Posted By: sixshot
Muley with the 45 - 08/27/2018 7:24 PM
Took this muley doe today with my Ruger Bisley 45 & the grand old 260 gr Keith with 18.5 grs of 2400. This load has been a long time favorite for decades, not only for me but for many lovers of the fine 45 caliber six guns.
Again, this was a depredation hunt, only today the deer were really jumpy, it was easy to see that they had been hunted pretty hard since I had been here last. Every deer I spotted was up & running, this wasn't going to be easy. Plus there weren't as many deer as before, somebody had pressured them pretty good & many of the brushy draws were empty, the heavy cockle burr patches where I had hunted before only held 2-3 deer & they were up & running as soon as I got close.
I got off the 4 wheeler & walked some new areas & did jump some deer but again they were up & running as soon as they sensed danger (me) & they never stopped to look back. AS mentioned my belt gun today was my Bisley 45, a gun & caliber that I dearly love. I've taken lots of game with the 45 including 4 elk, the 45 is a proven game getter, with correct loads it takes a back seat to nothing.
My second gun as usual was my scoped 357 Maximum 10.5" gun, it's been with me on every trip & not once has it been out of the Barranti shoulder rig. I thought today I might have to use it the way things started out, this was turning into another sweaty, dirty, smoky (fires) in your face grind.
I made a 4-5 mile swing & the only thing I spotted was 7-8 antelope going top speed across a section of short Alfalfa. Watching antelope is one of my favorite things to do but you have to do it quick, these 80-90 lb Ballistic Missles can change zip codes in 90 seconds so you can't take your eyes off them or they are out of sight in a hurry.
I decided to leave the area I had been hunting & go into some border line cover that was close by & I had seen deer there in past years. There is a place where they have used a bull dozer to push up a long dirt bank, probably to stop erosion. This spot has a bunch of rock & Sagebrush grown in & is about 10-15 yds wide with CRP on one side & a harvested grain field on the other. You will see a photo of the end of it about the 4th photo. It's wider further back.
As I ease along going slow I have my walking stick in my left hand & the bottom resting on my left foot board. You will see a couple of photo's of it also. After about 200 yds I spot a deer sneaking through the very tall (4-5 feet) Sagebrush moving away from me but not running. I stop & run my left wrist through the leather loop on my walking stick as I draw the Bisley 45 from my strong side Barranti rig, the same rig I wore when I shot the antelope. With my left wrist through the loop I had to twist it 3-4 times to get my wrist high enough & then I could get both hands on the gun. This is a very steady hold, one I've used many times but never while sitting on the 4 wheeler.
I finally spot the deer & it's partially hidden by some Sagebrush but not enough that I can't get a bullet in there. The doe is facing to my left as I settle the "Sixshot" fiber optic sight on the rib cage & start my squeeze. At the shot the deer drops & 3 other deer take off to my left out into the CRP on a hard run. I wait 3-4 seconds & see my deer get up & take 8-10 steps out into the stubble & drop.
The big Keith slug had broke the left front leg, hit the heart & one lung & exited, it never gets old with a six gun, ever, doing it with the grand old 45 brings back a lot of memories, all of them good. I ranged the shot after I pulled the trigger which is how it works out many times. Sometimes I can range an animal before the shot but many times it just doesn't work out that way, like on the antelope, I misjudged it bad but the flat shooting gun bailed me out. The shot was 58 yds using my walking stick as a rest. You see the gun in my left hand but that's just for the photo. I almost always shoot right handed.
Dick
Again, this was a depredation hunt, only today the deer were really jumpy, it was easy to see that they had been hunted pretty hard since I had been here last. Every deer I spotted was up & running, this wasn't going to be easy. Plus there weren't as many deer as before, somebody had pressured them pretty good & many of the brushy draws were empty, the heavy cockle burr patches where I had hunted before only held 2-3 deer & they were up & running as soon as I got close.
I got off the 4 wheeler & walked some new areas & did jump some deer but again they were up & running as soon as they sensed danger (me) & they never stopped to look back. AS mentioned my belt gun today was my Bisley 45, a gun & caliber that I dearly love. I've taken lots of game with the 45 including 4 elk, the 45 is a proven game getter, with correct loads it takes a back seat to nothing.
My second gun as usual was my scoped 357 Maximum 10.5" gun, it's been with me on every trip & not once has it been out of the Barranti shoulder rig. I thought today I might have to use it the way things started out, this was turning into another sweaty, dirty, smoky (fires) in your face grind.
I made a 4-5 mile swing & the only thing I spotted was 7-8 antelope going top speed across a section of short Alfalfa. Watching antelope is one of my favorite things to do but you have to do it quick, these 80-90 lb Ballistic Missles can change zip codes in 90 seconds so you can't take your eyes off them or they are out of sight in a hurry.
I decided to leave the area I had been hunting & go into some border line cover that was close by & I had seen deer there in past years. There is a place where they have used a bull dozer to push up a long dirt bank, probably to stop erosion. This spot has a bunch of rock & Sagebrush grown in & is about 10-15 yds wide with CRP on one side & a harvested grain field on the other. You will see a photo of the end of it about the 4th photo. It's wider further back.
As I ease along going slow I have my walking stick in my left hand & the bottom resting on my left foot board. You will see a couple of photo's of it also. After about 200 yds I spot a deer sneaking through the very tall (4-5 feet) Sagebrush moving away from me but not running. I stop & run my left wrist through the leather loop on my walking stick as I draw the Bisley 45 from my strong side Barranti rig, the same rig I wore when I shot the antelope. With my left wrist through the loop I had to twist it 3-4 times to get my wrist high enough & then I could get both hands on the gun. This is a very steady hold, one I've used many times but never while sitting on the 4 wheeler.
I finally spot the deer & it's partially hidden by some Sagebrush but not enough that I can't get a bullet in there. The doe is facing to my left as I settle the "Sixshot" fiber optic sight on the rib cage & start my squeeze. At the shot the deer drops & 3 other deer take off to my left out into the CRP on a hard run. I wait 3-4 seconds & see my deer get up & take 8-10 steps out into the stubble & drop.
The big Keith slug had broke the left front leg, hit the heart & one lung & exited, it never gets old with a six gun, ever, doing it with the grand old 45 brings back a lot of memories, all of them good. I ranged the shot after I pulled the trigger which is how it works out many times. Sometimes I can range an animal before the shot but many times it just doesn't work out that way, like on the antelope, I misjudged it bad but the flat shooting gun bailed me out. The shot was 58 yds using my walking stick as a rest. You see the gun in my left hand but that's just for the photo. I almost always shoot right handed.
Dick