Posted By: PythonHunter
Iowa handgun buck - 12/29/2011 8:42 AM
Late muzzlelaoder season is here and after some unseasonably warm weather, I finally made it a point to get out no matter what. I have two doe tags and a buck tag and had made up my mind that I was going to go out and shoot the first doe that I had an opportunity at. Armed with my Colt SAA in 44 special stoked with Speer factory ammo, 200 gr. Gold Dot HPs, I had set my limit to 50 yards. (Legal in Iowa to hunt MZL season with a handgun)
I spotted two does bedded in a terrace from about half mile away with no bucks visible, so the stalk was on. Well, the best laid plans don't always work out quite as we hoped. I was able to get to within about 150 yards playing the wind when I look up and see an unusual corn stalk that wasn't there a little while ago. Sure enough, the buck appeared out of nowhere. Now what?
The does were still my main goal and there's about 350 yards between the does and the buck, so I take off after the does. Well, a blown chance at 26 yards, no shot and a humbled ego, and the does are gone. But, due to my lack of ability on the does, they busted lightly, just wandering off, and the buck stayed put. Game back on.
I was able to get underneath him out of sight in about 15 minutes and closed to 43 yards, the distance from one terrace to another. I had him marked pretty good on his terrace, so I peaked through the grass, and there he was, locked on me. I took the shot and he bolted up to the top of the terrace and stopped. I thumbed it one more time and put a second shot into him, this one better than the first. The second shot was quartering away and went in front of the diaphram and lodged just under the hide. The buck ran about 50 yards and piled up.
I'm going to do my best to post a picture so hopefully it works. Thanks to everybody for all the posts that I've read and gotten answers to all my silly questions. Mostly though for the fire to do this with a handgun again, its been a while.
pythonhunter
I spotted two does bedded in a terrace from about half mile away with no bucks visible, so the stalk was on. Well, the best laid plans don't always work out quite as we hoped. I was able to get to within about 150 yards playing the wind when I look up and see an unusual corn stalk that wasn't there a little while ago. Sure enough, the buck appeared out of nowhere. Now what?
The does were still my main goal and there's about 350 yards between the does and the buck, so I take off after the does. Well, a blown chance at 26 yards, no shot and a humbled ego, and the does are gone. But, due to my lack of ability on the does, they busted lightly, just wandering off, and the buck stayed put. Game back on.
I was able to get underneath him out of sight in about 15 minutes and closed to 43 yards, the distance from one terrace to another. I had him marked pretty good on his terrace, so I peaked through the grass, and there he was, locked on me. I took the shot and he bolted up to the top of the terrace and stopped. I thumbed it one more time and put a second shot into him, this one better than the first. The second shot was quartering away and went in front of the diaphram and lodged just under the hide. The buck ran about 50 yards and piled up.
I'm going to do my best to post a picture so hopefully it works. Thanks to everybody for all the posts that I've read and gotten answers to all my silly questions. Mostly though for the fire to do this with a handgun again, its been a while.
pythonhunter
