Last hunt for '08

[BuzzH]

Been a good year for me and went out yesterday for the last time big-game hunting this year.

Found close to 100 elk and decided on this one as it wasnt too far from the truck. Shot was 90 yards off-hand with my 7mm. Nice weather for elk hunting, clear, not much wind, and about 2 degrees above zero.

Not the best pictures, but my camera was trying real hard not to work properly.

Another look...background looks better anyway.

 

[Nut]

Congratulation Buzz. Awesome country you get to hunt in.

 

[Spitz]

There's some good eats right there. Nice that she wasn't too far from the truck. Congrats!

 

[Oak]

Well, at least you've got some good meat to get you through the winter.

 

[BuzzH]

You get good meat when you dont shoot them in the ass.

 

[1_pointer]

That ought to be tasty!

 

[Oak]

You get good meat when you dont shoot them in the ass.

Ouch...Merry Christmas to you too.

 

[BuzzH]

What? I'm just saying....

Merry Christmas to you and the Mrs. from both Pat and I.

 

[elk_hunter]

LOL; nice, very nice elk! Congrats!

 

[JoseCuervo]

Photoshop.......




Congrats on a good year, but next year I am gonna be on the Elk/Deer's side and be cheering for them to avoid your impacts on Big Game populations in the Rocky Mt. west......

 

[Spitz]

You get good meat when you dont shoot them in the ass.

Is that why you mentioned that the shot was off-hand?

 

[BuzzH]

You'll have to ask Oak why I mentioned that. I dont think you'll have much luck getting much info out of him though.

 

[noharleyyet]

Nice season Buzz. Thanks for all the shares.

 

[Spitz]

Let's hear it Oak!

 

[Oak]

Well, I was telling Buzz before he went out that if he wanted some good meat, don't shoot it in the ass. And he didn't.

 

[sreekers]

I think there is some insinuation here that Oak has some experience when it comes to hitting an elk in the hind end.

 

[cornfed]

way to wrap up your 08 season,buzz. Is that three elk for the year or did I miss some?

 

[mtmiller]

Nice work Buzz...killer season. Oak, are you shooting goats in the tail?

 

[Oak]

Alright....

I snuck over the hill and the herd of elk was feeding right where I left them the night before. They are calm and have no idea I'm in the area. I pick out a big cow that's facing to the left and think, "great, I'll hold right behind her shoulder, won't waste a bit of meat, and she'll probably drop in her tracks."

So I get a nice rest for what really felt like a chip shot, even at 300 yards. I squeezed one off, but didn't hear the sound of a hit. All the elk jump and are at full alert, looking around, but they don't know where I'm at. I was baffled, but decided that I would shoot her through the shoulders now that she was alerted, so that she wouldn't run down into the canyon she was feeding into. So I move the crosshairs about 10 inches left and squeeze another one off.

This time I hear the smack of the bullet, and see the cow's hind leg sag. WTF?! She's still just standing there, so I quickly racked another one in. I realized that my rifle must be hitting far to the right, so I aimed way out in front of the cow and shot again. I hear another smack, and the cow goes down behind a small tree. The rest of the herd watches her go down, then all take off down into the canyon.

So, when I checked my rifle after getting home from the hunt, it was hitting about 15" to the right at 100 yards. It's the first time I've ever had a gun lose it's zero while hunting. I had even mentioned that to my guide when I was checking my rifle in Ketchikan before my goat hunt.

Ther you have it. Moral of the story, check your rifle before hunting if you have travelled at all to your hunting area. I was just damn happy I didn't wound one and let her get away. I might have beaten the rifle over a rock if I'd missed a big buck.

 

[Big Fin]

So, when I checked my rifle after getting home from the hunt, it was hitting about 15" to the right at 100 yards. It's the first time I've ever had a gun lose it's zero while hunting.

Oak:

Must be a Colorado problem. While antelope hunting in CO this year, I bring my .270 Win. not yet having complete confidence in my new .270WSM. After all, that .270 Win has killed more critters than any weapon I own, and it was shooting great the week before I left.

Short story. I stalk up to 80 yards on a great buck. Buck is bedded, so I tell my friend to walk down into the opening below and let the buck see him, hoping he will stand. Plan works perfectly with one exception.

I am off the the right of the buck and he turns broad side. I hold on the lungs and squeeze. The buck doesn't even flinch and keeps looking at my friend below. As I jack another round in the chamber, the buck sees me and moves off about twenty yards and stops to look at my friend. I hold again, with the same result, but this time I see dirt fly from the bank behind the buck. I am hitting very high.

Buck trots off and stops again at about 170 yards, slightly quartering away. Now knowing I am hitting high, I hold on the bottom of brisket and squeeze. The buck drops like he is hit by lightning. Wow.

I walk up to inspect. I hit at least one foot higher than my point of aim and smack him where the neck meets the front sholder. I realize I am on lucky SOB. Can't say the same for the buck.

Get home and take the rifle out to the range. From a bench and shooting vise, the rifle is almost 16" high at 100 yards. Barely even on the paper with the first round.

I made the necessary changes and hunted with the rifle even more this year. Shot NM pronghorn, CO deer, MT deer (3), KS deer, and dd not have one problem.

Would be curious if anyone else has ever had such a change in a rifle they have used for years and had recently confirmed at at the range. I have no clue what caused it, and like Oak, would have been tempted to smash it on a rock if that big buck had gotten away.

My normal problems are operator error, not equipment failure.

Oh BTW Buzz, good job on some great eats. Hope it was another one of those "four minute pack" experiences like your bull this year. Congrats.