So I have been "hunting" a deer for a couple weeks now, I have seen a good bit of sign, just couldn't really find a good spot to sit, but I think I finally have it.

Given the right wind, I will be hunting there Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (no school). The ranges should be close, within 50 yards.

My plan is to go shooting tomorrow afternoon one last time and if I am satisfied with my results (6 inches or less at 100 yards) I will be carrying the SRH. I will also have a rifle in case I loose all confidence at the last second.

Hopefully this is the weekend.

Good Luck Clayton; I wish you the best.

Gregg

My advise is leave the rifle at home. If you can't bring yourself to do that then lean it up on a tree well out of reach. You'll have it at hand in case you'd have to follow up something wounded and you wouldn't be tempted to use it vs. your handgun. Been there done that.

good luck and have confidence in yourself,I'll be taking the kiddos hunting this weekend myself.

BTW you're doing it right by shooting before to get your confidence up. That's a big part of the battle.

If your mind is right, your shot will be true.

Follow through, follow through ;-)

good luck. Remember pick a small spot on the deer and aim for that spot. i always tell myself that while on the stand. I think it really does work. The old "aim small, miss small" saying

I guess here is a couple questions, any one used the 300 grain nosler jhp? And what is the furthest any of yall has tracked a deer after is has been shot?

Well at 40 yards I was shooting around 2.5-3 inches so I am carrying the SRH. I finally got a good trigger squeeze so my groups have improved significantly. At first I was only hitting the paper half the time.

I am carrying the rifle and revolver, I am limiting my revolver shots to within 30 yards, just not that confident yet and really don't want to risk a wounded deer.

There are a lot of variables there Clayton. It all depends on where you hit 'em, as you know. You are shooting well enough that I got confidence in your ability to put it in there. You are going to get amped up a bit when it comes together so just remember to breathe and squeeze (just the index finger ;-)

Well said!

Well I got 2, neither with a handgun. When I was in my stand I hand the SRH ready and intended to use it but.... both of them were while I was walking through the woods and the SRH was in my back pack.

So Saturday afternoon while walking to my stand I saw the deer crossing the road (more of a atv trail, private property), it was standing in the scrapes from the deer I have been hunting. I saw antlers, didn't bother counting because he was about to run, shouldered the rifle and shot. He was facing me head on when I pulled the trigger.

Well there was plenty of blood on the ground, started tracking and jumped him about an hour later, shot again and missed this time. My dad came to help me track at this point and we followed the trail for probably a half a mile, I started to loose hope. The blood trail started getting thinner and thinner, then finally ran out completely. At the end of the trail we scanned out in all directions looking for blood, nothing, then we hear him. I got my gun ready and here he came walking down the hill.

Now at this particular point I am in THICK woods. I saw the deer but couldn't get that great of a look at him and just found a lane a about 10 feet in front of him and aimed. As soon as he stuck his head out I shot, he was down wind from us so I didn't wait for a shoulder shot. He jumped STRAIGHT up in the air, took off, and fell. Walked up to him, flipped him over and uh oh, it was a different deer. But he was HUGE, a 170 pound 8 point. Around here a 150 pounder is BIG, the biggest I have seen someone kill in this club was 180.

So we got him out of the woods, which took about an hour or more. Went back the next morning with most of the club, 7 people, and picked up the blood trail again. Found the first deer about 200 yards away. In all he ran at least 3/4 of a mile, pretty impressive considering the bullet when in his brisket, came out behind the shoulder, went back in the rib cage, and ended up in the hams. He was a 150 pound 6 point.

So I killed 2 bucks in one day, a big no no but an honest mistake. Didn't see a game warden so I didn't get in trouble.

Went back to the spot today to put out a camera. Every one told me it was a waste of my time that I killed the deer making the rubs and scrapes but I didn't believe that he was the one. I saw him Saturday morning but never got a shot, he was definitely bigger than the 6. While I was standing in the woods, with the camera on the tree, I hear something. Shouldered my rifle and got ready, a doe, then another, then there he was. He paused when he saw me, about 30 yards away. I shot, levered the action and shot again as he was running away. Got some people to help me look and no blood, we found where the second bullet hit the ground, clean miss.

So I will be back in the same spot Friday and Saturday. This time, if I actually make it to my stand without killing one, I will be using the SRH.

Everyone kept telling me that it was the luckiest day of my life, that I will never have another like it if I hunt the rest of my life.



Here is the 6, all I have for now is a cell phone picture.



And the 8. Again the cell phone doesn't give it justice. This one will be my first that makes it to the living room wall!

Congrats, Clayton. Now, you gotta leave that rifle at home next trip!

rifle or not, that is a cool buck. Congrats

Nice bucks.

Congratulations. Now leave that long gun at home.

Congratulations Clayton!

Thanks everyone. The long gun will be riding along again next time, but if I actually make it to the stand the ruger will go boom (If I luck out). Gonna do some more shooting this week.

Congrats! Your tag limits are much more liberal than what we have in pa.

We get 2 deer a day, only one can be a buck

3 bucks per season

unlimited does per season

Finally got a better picture.



We have one weekend left so hopefully I can get one with the handgun this time. Our club doesn't shoot does after January 10th so that is out of the question but maybe I can find a nice buck.