Post by KRal on Jan 28, 2022 20:13:04 GMT -5
Earlier this season, I took a couple of mature does as candidates for some smoke sausage…
I wasn’t hurting for meat, thanks to a moose and bear, so I began hunting a few mature bucks. Our rut peaks mid-December thru mid-January, so I was passing on all doe sightings hoping they’d be dragging along a mature buck. It was was a great plan and strategy, but didn’t work to my favor. I seen many bucks and a good bit of rut activity during that time, but not the mature bucks I was after. Once the buck sightings and rut activity tapered off - does gathering back in groups - I decided it was time to get a little more sausage meat😎.
Last Sunday evening, I had a group of nine does to come into range. I got my video camera turned on (I like video my hunts when possible), ear plugs in, reading glasses on, and the custom old model Ruger Blackhawk 41 magnum skin‘t from the holster. After picking out the big doe I wanted and getting the video framed up, I began cocking the hammer as quietly as possible. The wind had died down, had a slight swirling action, and it was very silent in the thinned out pines. The big doe “bird dogged” me! I don’t know if she heard the cocking of the hammer or caught a slight whiff of me, or what, but she didn’t tolerate, regardless. She spooked, but not bad, taking a few of her buddies with her - still in range, but out of camera frame. I checked my camera frame and there was still a mature doe in it, so I shifted my sights to her. At 30 yards and slightly quartering to me, I sent a 230gr powder coated Keith bullet push by 8.5gr of Unique right thru her boiler room. She lite out like a scolded ape! With deer going everywhere I couldn’t keep up with which one she was, but I heard her crash. After a 150 yard blood trail, I found where she crashed.
She was dead and just didn’t know it. I think if she’d been by herself, she’d gone less than 50 yards with the amount of blood loss. The next morning I went back and was able to find the bullet due to the angle she was shot (17ft treestand). It was about 10” deep.
I wasn’t hurting for meat, thanks to a moose and bear, so I began hunting a few mature bucks. Our rut peaks mid-December thru mid-January, so I was passing on all doe sightings hoping they’d be dragging along a mature buck. It was was a great plan and strategy, but didn’t work to my favor. I seen many bucks and a good bit of rut activity during that time, but not the mature bucks I was after. Once the buck sightings and rut activity tapered off - does gathering back in groups - I decided it was time to get a little more sausage meat😎.
Last Sunday evening, I had a group of nine does to come into range. I got my video camera turned on (I like video my hunts when possible), ear plugs in, reading glasses on, and the custom old model Ruger Blackhawk 41 magnum skin‘t from the holster. After picking out the big doe I wanted and getting the video framed up, I began cocking the hammer as quietly as possible. The wind had died down, had a slight swirling action, and it was very silent in the thinned out pines. The big doe “bird dogged” me! I don’t know if she heard the cocking of the hammer or caught a slight whiff of me, or what, but she didn’t tolerate, regardless. She spooked, but not bad, taking a few of her buddies with her - still in range, but out of camera frame. I checked my camera frame and there was still a mature doe in it, so I shifted my sights to her. At 30 yards and slightly quartering to me, I sent a 230gr powder coated Keith bullet push by 8.5gr of Unique right thru her boiler room. She lite out like a scolded ape! With deer going everywhere I couldn’t keep up with which one she was, but I heard her crash. After a 150 yard blood trail, I found where she crashed.
She was dead and just didn’t know it. I think if she’d been by herself, she’d gone less than 50 yards with the amount of blood loss. The next morning I went back and was able to find the bullet due to the angle she was shot (17ft treestand). It was about 10” deep.