RangerPark
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Near Edmonton, AB
I finally had a hunting moment where it all came together. I was most successful last year by filling in 5 deer tags, a personal best.
For this year, my early season was hampered by selling a house and ultimately moving. This resulted in me being farther away from all my usual hunting spots, about a 3 hour drive one way. So I needed to find new stomping grounds right in the middle of the season.
I headed west for 90 minutes to some Crown land. Many oil leases and forestry roads in that area. At first I could see more wolf tracks than deer. I'm not an expert in wolves but I'm thinking this was a big one. Size 10 hunting boot for comparison.
I relocated to a new area and eventually found this cut line. I only have a photo at the receiving end but the line was uphill with a nice buck standing near the top. The photo is from the buck's point of view looking down at my location all the way at the bottom.
I ranged him at 513 yards using a Nikon Monarch 3000 range finder. No wind to be felt. The shot was significantly uphill so I had to trust the Nikon's angular calculation. I was using my own reloads which I had chronographed to make myself some custom turret tapes. I set my dial to 510 yards and the buck started to move. At this point I was going to pass on that shot but he stopped broadside and looked straight at me.
I found a nearby log and went prone. Set the scope to 18x and lined him up. I was not as stable as I would have wanted but I eventually steadied the reticle. I took the shot and the recoil knocked me off target. By the time I reacquired, he was gone. I stayed there for a couple of minutes and saw no movement whatsoever. It was now time for a 513 yards uphill hike.
I found him where I shot him, the proverbial bang flop. Nothing for the record books but a nice 4x4, my third tag of the year.
Hit right above the heart, destroyed both lungs. No meat loss, the perect shot.
This is where all the practice and reloading finally all came together. I usually keep all my shots under 200 yards, this was my longest kill by far.
Now for the technical stuff:
Tikka T3x Cerastrat in 7mm Remington Mag.
Leupold VX-6HD 3-18x44.
Nosler Accubond 160 grains, Nosler brass, H1000 powder, Federal 215 match primers, 2996 FPS, 1/2 MOA at 200 yards.
In the end, everybody was happy. Cheers!
For this year, my early season was hampered by selling a house and ultimately moving. This resulted in me being farther away from all my usual hunting spots, about a 3 hour drive one way. So I needed to find new stomping grounds right in the middle of the season.
I headed west for 90 minutes to some Crown land. Many oil leases and forestry roads in that area. At first I could see more wolf tracks than deer. I'm not an expert in wolves but I'm thinking this was a big one. Size 10 hunting boot for comparison.
I relocated to a new area and eventually found this cut line. I only have a photo at the receiving end but the line was uphill with a nice buck standing near the top. The photo is from the buck's point of view looking down at my location all the way at the bottom.
I ranged him at 513 yards using a Nikon Monarch 3000 range finder. No wind to be felt. The shot was significantly uphill so I had to trust the Nikon's angular calculation. I was using my own reloads which I had chronographed to make myself some custom turret tapes. I set my dial to 510 yards and the buck started to move. At this point I was going to pass on that shot but he stopped broadside and looked straight at me.
I found a nearby log and went prone. Set the scope to 18x and lined him up. I was not as stable as I would have wanted but I eventually steadied the reticle. I took the shot and the recoil knocked me off target. By the time I reacquired, he was gone. I stayed there for a couple of minutes and saw no movement whatsoever. It was now time for a 513 yards uphill hike.
I found him where I shot him, the proverbial bang flop. Nothing for the record books but a nice 4x4, my third tag of the year.
Hit right above the heart, destroyed both lungs. No meat loss, the perect shot.
This is where all the practice and reloading finally all came together. I usually keep all my shots under 200 yards, this was my longest kill by far.
Now for the technical stuff:
Tikka T3x Cerastrat in 7mm Remington Mag.
Leupold VX-6HD 3-18x44.
Nosler Accubond 160 grains, Nosler brass, H1000 powder, Federal 215 match primers, 2996 FPS, 1/2 MOA at 200 yards.
In the end, everybody was happy. Cheers!
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