My friends at Savage are sending me a Savage 110 Apex Storm XP Package with a stainless steel, button rifled barrel to test in 6.5 Creedmoor. I requested this model because it is jam packed with features that costs well over $1000 and includes a Vortex Scope. They say it is ready for anything nature can dish out! We shall see…
FEATURES
Redesigned Model 110 rifle
Stainless steel button-rifled barrel
3-9x40mm Vortex Crossfire II scope, mounted and bore-sighted
Dead-Hold BDC reticle’s hashmark design reduces guesswork on holdover and windage
Vortex Hunter medium rings and one-piece EGW 0 MOA rail
I headed up to my family camp just north of Milan, NH day before yesterday March 12, 2019 to hunt the bunnies north of the Pontook dam. I have a case of Cabin Fever and I knew of a spruce thicket that would be great to see the snowshoes. I could only get a couple hundred yards in without snowshoes. What a slog!
In the thicket I was up to my thigh in snow but out in the open I was up to my hips and could barely move. On entry I saw many tracks of every species of game, predator and prey alike including deer and moose. In fact, I was snorted at by an unseen deer. I think they have wintered-up nearby as there were few thickets to be found these days. Years back there were plenty of heavy timber thickets for deer to winter and yard up.
Later I found a snowmobile trail behind camp that I could use and walked a half mile to a thicket of silver birch and spruce where there were some fresh snowshoe hare tracks. It was a beautiful day full of sunshine and blue sky. In fact, the silence was deafening as it usually is in the north-woods. My minor tinnitus dominated the silence but I didn’t mind as the splendor of the day was evident. The snowmobile trail was used by a coyote recently as he peed in the snow every couple hundred yards to mark his territory.
I will mark this visit Month and Day as a no hunt for my future calendar unless I had a snowmobile and snowshoes. However, it was a great release of my cabin fever!!
If you have a snowmobile, get going up there! Still lots of snow!
The .375 Ruger was introduced in 2007 as a rimless standard length cartridge that is slightly larger in powder capacity and energy than the .375 H & H Magnum (a belted and tapered cartridge) , widely used in Africa all the way up to Elephant. Great on big Russian Boar with their protective shield!
The .375 Ruger cartridge is used on the same dangerous game with a shorter Ruger rifle bolt throw like the 30-06 and a Mauser action which reliably grabs the rim of the cartridge and chambers the round. And in North America the .375 Ruger is ideal for Brown Bear, Moose and Bison. It will throw a 300 grain bullet at around 2500 fps and 2650 fps with 260 grain Noslers, both achieving around 2 tons of energy at the muzzle or so.
The .375 Ruger is offered in the Ruger Hawkeye African with American Walnut and the Ruger Hawkeye Alaskan with a synthetic stock. I hunted plains game in Africa with the Ruger M77 in .338 Winchester Magnum and 250 grain Nosler Partitions, accordingly, I got acclimated to heavy recoil.
As an Outdoor Writer I wanted more experience with powerful cartridges so I purchased the Ruger Hawkeye African in .375 Ruger some years back.
What is to tame in the .375 Ruger? Felt recoil with the stock recoil pad originally provided was insufficient to tame full power recoil at a bench rest where I was locked into the rifle position for accurate shooting.
There are several pads that are available on the market today to reduce felt recoil by 50% or more. I use the Pachmayr Decelerator. It did not take me long to purchase and test a few. They tame the full power loads so much that I can shoot them in my T-Shirt.
The accuracy of my .375 Ruger in the M77 Ruger African Rifle is nothing short of exceptional, often regularly shooting sub-MOA groups. Nosler is my go-to bullet company. The AccuBond and E-Tip and Partition give me superior bullet construction delivering over 4000 ft-lbs (2 tons) of energy at the muzzle and like 2800 ft-lbs at over 200 yards.
Years back, at 50 yard a friend observed my very first shot with the rifle right out of the box with dangerous game loads. After placing a shot with a Leupold Scope on paper, he said, go ahead and shoot another. I shot the second round. He said, I missed the whole target. Shoot another… and I did. Missed that one too he said. So we went down range to find the three bullets in the same hole. My friend said, “Your keeping that rifle, Right?” I grinned a big smile.
So what else is there to tame? Well, this rifle cartridge, when hand loaded can be easily reduced in power to hunt deer and black bear if you like.
You can search articles here in NH Rifleman for more on the .375 Ruger reduced loads.
