I know we talk about a lot of things on here and i don't see my Sport on here very much. I use my 99 4X4 Diesel to haul my Lab, Hunting and fishing stuff around. I recently went to Missouri on a Goose hunt and did well. We are almost done with the Deer Season this year. I still have a Doe to get. I would like to see you people out there that like this sport share in here with some articles. I write a Hunt & Fish report for the Kansas area. If you're interested . Just e mail me. . Oo.
-
TDR Magazine subscribers receive more than the magazine! You also gain additional forum privileges!
Details here: TDR Privileges
Subscribe to TDR Magazine here: https://www.tdr-online.com/
Hunting & Fishing
- Thread starter radar doctor
- Start Date
Attention: TDR Forum Junkies To the point: Click this link and check out the Front Page News story(ies) where we are tracking the introduction of the 2025 Ram HD trucks.
Thanks, TDR Staff
Come to think of it you're right. I have only been a member for a couple of months but I haven't seen anything either. I'm not into "hunting" but I do go deep sea and surf fishing all around MA and RI. I tow our 23' Seafox center console with 200hp Mercury Engine everywhere. Usually there are Cod in Boston Harbor mid March with the Mackerel, Striped Bass and Blue fish following. Are there any minimum sizes that fish have to be where you are. The Fish & Game Dept. limits you to 1 Striped Bass per day and a minimum length of 32", then you are supposed to take them to an official weigh in facility (bait shop). There is only one thing better than making black smoke and thats fishing!
Hunting, fishing, and riding is life. If at any given time my fourwheeler isn't in the bed of my pickup then I am on it, or the bed had to be empty for me to haul stuff in. I fish everywhere I go, and when deer/elk/grouse/quail/... ..... aw heck from september to the end of February I get up early, and to sleep late cause something is beckonning me to come try to get it. When the fish aren't biting, the deer/elk/birds are out of season, I am on the fourwheeler figuring out how to get to hard to reach areas so I can have access when things are in season. I am in general a hunting/fishing freak. I love the outdoors period. If I get tired of the above I am not beyond going out and burning 100 rnds of big bore (300WINMAG) a few thousand rnds of 22 shells, and several boxes of Clay Pigeons. My whole family is like this. Guess that is what makes me lucky.
Take care
Mark
Take care
Mark
Meat Hunter
I am one of the few meat hunters out there. I usually shoot two tasty corn-fed does and spend the rest of the season video taping my buddies trying to shoot big bucks. I have three large whitetail bucks and one trophy buck that feed and bed regularly on my land.
I love to fish and have two ponds that I am going to be stocking real soon.
I was out coyote hunting yesterday, just to get the damn varmits off my land.
I just read a great article about waiting until late season to hunt for meat does. They can put on 20 more pounds in the month of December! I will video tape early season next year and take a late season doe or two!
I am one of the few meat hunters out there. I usually shoot two tasty corn-fed does and spend the rest of the season video taping my buddies trying to shoot big bucks. I have three large whitetail bucks and one trophy buck that feed and bed regularly on my land.
I love to fish and have two ponds that I am going to be stocking real soon.
I was out coyote hunting yesterday, just to get the damn varmits off my land.
I just read a great article about waiting until late season to hunt for meat does. They can put on 20 more pounds in the month of December! I will video tape early season next year and take a late season doe or two!
Hunting & Fishing Responce
This is a great response . I hope we will have more. I started out at age 11 with a single shot 22 setting in the woods looking up into the trees for squirrel in Missouri. My Dad who was a great Hunter taught me what i needed to know to survive and not harm others. This was in about 1948. We had plenty of rabbits and quail. At age 13 I had My first shotgun and it was a a (Darn) double Barrel 16 GA . I shot my first Canada Goose at Fountain Grove Wildlife Area near Chillicothe , Missouri. From then on i was a lover of Hunting and Fishing. If we get more shared articles on here i'll add some Scary ones. Radar doctor in Kansas... Oo. Oo.
This is a great response . I hope we will have more. I started out at age 11 with a single shot 22 setting in the woods looking up into the trees for squirrel in Missouri. My Dad who was a great Hunter taught me what i needed to know to survive and not harm others. This was in about 1948. We had plenty of rabbits and quail. At age 13 I had My first shotgun and it was a a (Darn) double Barrel 16 GA . I shot my first Canada Goose at Fountain Grove Wildlife Area near Chillicothe , Missouri. From then on i was a lover of Hunting and Fishing. If we get more shared articles on here i'll add some Scary ones. Radar doctor in Kansas... Oo. Oo.
More Hunting & Fishing
CAMARA I will answer your Questions and others after the football games are over tonight. I Worked for the Wildlife and Parks here in Kansas so maybe i can help... .
