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45 Elite Makes First Kill
Today i headed into the pictured country to hunt antlerless whitetail. I packed the 45 elite, because as one can see, there is a good chance for a long long shot. The wind was exactly wrong so i walked the edge of the government land for about 1.5 mile, and then turned and walked perpendicular to the breeze, and then into it.
 Whilst walking into the breeze, i spied a thicket of Hawthorne, and made a bee line for it, thinking any sensible whitetail would like to be in there. Then i noticed movement and white to the left and above the thicket. This movement turned out to be a whitetail browsing, and it's tail was being blown up onto it's back by the breeze, and falling, and blowing up again. I dropped to the ground, ranged the deer with the laser to be 123 yard out, turned the cds dial to what seemed to be about 123, and pushed the safety forward. The deer never provided a broadside shot, but the prone rest was quite solid, so i went ahead with the less than ideal shot. Those whom mentioned that the safety is as easy to push forward, as it is to kock a hammer were proven correct. It is indeed quite simple to push the safety forward, and free up the trigger to be pulled. The shot was taken, and the deer was gone from view. The rifle was reloaded, and i began the walk to the deer. Two fences needed to be crossed on each side of a RR track, and care was taken to set the rifle in a safe place. Whilst crossing the second fence a deer was spied right up where that deer was, but when i moved over to the rifle, which was in a safe place, it went away. When the deer was reached, i looked back, and saw 2 small bucks a way out at 490 yard. These deer are barely visible in the first picture above. One can pick them out in the first picture by locating them Junipers on the far ridge just below the skyline. They are standing further apart in the first picture.  The bullet was a 200g SST in a blue Harvester sabot, pushed by 120g BH209, ignited by W209 primer. The muzzle velocity of this load has been clocked at 2285 feet per second. What it made going into the chest cavity, was an elongated hole shown in the picture. I guess the entrance hole is so elongated because the deer was standing not so very much from straight away.  I hunted my way back to the truck, but even though the breeze was right, never got another shot. The truck was driven to what turned out to be, about 700 feet from the deer. The cart was pushed to the deer, and the deer was loaded into the truck without a hitch. One can see the exit wound in the neck of the deer in the last picture. It kinda seems the meat from this deer will fit into a shoe box.  |
Man that's beautiful country! Congrats on the kill.
How far did she travel after the shot-or did she? |
Great report Ron, and a great shot. It sure pays to know your gun and load.
That bullet really did a number on the deer. I assumed it didn't run after the shot with that neck damage. For a guy who's used to sneaking from tree to tree it's hard to imagine hunting open country like that. |
Originally Posted by ronlaughlin
(Post 3859790)
Today i headed into the pictured country to hunt antlerless whitetail. I packed the 45 elite, because as one can see, there is a good chance for a long long shot. The wind was exactly wrong so i walked the edge of the government land for about 1.5 mile, and then turned and walked perpendicular to the breeze, and then into it.
Whilst walking into the breeze, i spied a thicket of Hawthorne, and made a bee line for it, thinking any sensible whitetail would like to be in there. Then i noticed movement and white to the left and above the thicket. This movement turned out to be a whitetail browsing, and it's tail was being blown up onto it's back by the breeze, and falling, and blowing up again. I dropped to the ground, ranged the deer with the laser to be 123 yard out, turned the cds dial to what seemed to be about 123, and pushed the safety forward. The deer never provided a broadside shot, but the prone rest was quite solid, so i went ahead with the less than ideal shot. Those whom mentioned that the safety is as easy to push forward, as it is to kock a hammer were proven correct. It is indeed quite simple to push the safety forward, and free up the trigger to be pulled. The shot was taken, and the deer was gone from view. The rifle was reloaded, and i began the walk to the deer. Two fences needed to be crossed on each side of a RR track, and care was taken to set the rifle in a safe place. Whilst crossing the second fence a deer was spied right up where that deer was, but when i moved over to the rifle, which was in a safe place, it went away. When the deer was reached, i looked back, and saw 2 small bucks a way out at 490 yard. These deer are barely visible in the first picture above. One can pick them out in the first picture by locating them Junipers on the far ridge just below the skyline. They are standing further apart in the first picture. The bullet was a 200g SST in a blue Harvester sabot, pushed by 120g BH209, ignited by W209 primer. The muzzle velocity of this load has been clocked at 2285 feet per second. What it made going into the chest cavity, was an elongated hole shown in the picture. I guess the entrance hole is so elongated because the deer was standing not so very much from straight away. I hunted my way back to the truck, but even though the breeze was right, never got another shot. The truck was driven to what turned out to be, about 700 feet from the deer. The cart was pushed to the deer, and the deer was loaded into the truck without a hitch. One can see the exit wound in the neck of the deer in the last picture. It kinda seems the meat from this deer will fit into a shoe box. Hopefully my turn will come, I was going to say soon, but I need it to be awhile. Like you I am packing a small camera and hope to get some shots that way until I see a shot that I can take the other way. |
Congratulations. The first one of the season always tastes better. And now only a week away til you take some of them Refuge deer. the freezer is gonna get full fast.
