IdahoWoodsbummer
Well-Known Member
Just a quick note about our mule deer hunt. Opening day before light my dad and I were up in the rimrocks at the top of a mountain in south central Idaho. we just barely made it up there after our pitch black walk in. The sun just barely peaked out when I sat down and started glassing. I was sweating so much still I kept fogging up my binos.
Anyways, four minutes after opening light I spot two large, heavy bodied mule deer bucks. Lasered them in at 594 with my Leica 1200's. Did my comeups on my scope. I was shooting a Tikka 308 with a 6.5x20 MKIV Leupold. Load was a 165 hollowpoint gameking at a slow 2600fps. I have never used this load on big game before and was concerned with its slow speed. It is smoking accurate though.
They were about even in elevation so I made no adjustments for cosine angle. I touched off round one at the lower deer. He took about 5 steps and fell over. I got out of the way and let my dad take the second. Same results on shot two. A few steps down hill and it was all over.
Both rounds went through broadside right behind the front shoulder and into the offside shoulder. Frankly I was surprised how effective the shots were at such a slow speed.
The bad part was that we were way the F up on this mountain and had two big 4 points to haul out with only our packframes. We quartered them and took the backstraps and headed out, each with a deer on our backs. My dad had to help me stand up after I wiggled into my pack 'cause I could not stand up. The pack out sucked but eventually we got it done.
6 out of 7 in camp got bucks. The seventh rolled a four wheeler on himself and got a trip to the hospital with a broken ankle. It was his own fault for acting stupid.
The next day, after 4 shots I connected with a coyote at a lasered 650. He could not figure out where the shots were coming from.
Overall it was a good way to start off the season.
Anyways, four minutes after opening light I spot two large, heavy bodied mule deer bucks. Lasered them in at 594 with my Leica 1200's. Did my comeups on my scope. I was shooting a Tikka 308 with a 6.5x20 MKIV Leupold. Load was a 165 hollowpoint gameking at a slow 2600fps. I have never used this load on big game before and was concerned with its slow speed. It is smoking accurate though.
They were about even in elevation so I made no adjustments for cosine angle. I touched off round one at the lower deer. He took about 5 steps and fell over. I got out of the way and let my dad take the second. Same results on shot two. A few steps down hill and it was all over.
Both rounds went through broadside right behind the front shoulder and into the offside shoulder. Frankly I was surprised how effective the shots were at such a slow speed.
The bad part was that we were way the F up on this mountain and had two big 4 points to haul out with only our packframes. We quartered them and took the backstraps and headed out, each with a deer on our backs. My dad had to help me stand up after I wiggled into my pack 'cause I could not stand up. The pack out sucked but eventually we got it done.
6 out of 7 in camp got bucks. The seventh rolled a four wheeler on himself and got a trip to the hospital with a broken ankle. It was his own fault for acting stupid.
The next day, after 4 shots I connected with a coyote at a lasered 650. He could not figure out where the shots were coming from.
Overall it was a good way to start off the season.