CAMARA I will answer your Questions and others after the football games are over tonight. I Worked for the Wildlife and Parks here in Kansas so maybe i can help... .
I used to hunt, there arent many places to go anymore here in NJ even though I'm in the rural area.
I miss the quietness of the woods, maybe I'll renew the ol license just so that I can get some quiet time.
Eric
I miss the quietness of the woods, maybe I'll renew the ol license just so that I can get some quiet time.
Eric
Greeting fellow hunters, I use my Dodge for hauling me and hunting gear as well as the harvest. I had my first elk in the Dodge a week after I bought it in 11/02. I had 3 cow elk in there at the same time in 1/02.
So far the dodge has hauled for me.
4 cow elk 11/02, 1/02
1 Bighorn sheep ewe 10/02
2 doe mule deer 12/02
1 mule deer buck 1/03
20+ Canadian geese 1/02
And various roadkills
fox
coyotes
racoons
Sandbrew
:--)
So far the dodge has hauled for me.
4 cow elk 11/02, 1/02
1 Bighorn sheep ewe 10/02
2 doe mule deer 12/02
1 mule deer buck 1/03
20+ Canadian geese 1/02
And various roadkills
fox
coyotes
racoons
Sandbrew
:--)
VA Deer
There is a great harvest in South Side VA every year- I too am a meat hunter and took a nice fat doe last week in Isle of Wight- venison tenderloins are great. We run dogs out here and it is awesome to see them work. Big Green also takes me surf fishing on the Outer Banks and packs my rifles and pistols when it is training time. Also packed on the miles trekking to Lake Ontario for Chinook Salmon in August- one of them will be on my wall soon. Salmon blood etches paint- rinse immediately!!!!
There is a great harvest in South Side VA every year- I too am a meat hunter and took a nice fat doe last week in Isle of Wight- venison tenderloins are great. We run dogs out here and it is awesome to see them work. Big Green also takes me surf fishing on the Outer Banks and packs my rifles and pistols when it is training time. Also packed on the miles trekking to Lake Ontario for Chinook Salmon in August- one of them will be on my wall soon. Salmon blood etches paint- rinse immediately!!!!
hunting & Fishing
Mr Camara, Here in Kansas the Stripers limit is 2 ea Not all lakes have them. They have to be stocked from the hatcherty or transported into the state from other sources. The Walleye, Catfish, Carp,and Crappie fishing can be found in good numbers. Mr Speedo, Five years ago this May i was setting in Wasilla,AK and Palmer. I loved the Halibut fish. I'd love to go there again and this time i want to fish. ha. Mr Speedo, I too am a meat Hunter , the Racks are for the people who like that kind of thing. Personally i like to eat most of what i kill. . All small Game plus Deer,Antilope, Now i hope i don't affend anyone but i grew up eating Duck Goose and small Game. Love the Rabbit and Quail. I have about 17 Rods and reels set up for different types of fishing. I have a ruger red label 20 Ga a Browning over and under 12 ga, shot gun and a 25-06,22-250,220 swift, Rifles. I have a 99 4x4 lb,auto, a slide in camper, and 3 pairs of insulated water proff Boots. ha Sorry if this is too long
Mr Camara, Here in Kansas the Stripers limit is 2 ea Not all lakes have them. They have to be stocked from the hatcherty or transported into the state from other sources. The Walleye, Catfish, Carp,and Crappie fishing can be found in good numbers. Mr Speedo, Five years ago this May i was setting in Wasilla,AK and Palmer. I loved the Halibut fish. I'd love to go there again and this time i want to fish. ha. Mr Speedo, I too am a meat Hunter , the Racks are for the people who like that kind of thing. Personally i like to eat most of what i kill. . All small Game plus Deer,Antilope, Now i hope i don't affend anyone but i grew up eating Duck Goose and small Game. Love the Rabbit and Quail. I have about 17 Rods and reels set up for different types of fishing. I have a ruger red label 20 Ga a Browning over and under 12 ga, shot gun and a 25-06,22-250,220 swift, Rifles. I have a 99 4x4 lb,auto, a slide in camper, and 3 pairs of insulated water proff Boots. ha Sorry if this is too long
Pictures
C Sutton, These are great pictures. I'm sure you want to share the stories you must have with all of us. But Say, Who is the Big Guy on the Little ELK ????
C Sutton, These are great pictures. I'm sure you want to share the stories you must have with all of us. But Say, Who is the Big Guy on the Little ELK ????
YA YA FOR CHRIS
Oo. Oo. Oo. Oo. Come on those Pictures have a lot of words in them.....
