Andreas
10-19-2010, 12:30 AM
So, after many years of shorter weekend type trips mostly with my dad and some friends that ended up with me coming home empty handed... I finally have a successful hunting story to tell! My first animal ever!
Headed out the day before opening day in Region 8 for White Tail antlerless with my dad and one of his friends with his son. Toughed out the relentless rain on Sat. and Sun. and managed to see a few white tail throughout the week but it was always the same old story of "she saw me first before I saw her and got nothing but the old white flag waving at me as she bounded away". I also found a nice antler shed of a 6 pt. white tail buck.
We are just about to call it quits as we are nearing camp on foot as the evening hunt is coming to an end but we instead decide to check out another trail/road in the other direction from camp. It is around 1815 with a few minutes of useful light left as we climb a small hill the trail curves left and the relatively thick brush opens up to the left into a small clearing at the base of a hill that runs up to a small ridge line. I notice a huge black "thing" and say to my dad, "I think that's a bear", he looks through the binocs and confirms, "It sure is." Remembering that I still have a black bear tag from a few unsuccessful spring hunts I decide to go for it. As I take my rifle off my shoulder the bear spots us and bolts up the hill. I bring the rifle up and take aim letting a .270 150gr. fly. It hits her in the lower left hind quarters as she is sprinting away and she lets out a groan. It turns out that shot took out quite a large chunk of her left hind leg, and although she slowed noticeably she kept on sprinting up that hill. I zig-zagged between a few trees to get a clear shot (as now she was most of the way up the hill) I gave it one more as she got to the top and this one hit her in the head.
Wow, what an experience! My first animal and first successful hunt! This one should make a nice rug and some fine sausage!
Some of you eagle eyes out there might notice that I'm using a Remington 710 (and as mentioned in .270) and might groan and say/think that it's such a lousy rifle... poor quality etc. And my only response to that is: I know it's a budget line rifle, and knew so from the start, but when I bought it last year from a friend who was helping me find my first rifle I was on quite a tight budget, and despite the plastic parts and the cheap looking and feeling stock... this rifle is surprisingly accurate! At least enough for my shooting ability. I am very happy with its performance especially for the budget price, and in the not so distant future plan to buy something a little 'nicer'. Perhaps a Tikka T3 laminate/stainless in 7mm Rem Mag. Although I am partial to Remington in particular the 700.
Anyhow, just thought I'd post another story of "my first successful hunt".
Cheers,
Andreas
http://picasaweb.google.com/andreas.diana/HuntingTripFall2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCMmOq7Hrkeim3wE&feat=directlink
Headed out the day before opening day in Region 8 for White Tail antlerless with my dad and one of his friends with his son. Toughed out the relentless rain on Sat. and Sun. and managed to see a few white tail throughout the week but it was always the same old story of "she saw me first before I saw her and got nothing but the old white flag waving at me as she bounded away". I also found a nice antler shed of a 6 pt. white tail buck.
We are just about to call it quits as we are nearing camp on foot as the evening hunt is coming to an end but we instead decide to check out another trail/road in the other direction from camp. It is around 1815 with a few minutes of useful light left as we climb a small hill the trail curves left and the relatively thick brush opens up to the left into a small clearing at the base of a hill that runs up to a small ridge line. I notice a huge black "thing" and say to my dad, "I think that's a bear", he looks through the binocs and confirms, "It sure is." Remembering that I still have a black bear tag from a few unsuccessful spring hunts I decide to go for it. As I take my rifle off my shoulder the bear spots us and bolts up the hill. I bring the rifle up and take aim letting a .270 150gr. fly. It hits her in the lower left hind quarters as she is sprinting away and she lets out a groan. It turns out that shot took out quite a large chunk of her left hind leg, and although she slowed noticeably she kept on sprinting up that hill. I zig-zagged between a few trees to get a clear shot (as now she was most of the way up the hill) I gave it one more as she got to the top and this one hit her in the head.
Wow, what an experience! My first animal and first successful hunt! This one should make a nice rug and some fine sausage!
Some of you eagle eyes out there might notice that I'm using a Remington 710 (and as mentioned in .270) and might groan and say/think that it's such a lousy rifle... poor quality etc. And my only response to that is: I know it's a budget line rifle, and knew so from the start, but when I bought it last year from a friend who was helping me find my first rifle I was on quite a tight budget, and despite the plastic parts and the cheap looking and feeling stock... this rifle is surprisingly accurate! At least enough for my shooting ability. I am very happy with its performance especially for the budget price, and in the not so distant future plan to buy something a little 'nicer'. Perhaps a Tikka T3 laminate/stainless in 7mm Rem Mag. Although I am partial to Remington in particular the 700.
Anyhow, just thought I'd post another story of "my first successful hunt".
Cheers,
Andreas
http://picasaweb.google.com/andreas.diana/HuntingTripFall2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCMmOq7Hrkeim3wE&feat=directlink