A week in the woods

[Goat]

Yesterday ended my week of vacation which was spent mostly at the deer camp. It started off with as lovely day last Saturday, it was cool and still. At 6:50 AM I looked out the stand window to see a young doe in the food plot. At first I decided to pass then thought that this would be a good chance to break-in my "new" Savage 99-A in 250/3000. A Sierra 90gr HPBT applied tight to the shoulder resulted in an instantaneous "DRT". The week then went down hill with warm weather,high winds and then two days of rain followed by more windy conditions. Friday dawned with me in a climbing stand in my favorite creek bottom with my faithful 336 Marlin chambered for the deer killing 35 Remington. At 7:20 I caught movement on the other side of the bottom. I thought that it was just another squirrel until I realized the size of it. Bringing the Marin to my shoulder I instantly found the deer in my Leupold. The first thing I saw was part of an antler and the deer's eye. At 60 yards through the very limited openings in the brush I had no shot. My heart was racing! Then the buck took a step and was gone and then just as suddenly appeared again. The marlin snugged up to my shoulder as the buck took a step that revealled his chest though an openning only slightly smaller than his chest. The Marlin spoke and a handloaded 200gr Core-lock was applied behind the bucks left shoulder . The deer made a mad dash for the nearest creek crossing but failed to make the thirty yard dash. The little seven point was mine. Examination during field dressind found that the Core-lock did what it always does.... It expanded well to tear a golf ball sized hole though both lungs and exit the far side.That was fun!
Saturday morning found me in another climbing stand overlooking a stand of hardwood in the middle of a pine sappling thicket. I had hardly settled in when I began to hear deer on my left and then on the right. Slowly dawn began to break and I was straining my eyes to see the deer that I could hear in front me slightly to the left. I wasn't sure if my eyes were playing tricks or if I was really seeing movement. A few more moments passed and the whites of the inside of a deer's legs came into view as the deer quartered away from me. The 35 Remington Marlin 336 eased to my shoulder. Those heavy duplex crosshairs found the beginning of the short ribs as the deer turned strong quarteing away. The Marin sent another of those 200gr core-locks 30 yards to make the four point collapse in his tracks. Dressing that deer I found that the bullet had again preformed exactly as it should. It tore a golf ball sized hole through both lungs taking the front of the heart on its way to exit the neck.
I think it was a good week after all.
Goat

[JerryB]

It sounds like you had a good week as far as making meat, that always helps the trip.

[kimwcook]

Congratulations on a good hunt. You're a lucky man.

[Tycer]

Awesome!

[44LVR]

Cool. I REALLY enjoyed that story! Nothing like a week in the woods to freshen a mans mind and attitude.

And meat on top of that, well, that's gravy!

44

[RKrodle]

Congratulation, wish I could of been doing the same.

[Nath]

Well done and welcome back

Say, the 90 grainer HPBT is that a match bullet? I used 22 ones ( match bullets ) on varmints and they work a treat and allways wondered if the bigger ones would do ok on game etc.

Nath.

[marlinman93]

Congratulations! Very nicely done, and a great report too!

[Goat]

Nath, I've been away from the computer since I posted and just found your question concerning the Sierra 90gr HPBT. Sierra calls this bullet a "GameKing" and I have found it to be satisfactory in my 26/06 as long as you stay away from larger bones. I have used that bullet in the 25/06 to take about 25 deer through the years. My uncle has used it exclusively for nearly thirty years and has taken over a hundred deer with it. The only trouble I ever had was on deer quartering toward me and placing the bullet in the ball socket of the shoulder. This resulted in a bullet explosion that filled the lungs with shards of bone and small bullet fragments. The deer only went about thirty yards but left absolutely no blood trail. I have since swapped to 100gr Nosler Partitions but would not hesitate to use the Sierra again in the 25/06 if only broadside or neck shots were taken. The 250/300 does not push the bullet nearly as fast and it seemed to hold together well.
Goat

[RIHMFIRE]

Glad to hear your of your success!
Congrats!

[joe in fl]

Great story, Congrats!!
Joe