CA Mule Deer...

DRTYAZN · 09-28-2009, 12:08 AM

Well, after driving half an hour into the hills, hiking in about 1 hour to set up base camp, then two days of ridge hopping, I caught a 2X3 (3X4 if counting all points) bedded down. After two ridges and 4 hrs. of hiking, I see a buck just over 200 yds away, then lose sight of him behind some timber and boulders. After about 5 minutes and not seeing him again, I started a slow walk towards his last location. I was just over 100 yards, downwind with high ground advantage, when I see the antlers above some high green weeds. Just as I get sight of the antlers, the buck must've felt that sixth sense kick in, because it stood up and started looking from side to side. Fortunately for me, that gave me a much better target. Touched off a round and no sooner did my rifle go off, the buck dropped like a sack of rocks. Got down to it and found a medium framed 2X3 mule deer starting to turn to it's gray winter coat. I checked to see where I hit it and found that my bullet hit high along it's left front shoulder, snapping it's backbone, and exiting mid ribs on the right side. I guess that's what happens when I have my rifle sighted in for 300 yds. and forgot how close I was, as well as hurrying the shot. After gutting it, scalping the rack, and stripping the meat from it's carcass, about 70 lbs (meat/ribs). I hiked back to base camp and found my camera in my large pack, where I had packed it... Of course that did me absolutely no good at the time I made the kill, but here's some aftermath shots. I used a Tikka T3 Lite, chambered in 7MM Rem Magnum, with a 150 gr. Winchester E-tip, (have to be non-lead due to hunting in a CA Condor zone, but have never ever seen one in the area).

tnbowhunter · 09-28-2009, 06:01 AM

Nice!!! Sounds like a fun hunt. That rack looks a lot like a Whitetail rack. How lucky to get a dollar everytime you kill a deer, must be one of those silly California laws, lol.
Good looking rifle, i'm partial to those Leupold scopes myself.
Congrats to ya!!!!

DRTYAZN · 09-28-2009, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnbowhunter

Nice!!! Sounds like a fun hunt. That rack looks a lot like a Whitetail rack. How lucky to get a dollar everytime you kill a deer, must be one of those silly California laws, lol.
Good looking rifle, i'm partial to those Leupold scopes myself.
Congrats to ya!!!!

That's called a "Bonus Buck" (LOL)... it was thrown in by my cousin to get an idea of the spread of the rack in the photo... Yup! You definitely can't go wrong with a Leupold... 3.5-10X50mm, VX3... everything within 600 yds is pretty much dead...

tnbowhunter · 09-28-2009, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DRTYAZN

That's called a "Bonus Buck" (LOL)... it was thrown in by my cousin to get an idea of the spread of the rack in the photo... Yup! You definitely can't go wrong with a Leupold... 3.5-10X50mm, VX3... everything within 600 yds is pretty much dead...

"Bonus Buck", LOL, pun intended of course.
Yeah i'm partial to Leupold scopes as well. All of my "deer" rifles wear them.
In fact I have the same scope [3.5 -10X50 VX3] on my 7 mag. It's a Remington 700 BDL SS. I got it when I had a deer lease that had a large soybean field on it. It was a hoot shooting deer well past 200yds right at dusk with that outfit. I opted for the heavy duplex reticle on that scope as I knew I would be shooting most of my deer in fading light.

I have a 3-9X50mm VX2 on my Remington 270. It's a cheaper scope but still plenty bright enough to see out of at twilight. My .260 Rem wears a 2.5-8X36mm VX3. It helped my wife take her best Whitetail one opening morning right at daylight. Even my muzzleloader wears a 3-9X40 VX2. I went through several cheaper scopes on that rifle before I put the Leupold on it. Haven't had any problems since.

Again, congrats on a great hunt!!

Shane06fl · 09-28-2009, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnbowhunter

Nice!!! Sounds like a fun hunt. That rack looks a lot like a Whitetail rack. How lucky to get a dollar everytime you kill a deer, must be one of those silly California laws, lol.
Good looking rifle, i'm partial to those Leupold scopes myself.
Congrats to ya!!!!

I was thinking the same thing about the white tail rack. I guess it's a young mulie. I have never seen one myself.

Nice buck either way

chepdog · 09-29-2009, 09:39 PM

save me some im in town, ive never seen a condor in the high grounds either. We go up to hunt and find nothing but tracks, or crap, but we sure do catch a freaking good a$$ buzz.

**helomech** · 09-30-2009, 08:44 AM

Awesome job, congrats to you. Sounds like a fun trip.

TITANPOWERMD · 09-30-2009, 09:24 AM

Nice! I'm looking forward to my mule deer hunt in a few weeks.

DRTYAZN · 09-30-2009, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chepdog

save me some im in town, ive never seen a condor in the high grounds either. We go up to hunt and find nothing but tracks, or crap, but we sure do catch a freaking good a$$ buzz.

no prob... now that the temps just dropped 20+ degrees in the last 2 days, hopefully the deer have started towards the lower elevations... now if it would just rain so the ground would be softer (and stealthier)... I still have an AO Tag (Archery Only) to fill... as well as my Bear Tag too... and depending on where you hike up in them hills, you might be able to pack out some good smoke too

if the boys in Camo haven't eradicated them all...