Butchered, packed and froze my moose yesterday (12 hours of pure BLISS
). Today I took the hide and other nibs and nabs out to the bush in 318 to feed the ravens. My wife was sick so the whole family left the school early and I decided to take the boys with me on the errand with the promise that they would get to "throw the feet" from the back of the truck (they're 6 and 9 and easily amused). I never go to the west country without a firearm of some sort so, since this is the season, I took my rifle and pack with me, "just in case".
Well we had a high time slinging moose bits into the bush.
On the return trip, I took it slow, looking down the cut lines as I passed. A doe ran across the road and I looked from whence she came to see a buck a long ways off traveling down the line with his head held in that low "tracking tail" pose so common this time of year. I didn't slow the truck but continued on and slipped the drive into neutral and coasted to a stop as I pulled off the road about 200 yds past the cut.
I explained the drill to the boys. We were getting out of my side of the truck and not shutting the door. They were to both grab onto my belt and keep up with me and NOT step on the snow -- only the black dirt and grass. NEVER LET GO OF THE BELT.
We moved towards the cut line looking like some idiotic kindergarten posse and moved slowly to the cut line. Me bent over double and them basically bouncing off my arse as they walked. They were basically forced to step in my footsteps and were relatively quiet. The wind was in our favor. I wasn't expecting the buck to be there but Lo and Behold, he was, and only about 150 yards away.
I got the scope on him and could see that he wasn't what I was hoping to shoot this year. I'd gotten my moose, so meat wasn't an issue. Then I remembered that two little boys had followed my orders to the letter and even wearing sky blue clothes had been able to get to this point. They deserve the payout more than I deserved a big buck this year.
As I took a rest, the deer stared at us, but joined at the hip as we were I don't think he could make out a human outline. Got a good rest, made sure the boys could see and centered the crosshairs on the throat patch and fired. Down in a heap.
He was blinking when we got to him, so I kept the boys back and finished him with a knife thrust to the heart (from the dorsal side). Picture time.
Deer was hit just above the nostrils, and the bullet traveled through the palate, splitting the tongue, knocking out the brain stem and lodged in the skin at the back of the neck and was recovered with good mass retention and expansion.
Antlers, bullet and picture will be mounted in a display that will occupy a place of honor in our house.
). Today I took the hide and other nibs and nabs out to the bush in 318 to feed the ravens. My wife was sick so the whole family left the school early and I decided to take the boys with me on the errand with the promise that they would get to "throw the feet" from the back of the truck (they're 6 and 9 and easily amused). I never go to the west country without a firearm of some sort so, since this is the season, I took my rifle and pack with me, "just in case".Well we had a high time slinging moose bits into the bush.
On the return trip, I took it slow, looking down the cut lines as I passed. A doe ran across the road and I looked from whence she came to see a buck a long ways off traveling down the line with his head held in that low "tracking tail" pose so common this time of year. I didn't slow the truck but continued on and slipped the drive into neutral and coasted to a stop as I pulled off the road about 200 yds past the cut.
I explained the drill to the boys. We were getting out of my side of the truck and not shutting the door. They were to both grab onto my belt and keep up with me and NOT step on the snow -- only the black dirt and grass. NEVER LET GO OF THE BELT.
We moved towards the cut line looking like some idiotic kindergarten posse and moved slowly to the cut line. Me bent over double and them basically bouncing off my arse as they walked. They were basically forced to step in my footsteps and were relatively quiet. The wind was in our favor. I wasn't expecting the buck to be there but Lo and Behold, he was, and only about 150 yards away.
I got the scope on him and could see that he wasn't what I was hoping to shoot this year. I'd gotten my moose, so meat wasn't an issue. Then I remembered that two little boys had followed my orders to the letter and even wearing sky blue clothes had been able to get to this point. They deserve the payout more than I deserved a big buck this year.
As I took a rest, the deer stared at us, but joined at the hip as we were I don't think he could make out a human outline. Got a good rest, made sure the boys could see and centered the crosshairs on the throat patch and fired. Down in a heap.
He was blinking when we got to him, so I kept the boys back and finished him with a knife thrust to the heart (from the dorsal side). Picture time.
Deer was hit just above the nostrils, and the bullet traveled through the palate, splitting the tongue, knocking out the brain stem and lodged in the skin at the back of the neck and was recovered with good mass retention and expansion.
Antlers, bullet and picture will be mounted in a display that will occupy a place of honor in our house.
Those pics are priceless too congratulations.
