1st Buck of the Season

jscusmcvet

Explorer
Happy to report my first buck of the season. Gun season in eastern NC started last Saturday. I had to work for the morning and had a cousin's son's 1 year old bday party to go to for lunch. On the way home I told Ann I would like to head out for a little hunting time. We live on 45 acres and lease an adjoining 60. A mix of hardwood and open fields. I usually hunt some of the streambeds in the hardwoods. We have purposely stayed out of the section of property we hunt this summer and early fall. Instead of corn piles, etc... we are trying to let it go and let the deer grow accustomed to freedom to roam.

I left out plenty early, about 4:30. I take the back way from the house, past the barn, across a stream and up a ridge line to an old dirt road that separates my 45 from the 60 acres. I had an eye out but was just making time down the road. I was maybe 5 - 10 minutes walking from the house. I came abreast of a tiny thicket with several bushes and one tree. To my surprise, when I was directly next to it, a buck popped up and sprinted out across a former hay field. It has not been planted in a couple years so it is quite overgrown. I dropped my gear, chambered a round and moved around the little thicket.

I picked him up in the scope (Pentax 3x9, lightseeker... great scope) He was going away from me at full bore. I tried to time his leaps and when it seemed right, fired. I was confident of a hit. I circled around this 20 acre field and struck into the brush at an angle that would intersect with his angle of travel. A few minutes later I found him, not yet into the woods. Still glassy eyed and apparently just expired. A beautiful buck, 7 points, decent size. Not a monster at all and maybe one some of you would pass up, but I was happy to have him.

Best part was the shot. I paced it off and the shot was approx. 150 yards, I shot from the off hand, while the deer was running away. USMC marksmanship in action :wings: (or lucky...) The round entered the top of his back, through the backstrap, severed his spine and came to rest higher up in the neck. Winchester Silevertip, great expansion. Remington 700. One of my best shots ever, I think.

Wife has been processing meat all day. She ground 16 pounds of meat from the shoulders alone. Happy to have the freezer getting refilled. She is vacuum sealing this year before freezing this year and feels that will help the meat stay fresh longer.

10 minutes into my season. Can't wait to get back out again.

Buck Oct 2013.2.jpg

John
 

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Modeler

W1DCS
Congratulations John. Nice shot too. (My son just PSCd to be a Range Coach onboard Camp Pendleton, so I think it was USMC training. LOL)
 

steelheadbum

Adventurer
Congrats!!
My seasons over as well...:banghead:
uhu4uha4.jpg

Buck
The Redneck Mexican
2002 E350 7.3 PSD 4x4 8inch lift pop top conversion....
 

762X39

Explorer
Nice deer guys. I am putting up my treestands this weekend for the late November rifle hunt at the cottage.The deer porn is keeping my excitement level high :wings:
I have been using a vacumn sealer for the last 10 years and can't say enough good about using one. You can lose a piece of meat at the bottom of the freezer for 18 months and because there is so little air in it there is next to no freezer burn!:coffee:
 

jscusmcvet

Explorer
Congratulations John. Nice shot too. (My son just PSCd to be a Range Coach onboard Camp Pendleton, so I think it was USMC training. LOL)

Right on! Tell your son I said Semper Fi and congrats to you on raising a Marine :) I never learned how to shoot until Parris Island and did not really learn well until with my unit, where one of the guys in my squad took time to help me calm down and understand what the heck was going on. Qualified expert from there on in and still apply what I learned from him.

Thanks to all for the congrats. We are headed camping this weekend, and to run a trail marathon, but have Monday off as well, so hope to hunt morning and evening on Monday.

John
 

Modeler

W1DCS
Right on! Tell your son I said Semper Fi and congrats to you on raising a Marine :) I never learned how to shoot until Parris Island and did not really learn well until with my unit, where one of the guys in my squad took time to help me calm down and understand what the heck was going on. Qualified expert from there on in and still apply what I learned from him.

Thanks to all for the congrats. We are headed camping this weekend, and to run a trail marathon, but have Monday off as well, so hope to hunt morning and evening on Monday.

John

Have fun this weekend. He was destined to be a Marine. LOL He was born 10-November and decided after 9/11 that he would follow in his Grand Father's footsteps (he graduated PI 51 years before my son). He said Ooh-rah! back at you. He described working the range as "Work in the AM, Zombie Apocalypse in the afternoon".
 

steelheadbum

Adventurer
My dads buck shoot with a muzzleloader 120 yards iron sights on sat.
gadu9yga.jpg

Buck

The Redneck Mexican
2002 E350 7.3 PSD 4x4 8inch lift pop top conversion....
 

jscusmcvet

Explorer
Nice buck... and 120 on a muzzle loader seems like a good shot to me, although I admit to having no experience with one.

I have seen a few good does since this initial buck, but either have not had a good shot or it was getting too dark for me to reliably take the shot. Need at least one more deer for the season to fill the freezer.

Trying to adjust my schedule to get some more afternoon hunts in.

John
 

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