Couch Hunting

[smokepolehall]

Yes the couch hunter has struck again…..TWICE
I took an old man nap yesterday afternoon & I heard that I missed a nice buck up close to the house with a cpl does. So this morn at 4am I started making trips to the fam rm porch that looks out over a good sized field. The dang wind is killin me here. It’s blowin good out of the north. That’s terrible for me due to where I have to hunt. Do I kept checkin the field every 15 min or so. Then at 7:45 they were there by the corn pile. They’re a few very active scrapes near where I dumped the corn. The big 7 pt was fast walking quartering to me & when he crossed that “ 100yd away from any bait pile ) I put a Barnes 195g Expander thru a high shoulder quartering to. Dropped him in his tracks.
Then, I call Anonymouscowherd & ask him if he could come up here & pick up a deer for his freezer. His reply was “ see ya at noon “. A min or 2 later the 1.5yr old 4pt hit the 100yd barrier & he started to run & in a direction that screwed my Safe shooting zone bc of the neighbors houses. I put another Barnes thru both front legs & heart shot it. It instantly plowed 10yds & dropped 10yds from the first deer. That was a hellova shot!
Both of these deer are very healthy & are going to be good eating.
All the stars aligned for these two to get harvested this morn.
My new Athlon scope was fantastic. I’m so in love with this scope & this gun.
Putting the heart shot on a running deer was really cool to do. The Barnes 195g Expanders did a really good job, without “ overkill “. I just got two more boxes of them. Once I knurled them up to .403 they started shooting bullseyes & I have 1/2” drop from 50 to 100yds. I’m confident to be able to shoot the max distance out the door which is 160yds.
The corn pile is 125yds from the house, near my 400yd target.
Pic 1 is the entrance side. You can see the high shoulder shot.
Pic2 is the exit side. Then the head view. Pics 4 & 5 are the 1.5yr old 4pt. A/C’s deer.
Entrance side is first
What a morning huh!
I did celebrate when both deer were packed on ice with a nice Guiness Draught & my trusty bong. My body was screaming in pain. It was worth every bit of it.
We are turkey hunting tomorrow here.

Fantastic hunting at its best for us older Gents, congrats on those tick toters.

 

[BuffaloSoldier]

Have spent many a hour/day being where they weren't.

 

[Hausser1]

I’m picturing something like this…. Lol

View attachment 38332

AWESOME COUCH!! Once seated, I don't know if I'd ever leave..
Great room and great decor. You definitely have a place over at Etsy or Wayfair?

 

[jsteurrys]

Those little 195 gr Barnes Expanders are a deadly pill.

 

[anonymouscowherd]

And then today we added a turkey to the score

To be fair though, we had to walk about 150 yards from the back porch to our blind set up

 

[Ninering62]

Fantastic hunting at its best for us older Gents, congrats on those tick toters.

Thanks bud.

 

[Ninering62]

Those little 195 gr Barnes Expanders are a deadly pill.

Yes they impressed me for sure. I’ll be using them for my hunting load from now on.

 

[jsteurrys]

I have used them with BH209 and smokeless.

 

[smokepolehall]

Yes they impressed me for sure. I’ll be using them for my hunting load from now on.

Yes indeed those Barnes Exp. 195 gr .40's are tuff. They will certainly make a hole where you want it at !

 

[Decay]

Has anybody tested them at ranges beyond 200 yds? got photos?

 

[Ninering62]

Has anybody tested them at ranges beyond 200 yds? got photos?

I will be doing that soon enough. I’ll post how they do. If I can get moa out of them at 200yds I’ll go to 250 & 300yds just for my own records
It doesn’t have a very high BC so I am anxious & curious to take them to 200.

 

[smokepolehall]

At 12.05 pm i was eating hot apple pie, sitting in my Recliner. I looked out of my Skoolie to the attractant block. There was a fat young Buck getting his issue of scattered corn. I picked up my Bino's n watched him for awhile. Was the 1st time i have seen him out there, he was a 5 pt. no brow tines, fork on right antler n 3 pts. upper left antler. He makes my 12th Buck i am watching, so far there is only 2 i would pick up my ML for. I would love for all those small Bucks to hang out back there n stay safe. They won't do it, so i figure this bunch around will shoot any of the deer on sight even spotties !

 

[anonymouscowherd]

At 12.05 pm i was eating hot apple pie, sitting in my Recliner. I looked out of my Skoolie to the attractant block. There was a fat young Buck getting his issue of scattered corn. I picked up my Bino's n watched him for awhile. Was the 1st time i have seen him out there, he was a 5 pt. no brow tines, fork on right antler n 3 pts. upper left antler. He makes my 12th Buck i am watching, so far there is only 2 i would pick up my ML for. I would love for all those small Bucks to hang out back there n stay safe. They won't do it, so i figure this bunch around will shoot any of the deer on sight even spotties !

Some chase antlers, some chase meat. Some live where a "small" 4x4 is a good deer. Some have serious acres to allow them to host and manage a herd to groom a few big prime trophy bucks. Some have a small 10 or 20 acre slice of heaven and are dependent on the movement patterns of game across multiple property lines, dealing with the actions of those around them (who often don't know or would care if they did about affecting game, etc. when making land changes like harvesting pines or clearing acres of brush).

 

[Mike3888]

Nice job Ninering, gotta appreciate those doubles. That 195 seems to be perfect.

 

[CGhost]

Congrats Nine, I went to North Hutchinson Island in august to stay about 5 days. First time in Flordia, I think yalls mosquitos were drinking my thermacell juice and it just pissed them off. Those skeeters are built different!

 

[smokepolehall]

Yesterday evening as the Sun went down i had a small Doe come in to get her supper. About 6:19 am i just watched a Spike come through est. 50-60 yards from Skoolie. He was looking for love in all the wrong places !

 

[smokepolehall]

Geez i think my place has way too many deer. That is the 3rd Spike on this area n the antlers make them dinks. So 13 Bucks n only 3 are shooters for this area. None of them are over 120" for score. Looking at my chart i have more Bucks than Doe's.

 

[Ninering62]

Congrats Nine, I went to North Hutchinson Island in august to stay about 5 days. First time in Flordia, I think yalls mosquitos were drinking my thermacell juice and it just pissed them off. Those skeeters are built different!

Thanks

 

[Ninering62]

Nice job Ninering, gotta appreciate those doubles. That 195 seems to be perfect.

Thanks, its not too often ya hear about anyone dropping more than one critter with a muzzleloader. The daily double wasn't my first, but its always cool. And I'm a very late to the game new fan of the Barnes 195's. I will continue to use that bullet, it checked all of the boxes that I want in a hunting bullet.

 

[smokepolehall]

Thanks, its not too often ya hear about anyone dropping more than one critter with a muzzleloader. The daily double wasn't my first, but its always cool. And I'm a very late to the game new fan of the Barnes 195's. I will continue to use that bullet, it checked all of the boxes that I want in a hunting bullet.

Last time i did a double was using my .45. Were 3 Doe's, shot the 1st one 20yds from me n she made it 15 yds or so. The other 2 ran out about 60 yds n stopped. I started using a grunt call while i reloaded. Called them right back up to me n shot the 2nd at est. 25 yds. The 3rd one left in a hurry. It took me all day to get them back to cabin, hung up n butchered. I think that was in 2017, too much on this old man. I don't do doubles since then.