Every year Dan Ekstrom and I look forward to going just outside of Story, Wyoming to do some Whitetail hunting in some beautiful country. There's not really a shot opportunity much beyond 250 yards, and many shots, are much closer. The best way to describe our time together there is, "Fun!"
This year proved no different. I had a couple of doe tags, and I wanted to christen the Remington Custom Shop XP-100, chambered in 250 Savage, using some plain old soft-point 100 grain Hornady ammunition.
I also wanted to draw first blood for me anyway, with the Blaser 308 Winchester rear-grip specialty pistol using the 155 grain A-Max.
Dan was using his 4 inch 629 Smith and Wesson 44 Magnum, with a hand loaded 240 grain Hornady XTP HP. He had just put a new dot sight on it, and was eager to give it a try. On Tuesday morning because it was really early. We decided to set up in what I call the "honey hole" of this area. We have killed a lot of bucks and does from this location. The 250 Savage was up first for me, and it did not disappoint. Dan heard some noise down to our left, in the trees. It was an area we could not see. I kept checking and looking down and left, and Dan saw her first, and she was coming up the hill directly at us. I had the XP-100 set up on a tripod with a PRS bag, and I had to swing left and shoot down hill. Without really even thinking about it, I switched and shot right-handed. That was one and done at 26 yards, with a shot to the heart. The doe ran around 60ish yards down hill, and then piled up.
I went and put up the 250 Savage, and got out the Blaser 308 Winchester, and set it up on the tri-pod. Wouldn't you know it, like 15 minutes later or so, some does were crossing on a two track that's at the far reaches of where we could shoot, which is around the 225 yard mark. The opening to shoot is about the width of two vehicles wide.
I told Dan to shoot her with his H-S Precision HSP chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor, and he told me to shoot, because he wanted to save his tag for a buck.
I made a loud bleat and got her to stop, and the 308 Winchester with a 155 grain A-Max dropped her literally on the spot . This time I took off the top of her heart. Dan had his H-S Precision 6.5 Creedmoor, that he wanted to take an animal with, but he also had his S&W 44 Magnum. We decided to stay there and see what else would show up, and then Dan started to do some rattling. About 20 minutes later, Dan hears something coming up behind us to our right looks back and there's a deer. The deer sees us and is trying to figure out what we are. He moves off into some heavy cover almost directly behind us, Dan gets up and makes a standing off-hand shot at 58 yards and drops that buck on the spot . He must've been a fighter because he broke off one whole side of his antler.
The two does were drug to the same spot for pictures. And the buck was drug for about 40 yards out of the heavy cover for pictures.
Dan also found a fairly large mountain lion and black bear tracks on the previous day.
It was a really good morning outside of Story, Wyoming.
This year proved no different. I had a couple of doe tags, and I wanted to christen the Remington Custom Shop XP-100, chambered in 250 Savage, using some plain old soft-point 100 grain Hornady ammunition.
I also wanted to draw first blood for me anyway, with the Blaser 308 Winchester rear-grip specialty pistol using the 155 grain A-Max.
Dan was using his 4 inch 629 Smith and Wesson 44 Magnum, with a hand loaded 240 grain Hornady XTP HP. He had just put a new dot sight on it, and was eager to give it a try. On Tuesday morning because it was really early. We decided to set up in what I call the "honey hole" of this area. We have killed a lot of bucks and does from this location. The 250 Savage was up first for me, and it did not disappoint. Dan heard some noise down to our left, in the trees. It was an area we could not see. I kept checking and looking down and left, and Dan saw her first, and she was coming up the hill directly at us. I had the XP-100 set up on a tripod with a PRS bag, and I had to swing left and shoot down hill. Without really even thinking about it, I switched and shot right-handed. That was one and done at 26 yards, with a shot to the heart. The doe ran around 60ish yards down hill, and then piled up.
I went and put up the 250 Savage, and got out the Blaser 308 Winchester, and set it up on the tri-pod. Wouldn't you know it, like 15 minutes later or so, some does were crossing on a two track that's at the far reaches of where we could shoot, which is around the 225 yard mark. The opening to shoot is about the width of two vehicles wide.
I told Dan to shoot her with his H-S Precision HSP chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor, and he told me to shoot, because he wanted to save his tag for a buck.
I made a loud bleat and got her to stop, and the 308 Winchester with a 155 grain A-Max dropped her literally on the spot . This time I took off the top of her heart. Dan had his H-S Precision 6.5 Creedmoor, that he wanted to take an animal with, but he also had his S&W 44 Magnum. We decided to stay there and see what else would show up, and then Dan started to do some rattling. About 20 minutes later, Dan hears something coming up behind us to our right looks back and there's a deer. The deer sees us and is trying to figure out what we are. He moves off into some heavy cover almost directly behind us, Dan gets up and makes a standing off-hand shot at 58 yards and drops that buck on the spot . He must've been a fighter because he broke off one whole side of his antler.
The two does were drug to the same spot for pictures. And the buck was drug for about 40 yards out of the heavy cover for pictures.
Dan also found a fairly large mountain lion and black bear tracks on the previous day.
It was a really good morning outside of Story, Wyoming.
memtb
