Hey guys,
Rifle season is open here in PA and Monday morning I took my bow and rifle to the stand in the morning. I ended up seeing a black bear and a bobcat that morning, along with several guys who tresspassing. After I got down and told the landowner, I grabbed my rifle and went to my property and decided to see if anybody was tresspassing on it, thankfully I didn't see anybody but I did manage to put the smack down on my first coyote ever. It was around a 115 yard freehand shot with my .280. She is now at the taxidermist and I am having a full body mount done. Here is a pic....
Yesterday morning I hit stand with bow and gun again and only saw a doe sneeking through some brush. Yesterday afternoon I hit the woods again, this time with just my rifle and after sitting for 2-1/2 hours without seeing a thing, I was about ready to move to a different area when I saw a doe out in a cut cornfield on the other side of the valley. She started running towards the bottom I was in when I noticed another deer. I instantly saw horns and hoped that they would come out of the field (posted property) and down into the swampy bottom that I was in. He ran up to the doe and she busted down into the bottom and he followed. He was heading into a thicket and he stopped at around 225 yards broadside. He was now on the property that I have permission to hunt and I rested my gun on a fallen tree, put the crosshairs right behind his front leg and squeezed the trigger. The gun went off and I watched as he stood there. I reloaded and put the scope on him again, pull the trigger, and he took a few more steps into the brush. I reload and wait for him to get into the last little "opening" and I put the crosshairs on him and squeeze. I then had the pleasure of watching him and the doe walk down into a bunch of deadfalls in the creek bottom. I waited a little while and went down and found his tracks in the mud and didn't find a drop of blood. Followed the tracks for a good ways without any sign and decided to head home. I still have no idea how I missed, rock solid rest and my .280 is sighted in 1" high at 100 yards with 150 grain Nosler Ballistic tips. The only thing that I can think is that I was hitting brush that I couldn't see through the scope. It wouldn't have counted for the contest, but he was a bruiser that I would have been proud to put on the wall. Giant body 8 point with great tine length, great mass that carried throughout his beams, and great tine length (even his brows). I am heading back with my rifle tonight, and if it doesn't produce, the rest of my season will be spent in this bottom with my bow.