It is like owning a 38-55, a .375 Winchester, and a cartridge more power than the .375 H & H Magnum. Finally the Ruger is not fussy about bullets, it shoots them all very well and I can shoot all the way down to 220 grain bullets.
I have some 235 grain heads for deer. See the article below.
Moose are the largest deer in North America. Most sportsmen and women hunt moose for several reasons. First and foremost is that , in my case, moose hunting is an Adventure in the Wilds of Canada! And moose meat is absolutely delicious. An adult moose can provide more than 300 lbs of boned venison for your family. A bull moose with its great antlers is a spectacle that deserves taxidermy and display perhaps over your fireplace or in your game room in remembrance of the hunt. As for me, I can afford a bucket list Newfoundland Moose Hunt in the $6000 to $7000 range and get a great representative “wallhanger” of the species too.
Newfoundland Moose (Alces alces americana) are plentiful, there are over 130,000 just in Newfoundland alone. Being such large adult animal in the 850 to 1200 pound require lots of delivered bullet energy for penetration in the sizable heart/lungs area (the size of a 10 inch paper plate) with the right bullet construction at the right angle to cleanly harvest them.
The most critical component of all is shot placement! No caliber, cartridge or energy can substitute for correct shot placement. Period!
Whatever you ultimately decide to hunt moose with, you have to be comfortable and accurate with it under field hunting circumstances, no red spot target to aim at here, and the hunter is filled with adrenaline, and heavy breathing making your scope crosshairs wiggle like a worm. A monopod, bipod or tripod rest will aid greatly here.
I have said before in a recent article, that you can kill a moose with your deer rifle given some understanding of delivered energy at a given distance and shot angle such as broadside or slight angled away. Some Fish and Game officials ascribe to 2500 ft-lbs of energy as a guideline for the a full grown largest adult Bull Moose who may tip the scales at 1200 plus pound live weight category. Using the .270 Winchester, 30-06 Springfield and 6.5 and 7mm calibers will work with good shot placement but not at the recommended energy. If you have a larger caliber you shoot well then I recommend you use it. Put them down faster with larger calibers. I highly recommend a 180 grain bullet or higher from a 30 plus caliber rifle, if you shoot them accurately, such as the 30-06 Springfield, 300 Magnums, .338 Win Mag and 375’s. The 7mm Rem Mag in 175 grain works fine but personally, I’d rather a larger cartridge-caliber as I can handle the recoil. These bullets have higher sectional densities above 0.25 for maximum penetration. A great article to read is from Chuck Hawkes. https://www.chuckhawks.com/sd.htm
Below cartridges I handload, among many others are the .375 Ruger, 30-06 Springfield, and the 6.5 Creedmoor. I like the .375 Ruger over the 30-06 for moose because I can handle the recoil and shoot it very well. A Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad cuts felt recoil in half.
.375 Ruger, 30-06 Springfield, 6.5 Creedmoor
Try to stay under 200 yards. I will likely use my Ruger African M77 in .375 Ruger. I shoot it very well, and it does perform, delivering a 260 grain Nosler AccuBond with 2800 ft-lbs of energy at 200 yards. If I had to reach further with a good rest, it can. Still got to wait for the right shot though, and great shot placement! See Lungs and heart outline below with red dot shot placement.
Shot placement is the real hero here.
I believe, on average, there are many more moose in the 850 pound class than the 1200 lb class. At 2500 ft lbs of energy your .270 Winchester also has a muzzle energy of 2500 ft-lbs so you need your moose at the muzzle? I don’t think so but an 850 lb moose you need around 1800 ft-lbs and that gets you out to 200 yards.
You can’t put a moose on a weight scale before you shoot’em.
I arrived at the 1800 ft-lb at 200 yards using the ratio of bullet energy to harvest over the animal weight. Example: It takes 1500 ft-lbs to cleanly kill elk. Bull Elk on the hoof weigh in at 600 to700 lbs. I used this ratio to solve for energy needed with a ballistic calculator for a 140 grain .270 bullet at 2800 fps.
I cannot stress the use of a rest of some kind enough. Like a Bog Pod or Primos Trigger Stick. They are worth every penny!
In the Newfoundland bogs you are often in brush that may block your shot here and there. Patience is a virtue! Just like deer hunting!
