Got this buck this morning at day break. 40 acre ranch outside of Rocksprings Tx, free ranging.
These guys are very smart and very nocturnal, stopped him with some corn in the road that goes down the center of the property.
It was a little farther than I would have wanted, 165 yds with the .22 Hornet and he folded on the spot. Longest shot so far with the hornet. I estmimated him at 200 yds as he was facing me straight on, I put it right under his nose anticipating bullet drop hitting him in the neck, problem is i cant find a bullet hole in his neck, and no exit, when I cut his head off i can see the damage to the back of head and first vertabrae, im thinking it went straight up the nose or right through his mouth. no teeth are damaged though. pretty wierd, Im going to skin the head to see.
We have a feeder not 200 yds from where he was shot and he has never visited it, these guys are just not interested in the feeders, or they smart enough to know not to go to them.
I also found a slug in his hide, looked to be a .243 as it weighed 65 gr, it was all healed up and scar tissued over.
This is my biggest so far, prized more than even my whitetail kills.

That thing is cool! yeah looks like you hit em in the nose by all the blood, ha, Id name him rudolf Is he getting mounted?