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Awesome story and pics!!! That is beautiful country- very wide open for muzzy's, though. Making me jealous!
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Nice shooting and very good eating there. Congratulations on the shot.
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The Elite a fine shooting gun. Have you decided if you are going to try out the Disc Extreme at Lacreek? Or did you ever get it working up to par?
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Nice shooting Ron, I am surprised the exit hole is that small. That should be a tasty doe.
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Very nice Ron, now enjoy your harvest. Tenderloins anyone.
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Congratulations Ron.
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This is one of them shots where i didn't see a thing after the primer popped. The bullet made quite a WHACK when it hit; i figured it hit the deer good without anything i saw. When i went looking for it in the tall grass & bush, i found it right away, with blood right there; i don't think it moved at all. Autopsy results say it bled out from lung, and maybe elsewhere; was paralyzed by neck injury.
Sometimes looking at the country we walk in, makes us kinda almost wish we could write a poem about it....................er maybe not. It is usually very difficult and frustrating for me when i have to hunt the prairie. It is also shocking when one stumbles upon deer real close, in wide open country that is oblivious to you being there. It took me 8 day to to fool this deer but i really just stumbled into it. When one thinks about it, hunting the prairie is almost like hunting timber; go slow, hunt with the breeze in face, and go super slow when approaching a new vista, where deer could be standing or sleeping or feeding just inches out of sight. The extreme may be shooting pretty good right now; last time out was very fun. Time may be too tight to remove scope, mount sights, and sight it in to be ready by the 18th. Actually, i can't really see rear sights, and i have been remiss in finding a peep sight to fit the rifle. I think more shooting with the scope will be better instruction. That small hole made by the bullet exiting the neck was a great surprise to me. I was almost convinced i forgot how the deer was standing when hit by the bullet. I wanted to make the entrance the exit and versa-visa, but i can clearly remember the shot, holding the crosshair just behind the shoulder, and the deer was most certainly looking away, not toward me. |
Why meat in the size of a shoebox??? Maybe a little shoulder and neck meat was ruined, but you should still have the rear quarters and the backstraps at minimum. That should net you 20 - 30 pounds at least.
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Great story and pictures, Ron. I'm usually too excited to take pictures of the other animals right after the harvest.
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Congrats on the nice deer.
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Nice shot. And that looks to be darn good bullet performance. One heck of an angle, a 200 grain, .40 caliber bullet traveling what looks to be about 3/4ths of the way through the body and exiting through the neck like that. I'll have to keep the SST in mind.
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Originally Posted by oldsmellhound
(Post 3859889)
Why meat in the size of a shoebox??? Maybe a little shoulder and neck meat was ruined, but you should still have the rear quarters and the backstraps at minimum. That should net you 20 - 30 pounds at least.
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my dad has that same gun and it is a shooter. althought we are in thick woods and would be lucky to get a shot off any further than 100 yards . great shot !
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Originally Posted by pluckit
(Post 3859962)
Nice shot. And that looks to be darn good bullet performance. One heck of an angle, a 200 grain, .40 caliber bullet traveling what looks to be about 3/4ths of the way through the body and exiting through the neck like that. I'll have to keep the SST in mind.
You're right about the angle. I drew down on the deer, and was waiting for it to turn broadside, or at least quartering away. As i waited, i noticed how steady the cross hair was on that spot just behind the shoulder. After a short time, i grew tired of waiting and took advantage of the, to me, unusually steady hold, and squeezed off the shot. The rifle wouldn't have been more solidly steady, if it would have had an attached bipod, and i have no idea why.?!? Perhaps it was the lack of loose elbow, due to whatever old people disease apply. |
Great story and pics... thanks for sharing.
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Way to go. Man that open country is sure different than what I'm used to seeing whitetail in.
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IMO that really is an amazing shot if you think about it. Not the distance so much but the placement considering the presentation offered.
Meat damage im assuming is a bit more than preferred but it looks like 2-3 ribs were destroyed, probably got at least one lung and major arteries directly. Excellent spinal trauma that dropped her fast and an exit through the neck. The 200gr SST is known for its accuracy but you really slipped it right in the sweetest spot you were offered. |
Gm54-120
Wife is mad at you. She hates it when i am all puffed up. |
Originally Posted by bronko22000
(Post 3860381)
Way to go. Man that open country is sure different than what I'm used to seeing whitetail in.
If that ridge were surrounded by section after section of like flora, them whitetail wouldn't have been there. Them bucks were probably bedded down in the timbered ravine on the right. Beyond the skyline are farms with grain fields. There is an intermittent creek on the other side of the tracks with swamp area interspersed. Off to the left is a pond. Behind the camera and up, is field of unharvested corn, and pockets of timber here and there, with ponderosa, juniper, and cottonwood. All the farms near by have old mature shelter belts. This little piece of government land, which is a little over a section, is rare. Most of the government land around here is dry, and doesn't appeal to whitetail. One only very very rarely sees whitetail where there are no farms, or creeks. Areas of grass, cactus, sagebrush, and yucca are the domain of pronghorn, mule deer, cattle, and once upon a time, bison. That's how it seems to me, at any rate. |
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