Bullet Construction – for heavy game should be rugged and hold its weight while penetrating. Bonded, Fail Safe, and Partition or Specialty Copper bullets do a great job at maintaining weight as they mushroom and penetrate. I am a Nosler Partition and AccuBond fan though there is a new .375 caliber 260 grain solid Gilding Copper E-Tip(TM) I will test. Both have served me well on Wild Boar, Moose and Bison already.
On April 17, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, one of the newest members of the bipartisan Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus (GSC), signed HB 428 into law, which expands opportunities for crossbow hunters throughout the state.
“With the passage of HB 428 in 2017, Granite State hunters aged 68 and older will now be able to use crossbows during the regular archery season for deer, without obtaining an additional permit.”
Previously crossbow use during archery season was relegated to disabled hunters with a special permit, though crossbow use was allowed during the regular firearms season (with additional permit) and the muzzleloading season (with muzzleloading permit). The bill has an effective date of June 16, 2017.”
###
As a senior in this category I am heartened by the signing of this bill. We want to keep seniors in the field and forest hunting as long as they are able. Today’s Crossbow’s are used to harvest all North American Big Game.
Has the Crossbow as a hunting tool made a deer population control conservation impact above and beyond the long bow, recurve and compound bows. The answer is a resounding yes, in many states that recognize it as a state of the art archery hunting tool. In fact, there are more deer taken in Ohio by crossbow than by other archery means. The crossbow is particularly useful in urban residential areas with high deer densities. This is because the crossbow like today’s compound bows make little noise and does not bother the neighbors.
NEW HAMPSHIRE IS NOW GREEN. CROSSBOWS ARE LEGAL as specified in new Regs.
“The QDMA is dedicated to ensuring
the future of white-tailed deer, wildlife
habitat and our hunting heritage. As such,
we are more interested in managing deer
and habitat appropriately and protecting
our hunting heritage than debating use of
specific weapons. If the use of crossbows
positively impacts a deer management program
and helps recruit and retain more
hunters, then we fully support it.”
I was a traditional recurve archer most of my young life till the compound bow came into vogue in the 1970’s but archery took a back seat when I had a shoulder issue in 2012 and could no longer get my bow to full draw. Note the Compound bow was seen as a usurper of traditional archery too. It was disappointing as all get-out to not be able to shoot my bow.
If I can shoot a rifle then I can shoot a crossbow. In addition, the same hunting guidelines and distances (40 yards in open terrain only) that apply to archery are the same for the crossbow.
The same similarity exists as the traditional muzzleloader of the revolutionary war began a muzzleloader season and is now supplanted nearly 100 % by in-line muzzle loaders with a 209 shotgun primers and used for hunting most big game on the planet like elk, moose and brown bear. The crossbow is no less the same.
New Hampshire is suffering loss of revenue in hunter volume and license sales. Think out of the Box!!
Further that David Risley is an avid deer hunter in Ohio along with over 140,000 buckeyes take to the woods with a Crossbow. Note that as of 2009 David Risley is Ohio’s Wildlife Management Chief. Ohio hunters and non resident hunters are keeping the financial coffers full with the embrace of the crossbow AND serving the conservation effort of whitetails and human/auto collisions alike.
I personally know of 5 female deer that live between houses in southern NH. Next year there will be 15 deer between houses. Who is going to harvest and consume this surplus deer that live among houses and where the deer aids as a tick borne vector which places humans and our children on the brink of an epidemic. Note that the Coyotes live with the deer too. Hey what happened to my pooch? He just disappeared or was pulled from a leash and eaten.
I give local seminars in Lyme Disease prevention. Most of us today have been or know someone that had a bullseye rash and associated flu symptoms later if not caught to manifest into brain dysfunction, paralysis and joint pain and death.
The state of New Hampshire does an otherwise great job in managing the central and northern herds but there are growing pockets of deer in Southern NH that could use the Crossbow especially in Rockingham County to keep the deer in check and provide added recreation in the archery season and meat for the freezer.
As QDMA states: “If the use of crossbows positively impacts a deer management program and helps to recruit and retain more hunters, then we fully support it. And I support it as a QDMA member.
Oliver and Mary Ford have hunted together since he gave her a double-barreled Bernardelli as a wedding present in 1976. Mary soon decided she preferred deer and elk hunting to bird hunting, so the shotgun was traded for a Winchester 7x57mm Featherweight, ideally suited for her five foot frame.
