The other day I was hunting over a bean field in my ambush spot down on the farm. The field is L shaped. My hidie hole is in the outside of the elbow over looking the whole field. It is about 900 yards long on the left and 500 yards on the right. I do have yardage markers every 100 yards on the right field and I have lazered the left field and thought I had it undercontrol, but in the heat of the moment things did not go as planed. At 07:00 6 does came running from the far left corner going across toward the middle of the the field. There is a downed tree that I know is 475 yards. They run past it, stop and look back. Then I see what is chaseing them, a nice buck. They trot into the treeline. The buck keep coming and stops at the edge I am laying down and have a steady shot. I don't have time to lazer him, I have a 250 zero I crank for 400 yards and put the crosshairs behind his shoulder and sent the 162 Amax down range from my 280 Ackley Ruger tang safety that I built last year. He looked around and walked into the treeline. I took a deep breath and got my rangefinder out and it was 355 yards. I had shot over him by just a little. I waited 30 minutes and went over and didn't see any sigh of a hit. I went back that evening and nothing came out.
The next morning at 6:30 3 does walked around the back of the right field at 500 yards. There is a dozer pile and weeds that sticks out infront of me that is 275 yards and at 7:00 a doe is standing beside it. I am sitting in a chair and have cross sticks and I crank the scope up to 14X and look her over then turn it back down to 6x. She turns around and feeds out of sight the way she came. In a few minutes I see another deer in the same place feeding. I still have my rifle to my shoulder resting on the cross sticks. I look it over and I see big antlers. It is the same deer I missed the morning before. I said to myself I got you now. He takes a few more steps then he turns and jumps up on the dozer pile. I line the cross hairs behind his shoulder and before he drops out of sight I squeeze the trigger and he collapses. I was lucky to get another chance at him. He was only in my sight for not more than 30 seconds. If I had not looked at the doe with my rifle and was still in the ready mode I might not have got a shot. he is the best buck I have got in several years. He had been fighting and had broke a brow tine off. What was a nice 8 Was now a nice 7 point. You can see in the picture how his hide is gouged where he had been fighting. I have been going back everyday looking for the one he had been fighting with but have not seen anymore big deer.
The next morning at 6:30 3 does walked around the back of the right field at 500 yards. There is a dozer pile and weeds that sticks out infront of me that is 275 yards and at 7:00 a doe is standing beside it. I am sitting in a chair and have cross sticks and I crank the scope up to 14X and look her over then turn it back down to 6x. She turns around and feeds out of sight the way she came. In a few minutes I see another deer in the same place feeding. I still have my rifle to my shoulder resting on the cross sticks. I look it over and I see big antlers. It is the same deer I missed the morning before. I said to myself I got you now. He takes a few more steps then he turns and jumps up on the dozer pile. I line the cross hairs behind his shoulder and before he drops out of sight I squeeze the trigger and he collapses. I was lucky to get another chance at him. He was only in my sight for not more than 30 seconds. If I had not looked at the doe with my rifle and was still in the ready mode I might not have got a shot. he is the best buck I have got in several years. He had been fighting and had broke a brow tine off. What was a nice 8 Was now a nice 7 point. You can see in the picture how his hide is gouged where he had been fighting. I have been going back everyday looking for the one he had been fighting with but have not seen anymore big deer.
. The body tells a story on that buck. broken tine, battle scares. Cool. I have a Ruger tang in 338wm w/kdf brake. Gosh I like that gun. Really deep blueing, bolt slick as ice, nice walnut and mag barrel. It's just a pig to carry around.
