I am finally telling my story. Not a fantastic or elaborate story but it did become one of my favorite hunts ever.
I have a uncle who has had a contender for quite a few years now and taken many big game animals over the years. I decided a few years ago I had to have one of these awsome guns for myself. After a few buying a selling years with barrels, I finally settled on a 14" 30/30 Ackley Improved barrel. I have reloaded for this barrel with several different types and brands of bullets and never found one it didnt like. Last April I decided to start loading 130 Barnes tsx bullets infront of a heavy charge of Varget powder. Another load this barrel loved and produced 3/4" five shot groups at 100 off the bench. I decided this gun is more accurate than my rifles, easy to carry, and pointless to keep to only shoot paper.
I drew a private land doe tag this year for third season and thought why not put her to use and enjoy the thrill of handgun hunting. Season started Saturday morning but I was not able to get over to Salida until Sunday evening. Once I got to town I recieved a phone call at ten till five saying deer all over the property, go fill your tag. Well by the time I got there and set up it was to dark to shoot even though the deer were plentiful. So I decided to get to the property the next morning with high hopes.
Monday morning I arrived just before legal shooting time and made my way to the fence at the back of the property that splits our property from another. I found a small ditch that had a nice large tree root at the top edge of it for resting my gun on. Layed down in the ditch and placed my gloves on the root and started watching the fence line for movement comeing out of the hay fields above me. Within two minutes I had two nice bucks comeing right at me with several does following. The deer were all on the wrong side of the fence but I was hopefull. The bucks stopped 35 yards infront of me and started eating. A good doe walked right up behind them, looked at the fence and jumped, game on I think. Get settled on her with the crosshairs, question whether she is to close to the fence and hesitate. She turns around and jumps back over the fence, whew I think, glad she didnt have one of my bullets in her. So now I wonder if I may have set up in a bad spot. At this point the bucks have noticed something is odd and are staring at me. But the doe jumps back over the fence and stands broadside again. As I start to try to turn the gun back on her one of the bucks catches my movement and heads off taking most of the group with him. My doe turns and jumps back out of the property and starts to follow the other deer. SO I decide to lay back for a minute and see if more come down the ridge after the others have settled or left. Then I hear some noise that seems close and lean up a little to see what it is. The remaining buck and my doe have jumped the fence and are walking farther into our property. The addrenaline is pumping now because I think it is going to happen this time. They get about fifty yards into the property and start eating. I take a few minutes and settle down for the kill. I debate whether or not to shoot her in the head for a dead right there kill since she is about 65 yards, or in the chest for a you shouldnt mess that up kill. Well I decided to take the chest shot. Take my time to be steady and place the shot right behind the shoulder to not harm the meat, breathe, calm, steady, squeeze, and boom. She hunches up, then leaps, and then walks about ten steps and stops. She gets wobbly and starts swaying a bit and then lays down in the bedded position. Oh no did I have a bad hit, did I mess up, should I have used the rifle again, all those thoughts are running in my head as I stare through the binnoculars at her. After what feels like a eternity ( probably half a minute ) her head drops. I give her about fifteen minutes before I see if my legs work still and go check her out.
I have a doe and its with my contender. Not a trophy in some books but I cant remember being more excited on any other hunt. While field dressing her I find my shot was higher then I wanted, I destroyed both lungs but missed the heart. Once drug back to the jeep I get her skinned to find out how my bullet worked. Went in between two ribs as a pencil sized whole but excited the otherside through two ribs with a inch plus whole going out. I dont know how my vellocity is as I have not chronod this load but it worked good in my mind and I am a happy handgun hunter finally.