Below Oliver and Mary on an early elk hunt on horseback, lots of riding and no shots at elk on that hunt…
When Mary decided to go for elk again in 2017, she opted for a Browning A-Bolt in .308 and loaded it with 150 grain Federal Trophy Copper ammunition, mainly for their reputation for through and through penetration but also because that ammo eliminated any concerns about leaving lead fragments in the venison younger members of the family would consume.
It was not until the fifth and final day of her hunt, just as legal shooting time was slipping away, that she had a chance to fill her tag with a large bull with a battle-broken antler that appeared on the edge of a mountain meadow in southern Colorado.
The bull stopped dead in his tracks at the first shot, but he managed a step forward, so she shot him again, not taking any chances. Over many hunts she had learned the necessity of well-placed shots.
Across the mountain top, her son Ross smiled when he heard her shots, knowing what probably had happened while he and his guide, Grant Hottman, played hopscotch with an elusive bull they never caught up with. Sure enough, the cell phone buzzed, calling them to bring the trailer and help Mary’s guide, Doug Doster, Ronald and me with loading the bull.
Only Ross and his uncle Ronald drew tags in 2018, and Mary’s job as a dean required her to stay home, so I just went along for the hunt. Ross’ job required him to fly out and meet us in Colorado, so he arrived the day before the hunt began. The next morning Ross and Grant were off to the far side of the mountain again while Ronald hunted an area where he had taken a good bull previously. Noon found us all back at camp for the usual, great lunch. Ross reported he liked the feel of the pre-64 Mod 70 Featherweight in 308 and was confident that the same Federal load his mother had used would do the job when needed.
At 4 pm Ronald and Doug were situated in a high blind with a commanding view of that same meadow where Mary had been successful the year before. Ross and I were in an open blind closer to the lower end, where a small stream cut across the end of the meadow. Over the years elk had been known to move out into the meadow from almost every quarter. The previous year a herd of more than 20 elk had come out of the creek bed right at dark, following the lead cow almost all the way to the top before she spooked and they all thundered back where they had come from. There was a good bull in the middle but it was too late to shoot.
From our blind we studied the small clearing near the creek but saw nothing. We scoured the side of the mountain across from us but saw nothing but birds, We tried to determine what the wind was doing, but it kept changing directions, first in our face and then on the back of our necks and then down the length of the meadow. As the light faded and the trees were shrouded in shadows, we strained to see into the woods line, but details were slowly being erased as the end of legal shooting approached.
Suddenly I sensed that Ross had stiffened and was staring into the shadows along the creek. He had seen something move, but then… nothing.
Far away but higher, Ronald and Doug had seen the bull come up out of the creek bed, seeing his dark head, chest and antlers and a bit of his rump, all of which was lost in the shadows from our lower perspective. Then he stopped. All Ross had seen was movement in the shadows. The bull then began to walk forward, slowly revealing the antlers that confirmed he was legal, even though an accurate count of points was impossible. As he emerged from the creek bed, he turned slightly uphill and stopped, presenting a clear broadside view, just as the elk had done that Mary took the year before.
Ross responded by leaning into his shooting sticks, slipping the safety off, aiming just behind the shoulder and firing, all in less time than it takes to write this. The bull stopped moving immediately, transfixed. When the bull did not fall, Ross shot again, just to be sure.
At first the bull did not respond, but then swayed back and forth, causing Ross to worry that he might lunge over a nearby precipice and tumble 70 feet into a mass of vines and sticker bushes in the dark, so he shot him in the shoulder, whereupon the bull fell over, kicked a few times and was done.
Then we could walk the 200 yards to where he lay, no more than 20 yards from where Mary’s elk had fallen the year before.
A later green scoring rated his 6×6 rack at a satisfying 309 and 7/8 points, and when he was skinned, we could see that both chest shots had left 3 inch wound channels through both lungs only a few inches apart. The bull had been dead on its feet from the first shot.
As before, Doug called Grant to bring the trailer for us all to load the bull for the trip down the mountain to camp, where we marked a successful beginning to the 2018 hunt with a long, slow sip of Knob Creek bourbon. It had been a truly auspicious beginning and sudden end to Ross’ elk hunting season, but Grant and fellow hunter John Finch from Detroit, had taken photos that proved to be a preview of John’s hunt a day or so later.
After a side trip to Major Wildlife Taxidermy, the bull will assume a dominant position in the family trophy room filled with reminders of past hunts and fishing trips.
