contender
Ruger Guru
Well, today was one of those days that will stand out for sure.
Our deer season ends on 1/2/22. So, we are getting down to the wire. I still had one legal tag to use locally. I've been trying to get that last buck tag filled. The weather has been EXTREMELY warm & not very good for hunting. (A new Christmas day record high of 71 degrees which broke the old record by 4 degrees as an example. Plus,, so warm I actually caught a copperhead snake for a lady on Christmas day.)
Well, we had a Low Pressure front come through last night & it rained some,, and then was clearing out by daylight. Still overcast,, not quite as cold as it's been,, (55 degrees at 6:30 am,) a bit foggy & dripping wet everywhere.
About 7:43 am,, a coyote came strolling in. I will ALWAYS shoot a coyote anytime I can,, even if it means missing a chance at a deer. Well, I shot him, and he hit the dirt in his tracks. DRT. Made me SMILE! Well, about 9 am,, a buck I had seen on camera as one I'd like to kill, can out. I immediately identified him as a shooter,, and was settling in for my shot. He spotted the coyote, and stopped,, and turned to leave quickly. I rushed my shot,, using my El Dorado in 45 Colt, and hit him. I knew by the way he reacted,, it wasn't my best shot. He ran off. I sat back,, deciding to wait a bit.
After about 1/2 an hour,, I slipped out to track him. I went to where he'd been when I shot,, no blood. I headed the direction he'd gone,, searching for any sign. None. I know the normal trails & such,, so as I searched,, WITHOUT any sign or such,, I covered a good area.
Lo & behold,,,, I found a shed deer antler, typical rack for an 8 pt buck, lost last year. Not much rodent chewing & in pretty good shape. A NICE find,, but still my deer wasn't there.
I backed out & started over,, slowly & carefully trying to find ANY sign he may have left. And knowing I'd already covered much of the area he'd headed towards,, I decided to search a different area. Deer OFTEN circle back to a place they had just been,, knowing they had been "safe" there. Well, about 100 yds away from where I'd last seen him, in a different direction from where he'd been heading,, I found him.
I'd made a "bad" shot. I hit him further back than I'd been aiming. I think it was because he was moving & getting ready to high-tail it out of there. Basically I gut shot him. It didn't cause much meat loss,, but I felt bad for that shot. However,, I KNEW I'd hit him, and I KNEW he deserved to be found.
Now,, NORMALLY,, I use my T/C Contender & make neck shots, dropping deer in their tracks. And having dropped the coyote,, (as well as killing a deer a few weeks back with it,) I was comfortable in using my .45. Yet,, this type of shot where a deer can run off bothers me a bit. Yes,, I found him. Yes, it was a "kill". But in my way of hunting,, animals deserve a better shot placement.
So,, a banner day in the woods,, by killing a coyote,, finding a shed,, and killing a buck,, ALL made it good. But I'll NOT forget my bad shot placement.
PS; If I can figure out how to get the pics off my phone,, and onto my computer,, I'll post a picture.
Our deer season ends on 1/2/22. So, we are getting down to the wire. I still had one legal tag to use locally. I've been trying to get that last buck tag filled. The weather has been EXTREMELY warm & not very good for hunting. (A new Christmas day record high of 71 degrees which broke the old record by 4 degrees as an example. Plus,, so warm I actually caught a copperhead snake for a lady on Christmas day.)
Well, we had a Low Pressure front come through last night & it rained some,, and then was clearing out by daylight. Still overcast,, not quite as cold as it's been,, (55 degrees at 6:30 am,) a bit foggy & dripping wet everywhere.
About 7:43 am,, a coyote came strolling in. I will ALWAYS shoot a coyote anytime I can,, even if it means missing a chance at a deer. Well, I shot him, and he hit the dirt in his tracks. DRT. Made me SMILE! Well, about 9 am,, a buck I had seen on camera as one I'd like to kill, can out. I immediately identified him as a shooter,, and was settling in for my shot. He spotted the coyote, and stopped,, and turned to leave quickly. I rushed my shot,, using my El Dorado in 45 Colt, and hit him. I knew by the way he reacted,, it wasn't my best shot. He ran off. I sat back,, deciding to wait a bit.
After about 1/2 an hour,, I slipped out to track him. I went to where he'd been when I shot,, no blood. I headed the direction he'd gone,, searching for any sign. None. I know the normal trails & such,, so as I searched,, WITHOUT any sign or such,, I covered a good area.
Lo & behold,,,, I found a shed deer antler, typical rack for an 8 pt buck, lost last year. Not much rodent chewing & in pretty good shape. A NICE find,, but still my deer wasn't there.
I backed out & started over,, slowly & carefully trying to find ANY sign he may have left. And knowing I'd already covered much of the area he'd headed towards,, I decided to search a different area. Deer OFTEN circle back to a place they had just been,, knowing they had been "safe" there. Well, about 100 yds away from where I'd last seen him, in a different direction from where he'd been heading,, I found him.
I'd made a "bad" shot. I hit him further back than I'd been aiming. I think it was because he was moving & getting ready to high-tail it out of there. Basically I gut shot him. It didn't cause much meat loss,, but I felt bad for that shot. However,, I KNEW I'd hit him, and I KNEW he deserved to be found.
Now,, NORMALLY,, I use my T/C Contender & make neck shots, dropping deer in their tracks. And having dropped the coyote,, (as well as killing a deer a few weeks back with it,) I was comfortable in using my .45. Yet,, this type of shot where a deer can run off bothers me a bit. Yes,, I found him. Yes, it was a "kill". But in my way of hunting,, animals deserve a better shot placement.
So,, a banner day in the woods,, by killing a coyote,, finding a shed,, and killing a buck,, ALL made it good. But I'll NOT forget my bad shot placement.
PS; If I can figure out how to get the pics off my phone,, and onto my computer,, I'll post a picture.