Oo. Oo. Oo. Oo. Come on those Pictures have a lot of words in them.....
this is going to take awhile--
Central Canada Barren Bround Caribou shot at 150 yds with my Sako 338 using 225 gr Barnes XLC hand loads---we(6 of us) hunted with True North Safaris out of Yellowknife, NWT--flew 100 miles from Yellowknife to an awesome hunt camp--we would get up in the morning around 6:30 am and eat and then take a boat ride glassing for 'bous as we went--this day the 4th of our hunt we spotted a lot of caribou and we motored ahead to a spot to ambush them--and did we--in 3 hours I saw 3,000+(probably was more) caribou and to see that many caribou and not pull the trigger to early is not an easy task--eventhough I'd taken my first 'bou 2 days earlier---we are glassing and caribou are streaming past us at 15yds up to 600yds away in waves of 20 to 200--with caribou you look for something that dwarfs the others as there are 1000's that look all the same size---well lucky for me this guy we picked out over 2 miles away and waited for him to get within range--problem was would it be at the far end of that 600 yds or closer--well he decided to wander thru a patch of trees and stay out there with a zillion 'bou in between us and himself--lucky though he was quartering to us slightly--so we made the decision to try and sneak closer to him--yes thru the other caribou--so we bent over and made our way quartering towards him and caribou were spooking, but luckliy they didn't all jetison the area--they'd hustle a bit and turn and look at us--now all this time this guy is walk trotting along as they do---at about 200 yds I made a dash to a rock that I could lay down on and shoot from--my timing had to be good as he was heading for a rock that would've put him out of site for a bit and then he'd been headed straight away from me--texas heart shots aren't my favorite, but lo and behold I got to the rock and pushed the safety off and laid the crosshairs on him right behind his shoulder and squeezed the trigger--down he went--didn't twitch--and there you have it on this caribou----he will get mounted with the velvet on----
far left mule deer--2000 Montana---not much here- I had seen this deer earlier during my elk/deer hunt and found him again on the 4th day of the hunt--he was the best deer we saw all week --we had spotted him in a big basin with about 6 does earlier and came back looking for him on that 4th day--of course we couldn't find him until we were headed back to the lodge and there he is with his does coming out of the basin towards us, luck was with me as another 200 yds and we would've gone over a hill & never seen him-- I got him with my Sako 300 using my handloaded 180 Nosler Partitions--225 yd shot---again not to exciting to read, but he is really a beautiful deer, but aren't they all---
middle mule deer 1990 Idaho--
we had seen a total of 1 buck before we saw this one--again I was lucky as I won the ro-sham-bo for first right of refusal to shoot---we had covered a lot of territory by horseback when our guide said today-the 4th of a 5day hunt that we should go to the condo--he'd seen a whopper there--well we ride for about an hour and we hit the condo--the condo is a rock formation that is 4' tall & 6' in diameter and 3 guys could hunker down inside it and scope out the basin all around you--it was cold, single digits if not less--well we sat there and and finally after a good hour we see a doe at the head of the canyon-we get excited and hope there is a buck that will come out of the trees--well it happens he comes out and one look I say let's go get him--we watch him follow the doe up the canyon side and then they disappear--we wait to make sure they don't top out--so after deciding that they must be in there my guide and I leave my buddy to watch as we ride out to circle around so that we can get closer--so we do--we ride for at least 45 minutes and tie up the horses and sneak to the top of the canyon opposite where we last saw the buck disappear--we begain glassing and after about 15 minutes the guide says there he is--three nanoseconds later I spotted him also--he was bedded down, perfectly broadside to us--we discuss the shot and figure it's 350 to 400 yds--definitely doable with my Sako 300 with my 180gr Nosler Partition handloads---so I set up on my pack and got a good rest--the wind was pretty much non-existent, so I squeeze off a shot--nothing--he doesn't budge--I say to the guide what happened and he said you missed and I said no way--but I did--you see we didn't have a range finder back then and we grossly misjudged the distance--but since he wasn't spooked--he was in fact just looking around--so I decide to try again, but that I'd compensate a little---well let's just say I finally got him, but it took 4 more compensating shots-yea maybe I should've of not shot, but dang I get ticked when I miss, especially knowing that I can make the shot-he never spooked badly-he moved maybe 10' --problem was he was way, way out there--my gun is sighted in 3" high at 100 yds and should be dead on all the way out to almost 400 yds--my last shot I aimed at least 1' above his horns and lunged him---maybe it's not the thing to say, but that's the way it happened---after he was hit he rolled and fell of a 12' cliff and rolled some more--probably 300 yds down that mtn side--all the time the guide was saying I see horns--I don't see horns-yea I see horns, but when he came to rest his head was tucked underneath him and we didn't know what was left--he turned out to be a 28" 4x4 and didn't break a horn--lucky again---you can flame if you want on the distance but it won't work----
