I got my deer!!!!!
- Thread starter Calvin45
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mnshortdraw
Well-Known Member
That's a great buck by any measure. I'm on my second season of using small caliber monolithic bullets with very similar performance. Congrats
SamuelBerryhill308
Well-Known Member
Congratulations very nice buck
Carsyn.22
Well-Known Member
Congratulations on a nice deer! Like you I'm a meat hunter and would be thrilled to shoot a deer like that 
I scratched this year, this morning last day I took a shot at one but the 70gr HH from my .243 only drew one drop of blood and presumably a haircut. Got a little ambitious I guess, my elcheapo range finder went down but a buddy came by later and I ranged it then at 370 yards, I was off far enough to just graze him.
I agree with the sentiment that the rut is only now getting hot and deer populations are way down coyotes are way up. Part of it also that according to one trapper I've heard from fur prices have been in the tank last few years, he's only trapped enough to keep his sanity and lost some money doing it….
I scratched this year, this morning last day I took a shot at one but the 70gr HH from my .243 only drew one drop of blood and presumably a haircut. Got a little ambitious I guess, my elcheapo range finder went down but a buddy came by later and I ranged it then at 370 yards, I was off far enough to just graze him.
I agree with the sentiment that the rut is only now getting hot and deer populations are way down coyotes are way up. Part of it also that according to one trapper I've heard from fur prices have been in the tank last few years, he's only trapped enough to keep his sanity and lost some money doing it….
Calvin45
Well-Known Member
Well then, I'll have to do some dedicated coyote hunting this winter maybe. You know, I've never actually hunted them. I have shot one or two over the years opportunistically, but never made a point of hunting them. Perhaps it's time. I image that 75 grain at 4000+ would pop them nicelyCongratulations on a nice deer! Like you I'm a meat hunter and would be thrilled to shoot a deer like that
I scratched this year, this morning last day I took a shot at one but the 70gr HH from my .243 only drew one drop of blood and presumably a haircut. Got a little ambitious I guess, my elcheapo range finder went down but a buddy came by later and I ranged it then at 370 yards, I was off far enough to just graze him.
I agree with the sentiment that the rut is only now getting hot and deer populations are way down coyotes are way up. Part of it also that according to one trapper I've heard from fur prices have been in the tank last few years, he's only trapped enough to keep his sanity and lost some money doing it….
Sorry to hear ya struck out, better luck next year
memtb
Well-Known Member
A big congrats Calvin, and an apology…..I just found your post!
Considering that you're not terribly happy with your buck……I think that you've got a fine one there!
Thanks for sharing, memtb
memtb
Well-Known Member
The Northern Lights where supposed to be strong enough to give us a good show……we were wrapped-up in heavy cloud cover! 
memtb
memtb
memtb
Well-Known Member
I think that firing that 257 Bee at over 4100 mv may had disturbed the Ionosphere causing that magnificent Aurora Borealis!
memtb
memtb
Well-Known Member
Seeing yours and Skipglo's deer……y'all have some really big bodied deer up there! Wow, I'd like to take one like either of those! memtb
Jon Bischof
Well-Known Member
Calvin45, All of your posts in this thread resonate with me. Except for maybe the 4150 fps coming out of your 257 WBY! Heck, you could have launched a ball bearing at that speed and it would have been lethal! He, he... surprised he made it 20 yards, but I guess 85 grains is just a slight irritation unless it hits at that speed.
Never mind all the big racks showed off in Canadia where Canadian Canucks show off their giant Saskatchi-racks. I killed two meat bucks in South Arkansas which hardly have any racks or meat, so I know what it is like to hunt to fill the freezer. I have a family of four to feed and I know what I'm eating for supper tonight--hindquarter and it is good. My son eats so much I'm going to have to kill a doe after Christmas just to replenish the freezer.
Killed two mediocre meat bucks like this with 270 WSM. Needless to say, they didn't really take a step.
And with the squirrel--HHAAAA! Yeah, I know what ya mean!
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Calvin45
Well-Known Member
Honestly gonna save my tenderloins and backstraps for me and the rest I grind up for hamburger. Family of six over here, the kids are all 6 and under and don't really like straight up roasts BUT go nuts for chili, meat sauce with spaghetti, nachos with taco meat, meatballs, meat loaf, and hearty potato hamburger type soups, all of which the ground venison is perfect for.
Saskatchi-racks eh? Im gonna have to use that, especially as I am indeed in Saskatchewan haha. I've never taken a huge racked buck living here either, I don't generally have time to just live out there and be choosy, I'm after meat first on very limited time, every year I only get 2-5 real days opportunity so the first full bodied mature deer I see I take.
Calvin45
Well-Known Member
Yeah I like the big haul of venison meat. I knew a fella who was a minister and originally from Texas that moved up here…he had worked for a butcher when he was a teenager down there, and helped process a lot of deer. After moving here and seeing some of our whitetail his comment was
"not everything is bigger in Texas"
But I will say…there's actually a lot more total animals down there. They're just smaller. But I read somewhere how many deer they estimate are in Texas and it's way more than Saskatchewan, and we're very similar in geographical area. But harsh winters and less food overall as far as year round availability of high energy foods means we actually can't naturally sustain anything close to the population density up here. But ours do get massive, part of that's a survival adaptation as heavier animals have a higher mass to surface area ratio and therefore don't radiate body heat in cold weather as swiftly - also of note, the Inuit peoples of far northern Canada and Alaska are often naturally built short and stout with proportionately big torsos and short stocky arms and legs - same idea, generations of adaptation lead to that and I'm sure you can see how being tall, skinny, and gangly wouldn't be in your favour in -40 weather.
They call this natural phenomenon "Bergman's rule", that at least on average the further north you go/the colder you get the less total animals of a species are there but the ones that are there get notably bigger.
victor3ranger
Well-Known Member
Congratulations Calvin
Calvin45
Well-Known Member
Oh im happy! I just know it's not a trophy-class critter. Which is fine, I'm not a trophy hunter (but have no quarrel with those who are, all gotta stick together as there's enough people out there who would rather we not be allowed to hunt at all for any reason)
And I got to spend a total of four days and nights at my dads place out in the country, so in addition to hunting I spent a good long while drinking coffee and visiting with my dad, which was great. He had a big heart attack this time last year, we almost lost him but he's doing better now than hes been in years. He's 73. Could have a long time with him yet or not much at all, and really no one knows when their own time is up so I'm thankful for the time spent together. Life gets busy and somehow suddenly it's been months since you've talked to the people in your life.
