Pa deer opens Monday after Thanksgiving
I had a small area to hunt in NY, Lady Luck was with me and I managed to get my biggest NY deer, no long range but it was a memorable hunt.
Started climbing the hill about 10:45 20deg, watched some turkey & started to walk some, I spotted a nice buck on a 4 wheeler trail, no matter how I tried getting a clear kill shot, it was not happening, not even a tree I could rest/steady on, I chose to take what was given me, angling away through briars, freehand, 120yds 1 shot behind the left shoulder, shattering the right shoulder (sierra stopped by the skin - recovered) Buck does not drop but turns even further to head away, 2nd shot (same briars) across the belly skin, exiting the chest between both frt shoulders, didnt go down, but I could see internals hanging, he will lay, I am not going to push him, I start my circle around, 45 minutes later I jump him, perfect broadside - NOPE he is on the horizon with a highway & homes in the distance, I continue to circle putting the horizon to my back while he jogs off up the hill, I find his stomach & intestines stuck to the ground where he had been laying, ok I wait a half hr hoping he would die, I start the pursuit again not wanting to lose my trophy, I catch up w/ him & he jumps up ready to run, broadside shot, rib heart lungs exit & off he goes down the valley, I catch up w/ him a couple hundred yds away, I finally had my buck in hand.
30+ yrs hunting, that deer was the toughest, the load I been using for the past 6 yrs seems to drop them fast, but not this deer, I thought he was going to outlive me that day
My son used the same load earlier in the week on a 8pt 100yds, frontal, base of the neck exiting behind the left shoulder (recovered - stopped by the skin) dead on the spot.
86grs IMR7828/Fed215/30 165 Sierra BTSP