I finally got a shot at a shooter buck last week. I had taken two does with the ML-II a couple of weeks earlier...one at 212 yards and the other doe at 50 yards. The meat was in the freezer so it was time to do some "horn hunting".
I passed on a smaller 10 point the afternoon before I shot this 10 point. It sure is hard to let some of these deer walk, but we certainly are seeing better deer as result of thinning the does and waiting on older bucks before taking a shot.
I was in a tree stand in the woods overlooking a 200 yard food plot. There was a couple of shooting lanes in the wooded area to allow more shot opportunities. Around 4:00 a doe appeared in the food plot and fed for a few minutes and left. About 15 minutes later I saw movement down the shooting lane to my right. The deer was in the edge of the woods, but I was able to tell that he was a shooter through the binos. The only shot that I had was through the back of his neck, so I passed, hoping that he would move and allow me a better shot.
A couple of minutes later he started walking toward the lane. All I need was one more step and his vitals would be in the clear, but he instead turned and went back in the woods. So I sat there wondering if I should have taken the neck shot earlier, messing up a cape in the process.
After about 10 minutes of watching the area and hoping that he would walk out in the food plot, I saw him moving toward the shooting lane again. This time he stepped out quartering toward me giving me the shot that I needed. He stumbled about 20 feet and fell in a thicket. I waited a couple of minutes and didn't hear any noise, so I went and got my 4-wheeler. I could smell him 30' from the thicket.
I pulled him out to get a better look at him and his rack. He had a broken G2 on his right side, but I was extremely happen with him. He later weighed 210 on the hoof with a 18 1/2" inside spread. A friend that hunts with us scored him at 136 with the broken G2. If he had not broken the tine, he would have been about 146. My best deer ever with the ML-II.
On a side note...my wife bought a Power Loader for my 4-wheeler made for loading deer. Let me tell you that thing worked like a charm. I had him loaded in 5 minutes and never broke a sweat. I'm not getting any younger, so any help in appreciated!
I've got some pics if someone would put them up for me.
The load was 43 grains of N110, MMP12 (trimmed), WW, 250 SST, and Winchester primer. The bullet entered just behind the front shoulder and did not exit. The lungs were destroyed. I didn't find any bullet fragments, but I didn't dig in the gut pile too long either.
Oh yeah, the shot was 75 yards.
black3
I passed on a smaller 10 point the afternoon before I shot this 10 point. It sure is hard to let some of these deer walk, but we certainly are seeing better deer as result of thinning the does and waiting on older bucks before taking a shot.
I was in a tree stand in the woods overlooking a 200 yard food plot. There was a couple of shooting lanes in the wooded area to allow more shot opportunities. Around 4:00 a doe appeared in the food plot and fed for a few minutes and left. About 15 minutes later I saw movement down the shooting lane to my right. The deer was in the edge of the woods, but I was able to tell that he was a shooter through the binos. The only shot that I had was through the back of his neck, so I passed, hoping that he would move and allow me a better shot.
A couple of minutes later he started walking toward the lane. All I need was one more step and his vitals would be in the clear, but he instead turned and went back in the woods. So I sat there wondering if I should have taken the neck shot earlier, messing up a cape in the process.
After about 10 minutes of watching the area and hoping that he would walk out in the food plot, I saw him moving toward the shooting lane again. This time he stepped out quartering toward me giving me the shot that I needed. He stumbled about 20 feet and fell in a thicket. I waited a couple of minutes and didn't hear any noise, so I went and got my 4-wheeler. I could smell him 30' from the thicket.
I pulled him out to get a better look at him and his rack. He had a broken G2 on his right side, but I was extremely happen with him. He later weighed 210 on the hoof with a 18 1/2" inside spread. A friend that hunts with us scored him at 136 with the broken G2. If he had not broken the tine, he would have been about 146. My best deer ever with the ML-II.
On a side note...my wife bought a Power Loader for my 4-wheeler made for loading deer. Let me tell you that thing worked like a charm. I had him loaded in 5 minutes and never broke a sweat. I'm not getting any younger, so any help in appreciated!
I've got some pics if someone would put them up for me.
The load was 43 grains of N110, MMP12 (trimmed), WW, 250 SST, and Winchester primer. The bullet entered just behind the front shoulder and did not exit. The lungs were destroyed. I didn't find any bullet fragments, but I didn't dig in the gut pile too long either.
Oh yeah, the shot was 75 yards.
black3