far right mule deer is the one at the bottom of the pic--2001 Montana--Sako 338 with 225 Barnes xlc handloads at 80 yds--last morning of the hunt--he was with another 27" 3x3 muley (and some does) that I was going to shoot, but he spooked and left me with this one--of course I would've rather shot the one I got in the first place, but at that moment I didn't have a shot-it was snowing heavy, I mean I could barely make this buck out a 80 yds as he was walking away--like I said the other one spooked, but he didn't--he slowly turned and was making his way back into the trees and was about to round a tree and disappear--it was one of the hardest shots I've ever taken as I had to aim above a tree limb that was 30 yds away and below another limb at 50yds away through the snow--well as you can see I was successful--very nice 25" heavy buck---
ok guys you have the radar doctor to thank for these boring hunting tales--sorry---- and for the elk story see the next post----chris
Central Canada Barren Bround Caribou shot at 150 yds with my Sako 338 using 225 gr Barnes XLC hand loads---we(6 of us) hunted with True North Safaris out of Yellowknife, NWT--flew 100 miles from Yellowknife to an awesome hunt camp--we would get up in the morning around 6:30 am and eat and then take a boat ride glassing for 'bous as we went--this day the 4th of our hunt we spotted a lot of caribou and we motored ahead to a spot to ambush them--and did we--in 3 hours I saw 3,000+(probably was more) caribou and to see that many caribou and not pull the trigger to early is not an easy task--eventhough I'd taken my first 'bou 2 days earlier---we are glassing and caribou are streaming past us at 15yds up to 600yds away in waves of 20 to 200--with caribou you look for something that dwarfs the others as there are 1000's that look all the same size---well lucky for me this guy we picked out over 2 miles away and waited for him to get within range--problem was would it be at the far end of that 600 yds or closer--well he decided to wander thru a patch of trees and stay out there with a zillion 'bou in between us and himself--lucky though he was quartering to us slightly--so we made the decision to try and sneak closer to him--yes thru the other caribou--so we bent over and made our way quartering towards him and caribou were spooking, but luckliy they didn't all jetison the area--they'd hustle a bit and turn and look at us--now all this time this guy is walk trotting along as they do---at about 200 yds I made a dash to a rock that I could lay down on and shoot from--my timing had to be good as he was heading for a rock that would've put him out of site for a bit and then he'd been headed straight away from me--texas heart shots aren't my favorite, but lo and behold I got to the rock and pushed the safety off and laid the crosshairs on him right behind his shoulder and squeezed the trigger--down he went--didn't twitch--and there you have it on this caribou----he will get mounted with the velvet on----
far left mule deer--2000 Montana---not much here- I had seen this deer earlier during my elk/deer hunt and found him again on the 4th day of the hunt--he was the best deer we saw all week --we had spotted him in a big basin with about 6 does earlier and came back looking for him on that 4th day--of course we couldn't find him until we were headed back to the lodge and there he is with his does coming out of the basin towards us, luck was with me as another 200 yds and we would've gone over a hill & never seen him-- I got him with my Sako 300 using my handloaded 180 Nosler Partitions--225 yd shot---again not to exciting to read, but he is really a beautiful deer, but aren't they all---
middle mule deer 1990 Idaho--
we had seen a total of 1 buck before we saw this one--again I was lucky as I won the ro-sham-bo for first right of refusal to shoot---we had covered a lot of territory by horseback when our guide said today-the 4th of a 5day hunt that we should go to the condo--he'd seen a whopper there--well we ride for about an hour and we hit the condo--the condo is a rock formation that is 4' tall & 6' in diameter and 3 guys could hunker down inside it and scope out the basin all around you--it was cold, single digits if not less--well we sat there and and finally after a good hour we see a doe at the head of the canyon-we get excited and hope there is a buck that will come out of the trees--well it happens he comes out and one look I say let's go get him--we watch him follow the doe up the canyon side and then they disappear--we wait to make sure they don't top out--so after deciding that they must be in there my guide and I leave my buddy to watch as we ride out to circle around so that we can get closer--so we do--we ride for at least 45 minutes and tie up the horses and sneak to the top of the canyon opposite where we last saw the buck disappear--we begain glassing and after about 15 minutes the guide says there he is--three nanoseconds later I spotted him also--he was bedded down, perfectly broadside to us--we discuss the shot and figure it's 350 to 400 yds--definitely doable with my Sako 300 with my 180gr Nosler Partition handloads---so I set up on my pack and got a good rest--the wind was pretty much non-existent, so I squeeze off a shot--nothing--he doesn't budge--I say to the guide what happened and he said you missed and I said no way--but I did--you see we didn't have a range finder back then and we grossly misjudged the distance--but