Sometimes you just miss twice

Body Bag · #1 (**permalink**) 11-07-2011, 02:19 PM

Well at 32 you can still break a lot of your good hunting rules. Let me give you a recap.

Friday was the last day of the early doe only MG hunt in AR. Saturday is the start of the Youth MG weekend. My 11 year old shot a bigger buck than I ever have last year and just as many doe as I did. I have heard about it from her a little. She is going to the horn hotel with my dad Saturday….

I have hunted a pretty good bit with a bow and muzzleloader this year with no luck. Hurried and not prepared. Like black camo pants after church... So let’s just say that I had opportunities to take a doe but I was waiting for a buck or when I got ready to shoot a doe I got busted out for stupid crap. Anyways back to the story. My doe stand is ready; deer coming into the feeder regularly; active trail with food on it behind me. Seeing deer ya know.

So I get off at 1:30 of Friday and head home to grab my .270. it is still locked in my grandfathers gun case..... and I can't find the key. So I break the lock and grab the gun (that hurt me a little bit). Been playing with the bow and muzzleloader up till now so I haven't shot it this year... and it was put up dirty.... I go find some Steel Ballistic Silvertips. One was on the dryer from going through the wash last year, 2 are in the center armrest of the truck with all this black funk on it. WTH, I'll wash them so they don't jam in the sink.... Out the door I go.

Get on the stand with all my camo on except my white socks... and wait. Nice peaceful afternoon in the woods after a long stressful week. According to my sunset calendar I have until 6:48 to shoot. At 6:30 I hear movement behind me and look down to see my socks showing. As I push them into my boots the group of deer heads back the way they were coming in from. GREAT!!!

I fire off an angry text to my lovely wife about cussing about hating hunting and that I am quitting.... then I settle down again just in time to see 2 little doe... come out in front of me at my feeder. It is show time. I have shot 6 doe in this same area the past few years. Two doe and I want to see blood. I grab my rope I use to keep my gun stead on the leanto and get ready. I get it in my head that I am going to shot them both back to back. It's 40 yards I can do this. Nice clean head shot on the first doe, cycle the bolt and put one in the boilerroom of the second. Up by 2 on my daughter. Woot. That was the plan anyways.

I level down on the head of the first doe. Almost dark, so I leave the scope on 3x and squeeze the trigger..... The heifer raises up and looks at me. I won't miss twice is all i can think. Cycle, aim at the biggest part front should and pull the trigger. Both doe turn and run. No plopping on the ground…. no jump…. no tail down. Maybe I didn't hit her great. I go look for blood.... up and down my lane 4 times.... at the woods where they left my lane.... 4 times. No blood... no hair...

Sometimes you just miss….TWICE

timberghost · #2 (**permalink**) 11-07-2011, 04:56 PM

Steel Ballistic Tips? Winchester? The ones that you can hear the powder moving around if you shake them? I've had terrible outcomes with those bullets. Could never sight in with them at all and never used them for hunting though. When I tried to sight in the hits were all over the target. 40 dollars a box too.

Body Bag · #3 (**permalink**) 11-08-2011, 10:55 AM

I bought a box of corelocks to use if I can figure out how to shoot again

timberghost · #4 (**permalink**) 11-08-2011, 07:43 PM

That's what I use, the Rem Core Locks 150gr....back then my wife thought I deserved the most expensive box, don't know why, and she had no idea about the grains and tips and all that. I'll never switch away from the core locks.

rdrader2002 · #5 (**permalink**) 11-08-2011, 08:07 PM

x3 for the Core-Lokt's. Have used them very successfully for many years.

First year I went hunting, I used Winchester Silver Tips in 170 grain for my .30/30, figuring that the bigger the grain the better the bullet was. Boy was I mistaken. At 60 yards, I hit a large 6 point one weekend and a decent sized doe the next. They hit, knocked the deer down, but neither penetrated the chest cavity. Called my father-in-law who said to use Remington Core-Lokt. Switched and have been happy ever since.

Only thing I've switched from Core-Lokt is the Hornady LeveRevolution rounds, but still use them both.

RR