Pistol Kill
12-18-2007 | 10:40 PM
#1
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Joined: Dec 2004
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From: Illinois
Pistol Kill
I usually hang out in the Bow Hunting forums but I'm an avid gun hunter too so I wanted to share this kill with you all.
I took this buck on the second gun season here in Illinois with my Ruger Vaquero .44mag. This was one of the most exciting hunts I've had in a while!
I was pressed for time and decided to go down south for the last two days of the second gun season (missed the first two) on a whim. I grabbed my gear and decided on my Ruger revolver. It's a 5 1/2in barreled fixed open sighted pistol.
I got down to the land late (5hr drive) but hadenough time to get to one of my stands and hunt the rest of afternoon. I had planned on hunting a stand further in on the property but I didn't want to spook anything so I set up in one of my ladder stands that's right in the middle of afinger of trees between two smaller fields.It's very thick but it's rightoff of a dry creek bed and I figured the deer were moving along it to get through this stand of trees undetected.
I'm hurried so as to not spook anything that may be in there so I get to my stand as quickly and quietly as possible,I climb up, strap in, sit down and try to relax. I check the cylinder on the old Ruger...full.... good, I'm ready to hunt!
It's a nice afternoon for this time of year (Dec.1st) and I'm enjoying the scenery for aboutan hourwhen I hear something moving my direction down the dry creek bed. I strain to see through the thick woods but I can onlymake out that it's a deer about 75yds moving my direction, couldn't tell if it was a buck or doe. The stand is set up about 20 yds off of the creek bed andthe deer ismoving in from my right to left.
The closer the deer gets I can tell it's a nice buck. He moves into a small cleared area about 35yds away but because he'soff on my 2:00 and I have nothing to rest my pistol on....way to long a shot off hand for my comfort!
My only chance is that he will continue on down the creek bed and into the open spot directly in front of me (20yds). He's moving on a very slow pace stopping every once in a while to smell the wind and look around.
Remember when I said I was pressed for time and had another stand in mind? Well the reason was the wind was wrong for this stand and it was blowing right over my left shoulder directly into the creek bed!
Every time the buck would stop I thought "You're busted John!" only to have him move slowly again. By now I'm a wreck and I'm hoping for just a few more steps. The whole time I'm frozen in place afraid to move as to not let off any more scent than I have to.
Finally he moves into position, but I'm sitting there with my pistol in my lap! I painstakinglyraise the Ruger up and acquire a good sight picture.....I slowly ear back the hammer "Click.......Click". The buck looks my way and freezes! Bang! the shot rings out and the deer drops to the ground! I hit him a little high (spine) but he died instantly!
I have never been so nervous, it seemed like it took him forever to come in and I made a big mistake that could have cost me the shot by not cocking the pistol before he got so close.
In my hurry to get down to hunt I left my digital camera at home but I had a cheap35mm camera in the truck and snapped a few pictures. My pistol is back in my holster on my side you can just make out the outline of it on my right hip.
The photo quality is not the best because of the cheap camera but it's better than nothing.
Just thought I'd share.
I took this buck on the second gun season here in Illinois with my Ruger Vaquero .44mag. This was one of the most exciting hunts I've had in a while!
I was pressed for time and decided to go down south for the last two days of the second gun season (missed the first two) on a whim. I grabbed my gear and decided on my Ruger revolver. It's a 5 1/2in barreled fixed open sighted pistol.
I got down to the land late (5hr drive) but hadenough time to get to one of my stands and hunt the rest of afternoon. I had planned on hunting a stand further in on the property but I didn't want to spook anything so I set up in one of my ladder stands that's right in the middle of afinger of trees between two smaller fields.It's very thick but it's rightoff of a dry creek bed and I figured the deer were moving along it to get through this stand of trees undetected.
I'm hurried so as to not spook anything that may be in there so I get to my stand as quickly and quietly as possible,I climb up, strap in, sit down and try to relax. I check the cylinder on the old Ruger...full.... good, I'm ready to hunt!
It's a nice afternoon for this time of year (Dec.1st) and I'm enjoying the scenery for aboutan hourwhen I hear something moving my direction down the dry creek bed. I strain to see through the thick woods but I can onlymake out that it's a deer about 75yds moving my direction, couldn't tell if it was a buck or doe. The stand is set up about 20 yds off of the creek bed andthe deer ismoving in from my right to left.
The closer the deer gets I can tell it's a nice buck. He moves into a small cleared area about 35yds away but because he'soff on my 2:00 and I have nothing to rest my pistol on....way to long a shot off hand for my comfort!
My only chance is that he will continue on down the creek bed and into the open spot directly in front of me (20yds). He's moving on a very slow pace stopping every once in a while to smell the wind and look around.
Remember when I said I was pressed for time and had another stand in mind? Well the reason was the wind was wrong for this stand and it was blowing right over my left shoulder directly into the creek bed!
Every time the buck would stop I thought "You're busted John!" only to have him move slowly again. By now I'm a wreck and I'm hoping for just a few more steps. The whole time I'm frozen in place afraid to move as to not let off any more scent than I have to.
Finally he moves into position, but I'm sitting there with my pistol in my lap! I painstakinglyraise the Ruger up and acquire a good sight picture.....I slowly ear back the hammer "Click.......Click". The buck looks my way and freezes! Bang! the shot rings out and the deer drops to the ground! I hit him a little high (spine) but he died instantly!
I have never been so nervous, it seemed like it took him forever to come in and I made a big mistake that could have cost me the shot by not cocking the pistol before he got so close.
In my hurry to get down to hunt I left my digital camera at home but I had a cheap35mm camera in the truck and snapped a few pictures. My pistol is back in my holster on my side you can just make out the outline of it on my right hip.
The photo quality is not the best because of the cheap camera but it's better than nothing.
Just thought I'd share.
12-19-2007 | 10:42 AM
#10
Fork Horn
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 122
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RE: Pistol Kill
ORIGINAL: BigJ71
I took this buck on the second gun season here in Illinois with my Ruger Vaquero .44mag. This was one of the most exciting hunts I've had in a while!
I took this buck on the second gun season here in Illinois with my Ruger Vaquero .44mag. This was one of the most exciting hunts I've had in a while!
Isn't 2nd season shotgun/muzzleloader only?
Handgun/shotgun/muzzleloader is late winter i thought.
Nice buck! Just not sure about the seasons, might be wrong.
Handgun/shotgun/muzzleloader is late winter i thought.
Nice buck! Just not sure about the seasons, might be wrong.
I know you can use a pistol in the late firearms season in January, but I'm not sure on the other seasons. If that's the case then you got lucky. I won't say another thing about that either way.
However, good shot by the way and great deer.
Paul