Hunt Info: Tim Barraclough, Kiowa Hunting Services, Raton, NM Tim@kiowahunting.com
I harvested three deer, a Trophy Buck and two does just several days ago. The meat was boned (due to NHFG CWD Reg’s) by a local Texas wild game processor and shipped via UPS and guaranteed to arrive in three days. There were 2 large boxes with insulation foam inserts that shipped with 113 lbs of unprocessed venison parts and sealed in vacuum bags with notations of parts such as hams, loins, back-straps etc.. Cost of three deer prep and ship was over $500. I could have risked a one week ground ship but the risk of loss was too great having made such a large investment in the first place. I share this with you, in case you must do this as well.
I hunted Texas because, my research found there was a high probability to see and harvest a mature 4 1/2 year old buck (on a 40 square mile “low fence” Cattle Ranch and Hunt run by Wildlife Systems, Inc.) with antlers that were fully developed. Yea Baby! My guide Pete, driving us in a 4 wheel ORV in some cases 10 to 15 miles off road around this wild cactus, juniper and mesquite like chaparral (part of the Edwards Plateau) to a blind in the pitch black of night or on an afternoon stand… we hit the trail hard.
It was adventure! And it paid off Big Time with this 144 3/8 Boone and Crockett buck of a lifetime! And two conservation does for the freezer. I have eight grandkids and friends who love my mouth watering venison creations.
Venison Arrived still partially frozen but thawed enough to begin processing.
My Kitchen Grinder set up with a LEM Grinder from Bass Pro.
The sanitary cutting boards, knives and sharpening stone.
I started with the larger hams by carving out major muscle groups and cutting larger muscle groups into steak and smaller muscles into tips, stew meat and for burger.
Below this meat is for venison burger using the LEM Grinder. I purchased a small amount of top round Angus beef roast with some fat to add to the burger as venison has very little.
Below are two back straps. The one I am pointing to has had the tough silver skin removed.
Below using a sharp knife this silver skin membrane is easily removed.
Let the LEM Grinder do the grinding. I used the rough (large hole) and finish (small hole) disc’s to create a nice burger. It is vital to have refrigeration was available throughout the process to keep the meat cold.
Below is half done for the burger. This container was mounded by the time I was done. I processed perhaps 35 lbs of burger. My wife and I had venison burgers for dinner. Wow! They were just delicious! OMG!
Next came the vacuum sealing in meal size portions. I date the seal-a-meal packing and note the contents. My wife and grand daughters helped to vacuum seal and freeze it. We can enjoy the Venison for the next year or two. I gave my two tween young grandsons and I a lunch of grilled back-strap and steaks with crispy browned potato medallions with some bacon fat and Olive Oil just moment ago. They inhaled it! The meat was exceptionally flavorful with wild “hints” that identify venison. I added a 5 minute marinade, a bit of Worcester Sauce, salt and fresh cracked pepper. The texture of the meat was delightful. I got my grill up to 400º F before putting the meat on. I seared each side leaving the meat rare to medium rare.
I was gonna take a picture of the lunch but since it was hot off the grill we ate it straight away. Sorry maybe a photo at a later meal. 🙂
Today November 13th, 2018 and it is pouring cold rain outside here in New Hampshire. What a great way to warm up with grilled venison and fried potato medallions.
My hunt began with an email this summer from Greg Simons, General Manager and Principal of Wildlife Systems, Inc. of Texas as an invitation. https://wildlifesystems.com/our-staff.html
The hunt was to be for a small group of hunters who were interested in a hunt with Larry Weishuhn otherwise known as “Mr. Whitetail” . I have read some of Larry’s books and seen his many of his video’s for more than a decade. I jumped at the opportunity because if Larry – Mr. Whitetail likes it, then it must be good. Below he and I are in a rattle off. He won of course! What Fun!
The price was right for a low fence wild trophy hunt and it was on my bucket list for several reasons. The most important reason is that Texas has some of the largest racked deer in the world. I was already looking for a Texas Hunt! Yea, Saskatchewan and Alberta bucks are bigger bodied but not necessarily in antlers. Over the years I gleaned great respect for Larry because he was just as jeeped up about deer hunting as I was and shared that “spark of life” enthusiasm with his family and friends that hunting can bring. He is truly a hunters friend.
We only had 3 1/2 days to take a mature trophy animal of our choosing. I thought that the days to hunt was a bit short but I was proved wrong as the hunt unfolded.
