I picked a spot today in finger of trees that sticks out from a woods into a harvested bean field. The woods runs straight south about 350 yards and meets another woods running east and west. The corner is a crossing from one woods to the other, deer use it all the time. Was just planning on using today as a scouting trip to try to see how the deer were moving to try to set up my boy tomorrow.
About 9:30 this morning 6 does start to cross followed by 2 small bucks. 4 does and the bucks angle into the other woods while 2 doe start walking the woods line straight towards me. Both keep looking behind them. I am thinking that a buck or another doe is behind them. Finally I see something pop into the field....a coyote.
The coyote is 75 yards behind them which is 300 yards from me. They keep walking towards me and when the does stop the coyote stops too. He does not seem to be gaining on them but the does are getting spooked. The does are getting about 150 yards out when the smaller one spooks and runs my direction. She stops about 50 yards in front and 30 yards to the right of me. The larger doe has turned and is facing the coyote with her tail in the air, the coyote is facing her about 50 yards in front of her. Both of them are just staring at each other and I am wondering what is gonna happen here. After about 30 seconds the larger doe spooks towards me running full bore, the smaller doe takes off too, she enters the finger i am in and angles into the larger woods. The large doe stops just before she enters the corner of the finger i am in and the big woods to check on the coyote. The coyote is still just standing there. I already had my sights on the doe when she stopped, if the coyote would have been following I would have waited on him. The doe was slightly quartering away, put the crosshairs just behind the shoulder 1/2 way up the body and touched off. The impact just about knocked her down, she recovered and ran about 60 yards before she fell. The coyote was still in the field, looking at where the doe fell. I got started on the reload and when I looked up he was gone.
I paced off the distance to the doe when i shot and it was 27 steps. When I field dressed her there was a golf ball size entrance wound inside her ribs just behind the shoulder, the exit on the ribs was golf ball size too and came out the shoulder.
My normal load is 63 grains of RE7, BCR and a 325ftx. I wanted a load that was easier for me to shoot under normal field conditions so this load was 45gr of 5744 ,RCR and a 250ftx. Could not have been happier with the performance of this load. Will see what the shoulder looks like when I skin her out.