since he wasn't spooked--he was in fact just looking around--so I decide to try again, but that I'd compensate a little---well let's just say I finally got him, but it took 4 more compensating shots-yea maybe I should've of not shot, but dang I get ticked when I miss, especially knowing that I can make the shot-he never spooked badly-he moved maybe 10' --problem was he was way, way out there--my gun is sighted in 3" high at 100 yds and should be dead on all the way out to almost 400 yds--my last shot I aimed at least 1' above his horns and lunged him---maybe it's not the thing to say, but that's the way it happened---after he was hit he rolled and fell of a 12' cliff and rolled some more--probably 300 yds down that mtn side--all the time the guide was saying I see horns--I don't see horns-yea I see horns, but when he came to rest his head was tucked underneath him and we didn't know what was left--he turned out to be a 28" 4x4 and didn't break a horn--lucky again---you can flame if you want on the distance but it won't work----
far right mule deer is the one at the bottom of the pic--2001 Montana--Sako 338 with 225 Barnes xlc handloads at 80 yds--last morning of the hunt--he was with another 27" 3x3 muley (and some does) that I was going to shoot, but he spooked and left me with this one--of course I would've rather shot the one I got in the first place, but at that moment I didn't have a shot-it was snowing heavy, I mean I could barely make this buck out a 80 yds as he was walking away--like I said the other one spooked, but he didn't--he slowly turned and was making his way back into the trees and was about to round a tree and disappear--it was one of the hardest shots I've ever taken as I had to aim above a tree limb that was 30 yds away and below another limb at 50yds away through the snow--well as you can see I was successful--very nice 25" heavy buck---
ok guys you have the radar doctor to thank for these boring hunting tales--sorry---- and for the elk story see the next post----chris
Last edited:
and the rest of the story--
1st elk on hillside--2001 Montana--Sako 338 with 225 gr Barnes XLC handloads--again I shot this elk on the 4th day of a 5 day hunt--we had seen plenty of elk beforehand but no shooters, as this 86,000 acre ranch we hunt has a herd of 2500 that uses it and the neighboring ranches as their home range--and you can be somewhat picky for a couple of days if you want to take a chance and yes I've seen to be one that takes more and more chances these days---anyway we headed to a point where we could look of a couple of hillsides--as we are heading to the spot there in the trees there must be 150 head of elk--unfortunately nothing worth shooting yet--maybe in a couple of hours, but I'm still holding tight and hoping to find a big one--so we let them meander over the top, thinking if we need to, we may be able to sneak on them later---ol so we head to our original destination and peak over the top of the hill-nothing-so we hike to another spot and nothing again--one more spot to give us a look at the opposite hill and WOW there must be 300 head of elk on the hillside--so we break out the spotting scope and we find this guy and i say ok let's go get him---well like I said he was one his hillside and me on mine, so we hightail it to get in front of him to make a stalk down thru the trees on our hillside and with hopes of getting to his hillside--my goe there are elk everywhere I'm thinkin to myself--how is this going to work---anyway he gets out into a big clearing and I say to Marty--I think I better shoot him now--Marty thinks I'm nuts--we pull out the rangefinder and it's 462 yds--Marty says let's try to get closer--now mind you we are going like straight down and then it's like straight up and then some to get close to this guy---I'm not really out of shape, but Marty is like coyote, mtn goat and antelope rolled into one--he can cover some ground and I'm thinkin--he thinks we can get over there--huh huh no way that's going to happen--that bull will be long gone--plus there are cows everywhere on the mtn side spread out from here to Canada and they're bound to spook. especially when I start sucking in wind like a tornado---well we push one down hill for another 100 yds and I look up and say let's see how far he is now--442 yds--well I say Marty there is no way we can-um I can make it down this side and up there another 5-600 yds and get a shot off let alone get there before he disappears over the top--I can make this shot--I've got a great rest here on this tree branch and he's just feeding slowly along--I can tell Marty thinks I'm nuts but I'm adamant about it and I think deep down he knows it will be very lucky for us to make it over there to get a 100 yd shot--so he gives in--I get all set up and put the cross hairs on top of his shoulder and squeeze off the shot--Marty is jumping up and down saying you toasted him, you toasted him-I didn't think you could do it--I said thanks a lot there buddy--well that bull fell over and all you could see was legs in the air--Marty said you watch him I've had them boogers run off before when they were dead--well he rolls over and He gets another insurance shot to make sure--Marty says again man that was awesome, good shootin and still can't believe it---well I did indeed do the right thing as Marty was down that hillside and up the other in about 10 minutes and it took me about 15-20 minutes as it was straighter than straight up to where the bull lay and I was breathing beyond heavy--price you pay for living at sea level and hunting in the mountains---