As in all hunts, we fired our rifles to check our 100 yard zero that afternoon before the hunt. Below, J. D. a retired College Professor and part of my hunt team, sighted his 7mm Rem Mag in.
My Weatherby Vanguard, with Nosler 129 grain AccuBond Long Range bullets, was dead on. My back up rifle was my TC Encore 50 Cal Muzzleloader and I shot that too with 100 grains Pyrodex and 300 grain Powerbelt bullets. The shot was off dead center by a whole inch. Nice! But as I shared a long shot of 150 yards would produce insufficient energy. Larry encouraged another shot with 150 grains of Pyrodex to see where it might hit. I agreed, and said with a smile; “Yea Larry you just want to see this cannon beat my shoulder up”. Yup,he replied with a Texas drawl, and with a big grin,something like “Should be real fun” as I recall.
Stoking the TC with three Pyrodex pellets and another 300 grain Powerbelt I let the TC Encore (smoke-pole) rip. Boom…!When the smoke cleared the 50 cal bullet took out the black 1 inch square we were supposed to aim at. “Guess we will need a new target”, I offered. Dead silence for a moment among other hunters and Larry was a big thumbs up on the 150 grains of Pyrodex. They were impressed, I guessed. Me too!
I was encouraged to use that instead of the Weatherby 6.5 but I said only if it really becomes necessary. The 6.5 Creedmoor is one of the most accurate, high delivered energy, mild recoil hunting cartridges in the world. Nosler provides an excellent range of 6.5mm bullets to use.
My Weatherby Vanguard Weatherguard was topped with a Leupold Gold Ring VX-6 3-18x44mm (not HD) zoom lens. One of the finest quality variable zoom scopes on planet earth. I tested it and I love it. https://www.leupold.com/scopes/compact-scopes/vx-6hd-3-18x44mm
Check out the dozen or so articles here in my magazine on the VX-6 (type in VX-6 in the SEARCH BOX). The Weatherby is a trusty rifle with synthetic stock. The Weatherguard coating is almost impervious to rain and rust. Priced in the $600 range it is a real bargain! The Leupold VX-6 is worth two rifles.
Pete my guide used 4 wheel/ 4 passenger ORV’s to go from stand to stand sometimes traveling up to 15 miles to get to a far away box blind (many were elevated) . We got lots of 4×4 passenger time! Lots, driving perhaps over 100 miles of Texas wilds in total.
I was seeing so many deer and 10 or so 8-point bucks on my first day but no mature 4.5 year old shooters yet. Day 2 morning stand I was dropped off solo, to shoot from my own blind while Pete spent the morning with JD my hunt partner for the trip. I was observing a nice typical 8 point with chocolate palmated antlers below. I guessed him at 3.5 years old. He needed another year, so I passed on him.
That afternoon I hunted with Pete. Pete was excellent to have as my guide, younger and full energy and muscle. When Pete spoke I listened closely. We sat in a box blind that was slow to have animals show up to the feeder. It throws corn out to 10 or 20 yards when it goes off only once. I am not a box blind sort of hunter per se, but in these circumstances it was essential because the deer were so spread out across the 40 square miles. I acquiesced and later thanked these blinds for a measure of safety if I had to stay in one for overnight in Texas wilderness. I did not see any rattle snakes but some were seen by a family that lived nearby!
Back to the Hunt…An 8 point came in but we noticed he was always looking over his shoulder in an nervous sort of way. We guessed that there was a larger buck out there that he did not want to tangle with. Later on near dusk, my jaw dropped when this high-long-tined 10 point came out. Holy mackerel, “I want that one” I said excitedly to Pete, reaching for the Weatherby. My heart was racing, and adrenaline was kicking me hard. I got the rifle set up on a “Bogpod” and took the shot at 100 yards. A gimme shot from a bench but add in a adrenaline soaked shooter (me) that had never seen a rack like that in his entire life. I missed! You what! Yep, I missed. Oh No! The buck of my lifetime and I missed! The buck nervously turned to look back where the shot had come from. He gave us the caboose and walked quickly off. His gait as he walked away showed no signs of injury. Still, we needed to be sure he was ok and went to look for blood and hair. Part of Pete’s job is to ensure a real miss, and that the animal was not wounded, so he got right down on his hands and knees and looked for hair or blood spatter. Finding none Pete declared a complete miss.
