A couple weeks ago I posted What deer rifle for an old hunter? Many of you left comments and I'm happy to say that Tim emails saying that the hunt was a success and he got his deer. He has a nice After Action Report posted.
I agree with him that the local deer populations seem to be pretty strong. I used to see them regularly in Maryland and Wolfgang would chase 'em if he got a chance. He never got close, of course, but if you're a deer in a subdivision then neighborhood dogs will be an occasional encounter.
7 comments:
Did he say what rifle he used? I might have missed that.
Libertyman
A 30-06 bolt action Remington borrowed from one of my sons. There was some luck involved but I made an effective shot at 50 yards (I know, I did the autopsy myself!). But the deer insisted on running towards the private land/golf course. I was able to cycle the gun and get a second shot off. 80 yards and a running deer I clipped an upper leg and down he went. If that's what I had been trying to hit I'd have been very pleased. As it was, he ended up laying in a logging road which made the drag out fairly easy.
Very interesting getting your first deer. When you walk up and see it it is such a surprise. Of course I was equally surprised a week earlier when I took a shot and could not believe I missed...
Gun shopping now for a .308. I don't enjoy the recoil of 30-06 especially when you have to take a shot at an odd angle. And the deer never turn up exactly where they are supposed to.
TJW
That's good news, but I hate to tell him that the .308 is NOT much less recoil.
I hear about 20% less depending on the specific load. But ammo should be widely available and I don't wanna seem too wimpy...
TJW
Not too “wimpy”, widely available and lower recoil than 30-06: Have a look at the 6.5 Creedmoor.
Creedmoor is also on my possible list. As this is Borepatch I can get into ballistics minutia and politics. I understand .308 is slightly superior at the 200 yards or less that will be the norm for this sort of hunting. Also, given the current political climate, it seems likely that .308 will be less impacted by the incoming administration's intentions to limit importation, and availability in general, of certain ammo types. Not that I'll need a big stockpile but I am going to put 100 rounds down range before next deer season. I frankly got a bit lucky having had almost no prior experience and only about 20 practice rounds in the weeks leading up to hunting.
TJW
.30-06 turning cover into concealment for more than a century.
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