the big boy elk--1999--Sako 338 with 250 gr Nosler Partition handloads--4th day of a 5 day hunt same ranch--we had seen some really nice elk, never got close to pullin' the trigger on one--we got close to a few- 30 yds but there was no shot and you couldn't tell what they were size wise---we hiked and had a blast--anyway on that 4th day we spotted this group of 5 buls on this hill side and decided that it was worth the chance to get around there and try to get on 'em--Marty said that it would be difficult as the wind always swirled over there--we got ourselves over to that hill and started off and not more than 100 yards had we gone when a 6x5 bull stands up not more than 40 yds away--Marty was looking the other way and didn't see him--I whistle at Marty and point--well I thought he was going to crap in his pants--I've got my gun up and am ready for him to say shoot--but he doesn't say a word, so I say do I shoot and he says wait--well this goes on for the preverable eternity--like 20 seconds and the bull decides hey enuff of this I'm out scout--man was he giving me the look too like where in the hell did you come from---well when he splits I'm saying or semi-screaming do I shoot, do I shoot and finally Marty says NO!!! he's too small---well my nerves are toast now--Marty says where did he come from-I said he was bedded right there and stood up--Marty hust shook his head--you see it snowed the night before and we were very quiet and the wind at that point was in our favor---well on we pushed busting elk out of the trees, just to see 'em hightail across the fields--but nothing to shoot at--we continue on and I'm thinkin' we've missed them or they've spooked when all of sudden out of the corner of my eye I see something move--I grab Marty by the shoulder and point at the elk busting up this small tree--we can see 10-15 elk behind this guy--we are only 20-25 yards away from him--we were behind a group of small trees 8' tall and maybe 15' long--it was perfect--Marty looks him over and says he's a keeper--problem is I have no real shot as he is behind a big fir tree and his whooping up on this little tree--I move to the right no shot-I move to the left and I have a front quartering shot--I tell Marty I have a shot-not great but at this distance it will put a big hurt on him, so we agree to go for it--well I line the shot up and squeeze the trigger and BOOM--he buckles but doesn't go down--I'm like uh!! what the 'ell happened--I run at him as he is facing me and I can tell he's going to split and by the way he leaning I think he will go to the right, so up with the gun and I swing to him and right before he moves BOOM again--but guess what he went left and I missed as I pulled the trigger just to his right maybe 1/2" thinking he was going right--oh how I felt--how could I miss--easy--shot to soon and so there you have it--put it on 'em when you're that close--don't overthink--well the bull exits the premises and I'm feeling about as low as gopher turds--wandering what happened on the first shot--Marty said you know right when you shot I thought you might have clipped little limb that was in front of you--we checked it out and yep sure as I missed the 2nd shot there was clipped limb---but we both agree he was hit as he buckled at the shot--we go and look for some sign-nothing-no hair or blood- so we make some circles and come up empty--we decide he had to be hit and that we will track the whole lot of them and if we see any tracks that veer off we will follow them--well follow them we did for about 1. 5 miles and all we saw were 3 big bulls heading out and I say to Marty there he goes, Marty insists he's not one of those bulls. but I figure he's trying to keep my spirits up--well back to the starting point we decide to go and I'm grumblin, mumblin' and sayin' you idiot, idiot. idiot--you know better--well we make it back to this ol' logging road that we were parked at the end of and Marty says you go down this road about a mile and eat lunch and I'm going back to check out the starting point--he says if you see some tracks go ahead and follow them-well of course before we set out on the original tracking adventure Marty had said I think the bull went this way and of course I said no I really think he went with all the others-plus we didn't see any tracks going that way---I won--stubborness again---well back to the road, I start down it and not 200 yds I see a set of cow and calf tracks peel off from the main group and head back the way we had come--I think to myself that's odd, but hey maybe that bull did come this way and Marty was right--anyway on I go and bingo there in front of me is a large set of tracks crossing the cow and calf track--um I think, maybe, just maybe-so I look to my right, no blood and then take two steps to my left looking at the tracks and there it is--lovely of how lovely a spot of blood--I did hit him, I did--ok settle down let's see if we can find him and finish this debacle--another few steps and more blood, more steps and a lot more blood--ok stop and look around I say to myself--slowly I scan the trees--whoa baby there he is--laying down--is he dead-I don't move except that my rifle is at my shoulder, just in case---I whistle for Marty-not to loud--nothing-again I whistle but louder--this time the bull moves, so I move to get a better angle on him and he tries to get up, but he can't--slowly(well not real slowly) I settle the crosshairs on him and squeeze the trigger---whoopee, I'm hollering and screaming I got him, I got him---man what a relief--I had been really busting myself for wounding such a beautiful animal when it shouldn't have happened--probably in hind sight my bullheadedness for wanting to go my way was probably good as the bull layed down and stiffened up andhad we gone Marty's way we may have just pushed him and pushed him, I'll never know, but he's on my wall now and is a great reminder to double check what's in front of you barrel and don't anticipate--of course never give up hope or tracking--that bull didn't bleed until he got 100 yds away and there was a fresh skiff of snow---thank god for that snow--