Well, I lamented, “if I am gonna miss, then miss clean, I said. Nothing worse than a wounding or losing a deer. I was just kicking myself for not controlling the buckets of adrenaline washing over me. But that is what drives me to hunt, I love the excitement of the hunt. If I had no adrenaline, I’d just as soon stop hunting. Even the best of hunters miss now and again, that’s why they call it hunting and not getting!
As a result of the miss, I was concerned that we may have inadvertently banged the scope out of whack in the many miles we had it in the 4×4. Accordingly, I could not shoot it in the morning as we were on the trail to the next hunt stand at 5 am before light. Larry agreed, “Take the 50 cal Ed”
I was forced by the circumstances to take the TC Encore 50 Cal out as my backup. The TC sported a Gold Ring Leupold VX-3 2-8x36mm and, as I said earlier, it shoots well.
At dinner that night everyone said, “It happens” that’s why they call it hunting!
The Camp Cook, Richard and I hit it off well. He said these things happen for a reason. Ed, he said, “I have a good feeling about your hunt in the morning” ! I was undaunted as well, another shot will present itself, I thought firmly.
I said a prayer of thanksgiving just to be here on such a great hunt.
The morning, still dark save for Moonlight, was clear. Above my head I could see the constellation known as the Big Dipper (Ursa Major – Big Bear) to the right and “Orion the Hunter” directly above me. A good sign! My father, a hunter too, taught me about the American Indian where young braves who were challenged to look at the middle star in the arm of the Big Dipper as a test to see the double star we call Mizar that was with it. That second star was easily visible.
I sat in silence at 6 AM awaiting the dawn in the glow of the “day old” full Moon. The local population of Mocking birds, like a barn yard roosters, began chatting and chirping about 7:15 AM announcing morning has broken. Light began to intensify with each passing second as the skyline went from purple orange to blue. I used my Vortex 10x binoculars to see what was gathering at the feeder, they worked great. I could only see shadows for a while that were deer but never identify buck or doe. I waited till there was enough light near 8am to see antlers. There was one very large deer with its tail facing me. It was directly under the feeder. As other deer approached, the big deer would lurch at them. The other deer gave wide birth…. The light was sufficient to see it was a buck and antler tips but he was still feeding with his back side to me. Suddenly he lifted his head. Oh My God! I saw so many points on just one side that said “Shoot em” to me. But I was skeptical, I needed more convincing as QDMA training teaches that it is the body that says age not the antlers necessarily, wanting to see his neck and body too. In a few moments he had turned to his right side. His body was large and dark, his neck was not at all slender and it had no curve but full and chunky. Just a straight line from his jaw to his chest. And he was bossy to other deer. That was all the convincing I needed, a real mature deer of 4 1/2 or older, I said to myself.
I had the TC Encore on the shooting sill and put my Leupold VX-3 crosshairs on him. I cranked up the power to see a symmetrical rack of at least 10 points with nice brow tines. In that moment I did not hesitate to pull the hammer back. My heart was thumping but I was much calmer as I put the crosshairs just behind his shoulder. This TC Encore had a trigger job by Mike Bellm (https://www.bellmtcs.com/) and set at 3 lbs pull. Very sweet!
As the Gold Ring Leupold VX-3 crosshairs settled just behind his shoulder, the rifle bucked rearward. I did not feel the recoil as I was so focused on the shot. White smoke belched out obscuring the deer for a several seconds. Even the ground was eerily oozing smoke among the flora. The buck was down, right there! See below.
I kept the scope on him and looked for movement, seeing none I still hesitated to take my eyes off him so I remained on him observing with the scope. I would normally reload but I wanted to stay in visual contact as the buck laid very still and wanted to keep it that way.
After a few minutes I was convinced he was hit very hard and at that point I reloaded and stayed in the blind with the rifle still on him. A Red Angus Cow and calf came over to see the buck lay ever so still. It was at that point that I shouted Yahoo! I eased out of the blind and toward the buck and the cow and calf took the cue to leave.
As I approached, the antlers kept getting larger and the points more numerous. I counted 11 points in utter amazement. This buck was even bigger than the one I missed. Guides saw him smaller last year and in a different place on the ranch. So this was unexpected that he showed up here.
