This morning brought a change in weather. The last three days have been in the mid-60?s and rain all day yesterday. This morning was 40 degrees and had the bucks up prowling. I was in the stand well before daylight so I?d have plenty time to get all my camera gear set up. At 0835, I seen movement in the pines. Heading my direction was a young buck. Quickly I began getting my camcorder set up, hearing protection on, mic on, camera on, deer in viewfinder, and preparing for the shot. Once finding the deer in the camera and getting it centered, I grunted to stop the cruising buck. At 60 yards to my hard left, I checked the viewfinder to ensure deer was in view, then settled the crosshairs on the bucks left shoulder and began squeezing the trigger. The Stalker bucked and the deer stumbled - 25 yards and down. As soon as the deer went down, I turn the camera on me to start talking and realized in all the excitement, I forgot to hit the record button....can?t have nothing!

I was shooting a Hornady 240 XTP mag over 24.0 grains of H110. The XTP did extensive damage to both lungs, with large entry and exit holes.





I then picked up my phone to text my son that I had one down. Before he could reply, he got one too. His deer crossed a deep ditch that was to his hard left and came up a hill straight toward him. As the deer approached, he pulled down his hearing protection and began raising the Bisley while cocking the hammer. At 10 yards, the buck stopped, head-on, with his head slightly up-right. As Clay was focusing on the front sight settled on the brisket and squeezing the trigger, the buck bobbed his head as they commonly do when they?re not sure about what they?re looking at, and the Bisley barked! The 250 gr Keith bullet struck the buck right between the eyes - DRT!



After doing an autopsy on his deer, we found his bullet...



It exited the back of the skull, went through two vertebra, and lodged against the third. A total of about 10?-12? of penetration through a rugged path. The load is a 250 gr Keith cast over 8.0 grs of Unique.

It turned out to be a great morning for us an the 44?s...