chris
1st elk on hillside--2001 Montana--Sako 338 with 225 gr Barnes XLC handloads--again I shot this elk on the 4th day of a 5 day hunt--we had seen plenty of elk beforehand but no shooters, as this 86,000 acre ranch we hunt has a herd of 2500 that uses it and the neighboring ranches as their home range--and you can be somewhat picky for a couple of days if you want to take a chance and yes I've seen to be one that takes more and more chances these days---anyway we headed to a point where we could look of a couple of hillsides--as we are heading to the spot there in the trees there must be 150 head of elk--unfortunately nothing worth shooting yet--maybe in a couple of hours, but I'm still holding tight and hoping to find a big one--so we let them meander over the top, thinking if we need to, we may be able to sneak on them later---ol so we head to our original destination and peak over the top of the hill-nothing-so we hike to another spot and nothing again--one more spot to give us a look at the opposite hill and WOW there must be 300 head of elk on the hillside--so we break out the spotting scope and we find this guy and i say ok let's go get him---well like I said he was one his hillside and me on mine, so we hightail it to get in front of him to make a stalk down thru the trees on our hillside and with hopes of getting to his hillside--my goe there are elk everywhere I'm thinkin to myself--how is this going to work---anyway he gets out into a big clearing and I say to Marty--I think I better shoot him now--Marty thinks I'm nuts--we pull out the rangefinder and it's 462 yds--Marty says let's try to get closer--now mind you we are going like straight down and then it's like straight up and then some to get close to this guy---I'm not really out of shape, but Marty is like coyote, mtn goat and antelope rolled into one--he can cover some ground and I'm thinkin--he thinks we can get over there--huh huh no way that's going to happen--that bull will be long gone--plus there are cows everywhere on the mtn side spread out from here to Canada and they're bound to spook. especially when I start sucking in wind like a tornado---well we push one down hill for another 100 yds and I look up and say let's see how far he is now--442 yds--well I say Marty there is no way we can-um I can make it down this side and up there another 5-600 yds and get a shot off let alone get there before he disappears over the top--I can make this shot--I've got a great rest here on this tree branch and he's just feeding slowly along--I can tell Marty thinks I'm nuts but I'm adamant about it and I think deep down he knows it will be very lucky for us to make it over there to get a 100 yd shot--so he gives in--I get all set up and put the cross hairs on top of his shoulder and squeeze off the shot--Marty is jumping up and down saying you toasted him, you toasted him-I didn't think you could do it--I said thanks a lot there buddy--well that bull fell over and all you could see was legs in the air--Marty said you watch him I've had them boogers run off before when they were dead--well he rolls over and He gets another insurance shot to make sure--Marty says again man that was awesome, good shootin and still can't believe it---well I did indeed do the right thing as Marty was down that hillside and up the other in about 10 minutes and it took me about 15-20 minutes as it was straighter than straight up to where the bull lay and I was breathing beyond heavy--price you pay for living at sea level and hunting in the mountains---
the big boy elk--1999--Sako 338 with 250 gr Nosler Partition handloads--4th day of a 5 day hunt same ranch--we had seen some really nice elk, never got close to pullin' the trigger on one--we got close to a few- 30 yds but there was no shot and you couldn't tell what they were size wise---we hiked and had a blast--anyway on that 4th day we spotted this group of 5 buls on this hill side and decided that it was worth the chance to get around there and try to get on 'em--Marty said that it would be difficult as the wind always swirled over there--we got ourselves over to that hill and started off and not more than 100 yards had we gone when a 6x5 bull stands up not more than 40 yds away--Marty was looking the other way and didn't see him--I whistle at Marty and point--well I thought he was going to crap in his pants--I've got my gun up and am ready for him to say shoot--but he doesn't say a word, so I say do I shoot and he says wait--well this goes on for the preverable eternity--like 20 seconds and the bull decides hey enuff of this I'm out scout--man was he giving me the look too like where in the hell did you come from---well when he splits I'm saying or semi-screaming do I shoot, do I shoot and finally Marty says NO!!! he's too small---well my nerves are toast now--Marty says where did he come from-I said he was bedded right there and stood up--Marty hust shook his