- Joined
- Jun 18, 2017
- Messages
- 34
- Reaction score
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I had my Cooper pillar bedded and trigger adjusted after some early frustrations but it came into its own after that. Target below is three shot group, then up 3/4 and a confirmation shot.
I saw this guy last Tuesday and couldn’t get a shot...hunted him straight through til Saturday evening. He showed himself at 500 yards and was walking my way, then he worked in exactly as he was supposed to. I almost took a shot at 190 but he seemed to be interested in coming to where the other deer were so I held off to see where he would go next. He slowly made his way to the feeder with the others.
I had him broadside at 100 and went for high shoulder...I put it maybe an inch and a half low but was still fine. He ran 75 yds and laid down. I thought he would roll on his side at any second. He was still that way at dark (first shot was 10 mins before legal light ended) and I couldn’t see if he was moving at all or dead. Outfitter came up after an hour and he was still just sitting there...the deer tried to get up, went about 10 yards and went right back down. He called the warden to get permission to finish him, so I put one in him from 25 yds. He still stood up and the outfitter hit him with a 223. Still made it another 5 minutes.
I used a Nosler 300 gr which had fragmented and sent pieces everywhere. His lungs were in bad shape from the first shot and would have killed him, just would have taken some time...this we know from his first blood trail with lung pieces in it. With multiple shots in him it was impossible to tell what internal damage was from each shot, so I am not sure whether to chalk it up to terminal performance of the bullet or just a tough SOB. He was definitely tough but curious to see what other people think of the Noslers.
Happy to get this guy but wish it had been quicker...I don’t like them to suffer any more than necessary.
Trail cam shot
In the field
I saw this guy last Tuesday and couldn’t get a shot...hunted him straight through til Saturday evening. He showed himself at 500 yards and was walking my way, then he worked in exactly as he was supposed to. I almost took a shot at 190 but he seemed to be interested in coming to where the other deer were so I held off to see where he would go next. He slowly made his way to the feeder with the others.
I had him broadside at 100 and went for high shoulder...I put it maybe an inch and a half low but was still fine. He ran 75 yds and laid down. I thought he would roll on his side at any second. He was still that way at dark (first shot was 10 mins before legal light ended) and I couldn’t see if he was moving at all or dead. Outfitter came up after an hour and he was still just sitting there...the deer tried to get up, went about 10 yards and went right back down. He called the warden to get permission to finish him, so I put one in him from 25 yds. He still stood up and the outfitter hit him with a 223. Still made it another 5 minutes.
I used a Nosler 300 gr which had fragmented and sent pieces everywhere. His lungs were in bad shape from the first shot and would have killed him, just would have taken some time...this we know from his first blood trail with lung pieces in it. With multiple shots in him it was impossible to tell what internal damage was from each shot, so I am not sure whether to chalk it up to terminal performance of the bullet or just a tough SOB. He was definitely tough but curious to see what other people think of the Noslers.
Happy to get this guy but wish it had been quicker...I don’t like them to suffer any more than necessary.
Trail cam shot
In the field