skitch
Member
It all started off with my Dad and I ging to Eastern Oregon on a mule deer hunt for Dad. My Dad has been in a wheel chair for 27 years, from a logging accident when I was 17. We have hunted together since I was 3 years old ( a bear). Many trips together - moose hunting, antilope, deer, elk, etc.
This year I went with him myle deer hunting on private land. Perfect long range shooting. We hunted for three days and saw lots of bucks before we found a good buck to shoot: a nice 3 X 4 at 640 yards. Dad shoots deer with a custom 7stw on a left hand sako action. I made the adjustments for him with the help from exbal, and he got the buck with one shot. Perfect.
I packed it out. It was Dad's best buck from the wheelchair.
Next, it was my blacktail tag - Western Oregon. It was the third week of the season and I took two of my friends with me for a little long shooting and deer hunting. The first place we went to is a place I go to shoot for fun and practice long range shooting (600 - 1200 yds.). I spotted a buck at 944 yards.
I shoot a 338 edge from Shawn Carlock. One of my friends had not seen the gun work. The other guy had seen it only one time and still could not believe it.
I told them to get the spotting scope on the buck while I ran the numbers on exbal and made the adjustments. "Let me know when you're ready" and when they did I let one go. The one friend who had not gone with me before stood in shock. The other one was running around like a cheerleader at a football game, screaming:
"He's dead! Flat dropped and rolled off a cliff!" All I could do was laugh at both of them. The buck rolled for two hundred yards or so, out of sight. We got over there to get him out - it's very steep ground there - and I had made a bad call...
I didn't take a gun for clean up and... you guessed it! Buck gets up 15 feet from me and takes off! All I have is a knife! I tried to grab the deer but it was gone and never to be seen again.
Totally my fault. (I now have a 270 wsm that will go in on all clean up jobs).
The hit was through the top of the shoulders, but not deep enough to hit the spine.
So... learn from my mistake and take a gun no matter what.
Next is elk season - Roosevelt, Western Oregon, my tag. The first day we saw a small branch bull but couldn't get a shot. My Dad and my friend Rick are along. We waited all day and the bull came out at 3:30 p.m. The shot would have been 1157 yards, but there wasn't enough time to shoot him and get to the bull before dark, so we just watched him feed. The next day, Dad, my brother and I went to look for the bull but he did not show. I spotted another bull across the canyon and my brother wanted to go get him on foot. I talked him into waiting for evening, as this one was in a better place to shoot late in the day. We got over to the spot in the afternoon and found a place to get set up.
My brother's style is to track them down and shoot close, so all of this other stuff is new to him.
(I had taken him to a spot earlier, to shoot a couple at 1100 +, just to shool him a bit.)
Our set-up was from 900 - 950 yards. We left Dad in the SUV on the road, and my brother and I waited. First a cow came out at 953 yds. We had everything ready. Check the numbers one last time. Here comes a peek at the bull. I sent him three 300 smks. The first through both shoulders, the next through the liver and the last quartering shot just in front of the left ham and out from behind the right shoulder. All bullets were full pass throughs with two-inch wound channels.
Perfect. Outstanding performance. This gun Shawn put together is way bad. With Dad on the road everybocy we know was on a high spot watching. It was a LOT of fun. This was the first bull that all three of us were together on. Each of us alone have taken many, but this was the first together.
Next was Dad's second season elk tag. He can shoot cows or bulls on a handicap tag. We could not get an elk to stand still for us. On the fourth day, we got one with the 270 wsm at 70 yards. No exbal, no adjustment needed. Just shoot. That was November 25th. On Thanksgiving Day my Dad had a heart attack at dinner and passed on November 30th.
He was my best friend. I did not know how good this last season was until now.
I will always remember this season and every time I set the crosshairs on target, I will think of him.
Guys, take your Dad with you. You don't know. It might be the one out the window at 70 yds.
that you remember the most.
GLASS HARD - SHOOT STRAIGHT. and take a cleanup gun ! ~
This year I went with him myle deer hunting on private land. Perfect long range shooting. We hunted for three days and saw lots of bucks before we found a good buck to shoot: a nice 3 X 4 at 640 yards. Dad shoots deer with a custom 7stw on a left hand sako action. I made the adjustments for him with the help from exbal, and he got the buck with one shot. Perfect.
I packed it out. It was Dad's best buck from the wheelchair.
Next, it was my blacktail tag - Western Oregon. It was the third week of the season and I took two of my friends with me for a little long shooting and deer hunting. The first place we went to is a place I go to shoot for fun and practice long range shooting (600 - 1200 yds.). I spotted a buck at 944 yards.
I shoot a 338 edge from Shawn Carlock. One of my friends had not seen the gun work. The other guy had seen it only one time and still could not believe it.
I told them to get the spotting scope on the buck while I ran the numbers on exbal and made the adjustments. "Let me know when you're ready" and when they did I let one go. The one friend who had not gone with me before stood in shock. The other one was running around like a cheerleader at a football game, screaming:
"He's dead! Flat dropped and rolled off a cliff!" All I could do was laugh at both of them. The buck rolled for two hundred yards or so, out of sight. We got over there to get him out - it's very steep ground there - and I had made a bad call...
I didn't take a gun for clean up and... you guessed it! Buck gets up 15 feet from me and takes off! All I have is a knife! I tried to grab the deer but it was gone and never to be seen again.
Totally my fault. (I now have a 270 wsm that will go in on all clean up jobs).
The hit was through the top of the shoulders, but not deep enough to hit the spine.
So... learn from my mistake and take a gun no matter what.
Next is elk season - Roosevelt, Western Oregon, my tag. The first day we saw a small branch bull but couldn't get a shot. My Dad and my friend Rick are along. We waited all day and the bull came out at 3:30 p.m. The shot would have been 1157 yards, but there wasn't enough time to shoot him and get to the bull before dark, so we just watched him feed. The next day, Dad, my brother and I went to look for the bull but he did not show. I spotted another bull across the canyon and my brother wanted to go get him on foot. I talked him into waiting for evening, as this one was in a better place to shoot late in the day. We got over to the spot in the afternoon and found a place to get set up.
My brother's style is to track them down and shoot close, so all of this other stuff is new to him.
(I had taken him to a spot earlier, to shoot a couple at 1100 +, just to shool him a bit.)
Our set-up was from 900 - 950 yards. We left Dad in the SUV on the road, and my brother and I waited. First a cow came out at 953 yds. We had everything ready. Check the numbers one last time. Here comes a peek at the bull. I sent him three 300 smks. The first through both shoulders, the next through the liver and the last quartering shot just in front of the left ham and out from behind the right shoulder. All bullets were full pass throughs with two-inch wound channels.
Perfect. Outstanding performance. This gun Shawn put together is way bad. With Dad on the road everybocy we know was on a high spot watching. It was a LOT of fun. This was the first bull that all three of us were together on. Each of us alone have taken many, but this was the first together.
Next was Dad's second season elk tag. He can shoot cows or bulls on a handicap tag. We could not get an elk to stand still for us. On the fourth day, we got one with the 270 wsm at 70 yards. No exbal, no adjustment needed. Just shoot. That was November 25th. On Thanksgiving Day my Dad had a heart attack at dinner and passed on November 30th.
He was my best friend. I did not know how good this last season was until now.
I will always remember this season and every time I set the crosshairs on target, I will think of him.
Guys, take your Dad with you. You don't know. It might be the one out the window at 70 yds.
that you remember the most.
GLASS HARD - SHOOT STRAIGHT. and take a cleanup gun ! ~