head--you see it snowed the night before and we were very quiet and the wind at that point was in our favor---well on we pushed busting elk out of the trees, just to see 'em hightail across the fields--but nothing to shoot at--we continue on and I'm thinkin' we've missed them or they've spooked when all of sudden out of the corner of my eye I see something move--I grab Marty by the shoulder and point at the elk busting up this small tree--we can see 10-15 elk behind this guy--we are only 20-25 yards away from him--we were behind a group of small trees 8' tall and maybe 15' long--it was perfect--Marty looks him over and says he's a keeper--problem is I have no real shot as he is behind a big fir tree and his whooping up on this little tree--I move to the right no shot-I move to the left and I have a front quartering shot--I tell Marty I have a shot-not great but at this distance it will put a big hurt on him, so we agree to go for it--well I line the shot up and squeeze the trigger and BOOM--he buckles but doesn't go down--I'm like uh!! what the 'ell happened--I run at him as he is facing me and I can tell he's going to split and by the way he leaning I think he will go to the right, so up with the gun and I swing to him and right before he moves BOOM again--but guess what he went left and I missed as I pulled the trigger just to his right maybe 1/2" thinking he was going right--oh how I felt--how could I miss--easy--shot to soon and so there you have it--put it on 'em when you're that close--don't overthink--well the bull exits the premises and I'm feeling about as low as gopher turds--wandering what happened on the first shot--Marty said you know right when you shot I thought you might have clipped little limb that was in front of you--we checked it out and yep sure as I missed the 2nd shot there was clipped limb---but we both agree he was hit as he buckled at the shot--we go and look for some sign-nothing-no hair or blood- so we make some circles and come up empty--we decide he had to be hit and that we will track the whole lot of them and if we see any tracks that veer off we will follow them--well follow them we did for about 1. 5 miles and all we saw were 3 big bulls heading out and I say to Marty there he goes, Marty insists he's not one of those bulls. but I figure he's trying to keep my spirits up--well back to the starting point we decide to go and I'm grumblin, mumblin' and sayin' you idiot, idiot. idiot--you know better--well we make it back to this ol' logging road that we were parked at the end of and Marty says you go down this road about a mile and eat lunch and I'm going back to check out the starting point--he says if you see some tracks go ahead and follow them-well of course before we set out on the original tracking adventure Marty had said I think the bull went this way and of course I said no I really think he went with all the others-plus we didn't see any tracks going that way---I won--stubborness again---well back to the road, I start down it and not 200 yds I see a set of cow and calf tracks peel off from the main group and head back the way we had come--I think to myself that's odd, but hey maybe that bull did come this way and Marty was right--anyway on I go and bingo there in front of me is a large set of tracks crossing the cow and calf track--um I think, maybe, just maybe-so I look to my right, no blood and then take two steps to my left looking at the tracks and there it is--lovely of how lovely a spot of blood--I did hit him, I did--ok settle down let's see if we can find him and finish this debacle--another few steps and more blood, more steps and a lot more blood--ok stop and look around I say to myself--slowly I scan the trees--whoa baby there he is--laying down--is he dead-I don't move except that my rifle is at my shoulder, just in case---I whistle for Marty-not to loud--nothing-again I whistle but louder--this time the bull moves, so I move to get a better angle on him and he tries to get up, but he can't--slowly(well not real slowly) I settle the crosshairs on him and squeeze the trigger---whoopee, I'm hollering and screaming I got him, I got him---man what a relief--I had been really busting myself for wounding such a beautiful animal when it shouldn't have happened--probably in hind sight my bullheadedness for wanting to go my way was probably good as the bull layed down and stiffened up andhad we gone Marty's way we may have just pushed him and pushed him, I'll never know, but he's on my wall now and is a great reminder to double check what's in front of you barrel and don't anticipate--of course never give up hope or tracking--that bull didn't bleed until he got 100 yds away and there was a fresh skiff of snow---thank god for that snow--
chris
Last edited:
Issue 128 – Digital Version
Digital Magazines
FREE!
TDR Test Drive - Digital Edition
Renew
Subscribe
Gift Subscriptions
Back Issues
Subscription Status
Address Change Form
Buyer's Guides
Ram Diagnostic Trouble Codes
The Perfect Collection
The Perfect Collection Vol. II
TSB Updates
Dodge/Cummins Historical Overview
Cameron Collection
What Makes Us Tick?
Product Showcase
Advertising
Turbo Diesel Register
Issue 128 – Digital Version
Digital Magazines
FREE!
TDR Test Drive - Digital Edition
Renew
Subscribe
Gift Subscriptions
Back Issues
Subscription Status
Address Change Form
Buyer's Guides
Ram Diagnostic Trouble Codes
The Perfect Collection
The Perfect Collection Vol. II
TSB Updates
Dodge/Cummins Historical Overview
Cameron Collection
What Makes Us Tick?
Product Showcase
Advertising