There is a red spot on his shoulder, that was the exit wound from the 300 grain Powerbelt. His feet are already up in the air ready for dressing. This guy was massive for a Texas deer. Pete came over in the 4×4 with JD to see what I shot at. Grinning a big grin I said to Pete, “Got a Crane?, Your gonna need it.”) He said, “Yea we can handle that”. They drove the 4×4 80 yards to the buck. Wow! Nice Buck! And so fat! JD came over and shook my hand. Congratulations Ed! I was thinking this was THE buck of my lifetime. I was just elated beyond words. The guides scored him at 144 3/8 Boone and Crockett Points. I am just speechless!
I had two doe tags to fill so I retested the Weatherby Vanguard and Leupold VX-6 and it was fine. It was my excitement that caused the original miss the other day. So the next morning after some great backslapping I headed to a stand for taking the two does. As luck would have it I saw two does that morning and took both with the 6.5 Creedmoor Weatherby Vanguard Weatherguard getting full penetration with the Nosler 129 grain ABLR. I tagged out!
In 3.5 days I saw at stands, in range, thirty 8-point bucks and five mature 8 and 10 point bucks including the one I took.
I was just lucky to shoot the best of them. Thirty five big bucks in 3.5 days. I am shipping meat back via ground transport. More soon when the meat arrives. I have Wildlife Systems handling the Trophy mount for me. I think I am going again! Check out the Wildlife Systems website at the beginning of this article if you are interested in a hunt. Happy Trails…
On and off camera he has a natural leadership style as a Whitetail aficionado that I look up to. On this hunt, Larry was the frosting on the cake as it were. His stories and hunt experience extended beyond US and Canada to Africa, Europe, and Australia. The hunters we had in camp (just west of San Angelo, Texas on the Edwards Plateau) were veteran hunters and a few of those in camp were also fortunate to be able to hunt around the world. We were all eager to listen and become intertwined in his memories. Larry and I became great friends! Larry is writing another book so look for it. I am hoping to get a signed copy.
Camp Cook – Richard T. Berry
Also in camp was Richard T. Berry, of Broken Spoke Cattle Company. He is also an Auctioneer- Sales Consultant Professional Guide and Outfitter and the greatest Camp Cook I have ever had the privilege to meet and eat the food he created. Richard and I became great friends as well. He is easy going and very helpful. Richard has a massive Canadian buck to his credit that scored over 200 Boone and Crockett points. Richard is writing a venison cook book which I hope to purchase as well. I gave him my copy of a Venison Cook book “Buck Buck Moose” by Hank Shaw! It is a fine Venison Cookbook too.
At New Hampshire Rifleman we have written over 30 articles since April of 2015, extolling the virtues of the 6.5 Creedmoor as both a world class hunting cartridge and a competitive long range target cartridge that is great on barrel life, less recoil, more accurate and delivers deep often full penetration on big game with Sectional Densities of .280 and .290 at long ranges of 600 yards and over. It crosses the CXP2 and CXP3 boundary for game classification it can handle. I am going to hunt Texas Whitetails (CXP2) with it next week in a Weatherby Vanguard topped with a Leupold VX-6 3x18x44mm with Nosler AB’s.
Guess the Military looked at the Creedmoor too!
Late this past year US Special Operations Command tested the 7.62 Nato Round against the 6.5 Creedmoor and the.260 Remington. Both the .260 Remington(6.5mm) and the 6.5 Creedmoor outshot the 7.62 Nato round. SoCOMM determined that the 6.5 Creedmoor shot the best according to Wikipedia below.
“In October 2017, U.S. Special Operations Command tested the performance of 7.62×51mm NATO, .260 Remington, and 6.5mm Creedmoor cartridges out of SR-25, M110A1, and Mk 20 sniper rifles. SOCOM determined that 6.5 Creedmoor performed the best, doubling hit probability at 1,000 m (1,094 yd), increasing effective range by nearly half, reducing wind drift by a third and having less recoil than 7.62×51mm NATO rounds. Tests showed the .260 Remington and 6.5mm Creedmoor cartridges were similarly accurate and reliable and the external ballistic behavior was also very similar. The prevailing attitude is that there was more room with the 6.5mm Creedmoor to further develop projectiles and loads.[27] Because the two cartridges have similar dimensions, the same magazines can be used and a rifle can be converted with a barrel change. This led to its adoption and fielding by special operations snipers to replace the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge in their semi-automatic sniper rifles, planned in early 2019. In response to SOCOM’s adoption, the Department of Homeland Security also decided to adopt the round.”
