sixshot
Buckeye
Its always been my practice to not share a hunting story if I don't have the photo's to back it up. Five years ago I took a decent 4X3 buck with my scoped SRH 44 maggie but had been unable to locate any of the photo's...until now.
What made the hunt so memorable was what happened after the kill. I was hunting with 2 of my son's, Shane & Travis, we had been camped in one of our favorite spots for 3-4 days, several of the grandkids were with us & everyone was having a great time.
On the day I scored we had taken the 4 wheelers & made a big circle up onto a mountain & were now looking down into our camp site where we could see the kids playing. Through the binoculars we could sit them & almost babysit even though they were over a mile across the valley.
After an hour or so I started to get bored & told them I would start making my way back up the moutain where we had left the 4 wheelers. After about a quarter of a mile climb I had just stopped to rest when 2 bucks appeared below me, they were in the open & so was I, but they were down hill at a steep angle. The buck in the front was a 4X3, the buck behind him was a 3X3 & perhaps a little bigger than the one in front.
I knew I had to shoot quick or they would have me pegged, I was lucky so far as both had their heads down feeding. I dropped to one knee & picked up the buck in front & touched off a 250 gr Keith cast slug running ahead of 21 grs of 2400, I've used this load for 40+ years. At the shot the buck lunged forward & dashed past me on a hard run, his tail was tucked in tight & I knew he wouldn't go far, the shot had been about 45 yds.
The second buck stood for 3-4 seconds trying to decide what had happened, then he spotted me & busted down into some heavy timber. The ground was snow covered & quite slick, standing there I replayed in my mind what had just happened, I knew the buck would be close by & finished.
Using my walking stick I eased down the slippery mountain side & found the buck, he had traveled about 40 yds, the Keith slug had taken out both lungs & exited through the center ribs. I whistled 3-4 times but the boys couldn't hear me although I knew they had heard me shoot.
After 30 minutes I could see them climbing up to where I stood, when they got just below me they said, what did you shoot, a grouse? I smiled & pointed just below me & they started griping about them doing all the hunting & me just standing there & getting a buck.
Travis climbed up the mountain to get one of the 4 wheelers while Shane & I started dressing out the buck, Travis parked the buggy 20 yds above us on a steep angle & walked down to help. Both of the boys had their backs to the 4 wheeler & I was below them, facing uphill. All of a sudden the Honda started moving, then it started bouncing! I jumped up & started running sideways to try & reach it, the boys were yelling not to get in front of it.
By the 3 or 4th bounce the 4 wheeler was lifting 2-3 feet off the ground, I lunged for the handle bars & brake & caught it in mid air, one more bounce & it would have been impossible to stop it, it would have tumbled several hundred yds down the mountain & would have been a total loss.
Travis remarked that at least it was Shane's & not his! Loading the buck in the dark we headed back to camp for a hot meal & lots of laughs.
Dick
What made the hunt so memorable was what happened after the kill. I was hunting with 2 of my son's, Shane & Travis, we had been camped in one of our favorite spots for 3-4 days, several of the grandkids were with us & everyone was having a great time.
On the day I scored we had taken the 4 wheelers & made a big circle up onto a mountain & were now looking down into our camp site where we could see the kids playing. Through the binoculars we could sit them & almost babysit even though they were over a mile across the valley.
After an hour or so I started to get bored & told them I would start making my way back up the moutain where we had left the 4 wheelers. After about a quarter of a mile climb I had just stopped to rest when 2 bucks appeared below me, they were in the open & so was I, but they were down hill at a steep angle. The buck in the front was a 4X3, the buck behind him was a 3X3 & perhaps a little bigger than the one in front.
I knew I had to shoot quick or they would have me pegged, I was lucky so far as both had their heads down feeding. I dropped to one knee & picked up the buck in front & touched off a 250 gr Keith cast slug running ahead of 21 grs of 2400, I've used this load for 40+ years. At the shot the buck lunged forward & dashed past me on a hard run, his tail was tucked in tight & I knew he wouldn't go far, the shot had been about 45 yds.
The second buck stood for 3-4 seconds trying to decide what had happened, then he spotted me & busted down into some heavy timber. The ground was snow covered & quite slick, standing there I replayed in my mind what had just happened, I knew the buck would be close by & finished.
Using my walking stick I eased down the slippery mountain side & found the buck, he had traveled about 40 yds, the Keith slug had taken out both lungs & exited through the center ribs. I whistled 3-4 times but the boys couldn't hear me although I knew they had heard me shoot.
After 30 minutes I could see them climbing up to where I stood, when they got just below me they said, what did you shoot, a grouse? I smiled & pointed just below me & they started griping about them doing all the hunting & me just standing there & getting a buck.
Travis climbed up the mountain to get one of the 4 wheelers while Shane & I started dressing out the buck, Travis parked the buggy 20 yds above us on a steep angle & walked down to help. Both of the boys had their backs to the 4 wheeler & I was below them, facing uphill. All of a sudden the Honda started moving, then it started bouncing! I jumped up & started running sideways to try & reach it, the boys were yelling not to get in front of it.
By the 3 or 4th bounce the 4 wheeler was lifting 2-3 feet off the ground, I lunged for the handle bars & brake & caught it in mid air, one more bounce & it would have been impossible to stop it, it would have tumbled several hundred yds down the mountain & would have been a total loss.
Travis remarked that at least it was Shane's & not his! Loading the buck in the dark we headed back to camp for a hot meal & lots of laughs.
Dick
