Hunted hard over the weekend with a 17 yr old friend (he's the kid I took turkey hunting a year and a half ago, some of you might remember the story and his pic). I had drawn a tough area, most of it is ate up with deep canyons and thick underbrush everywhere else. It was made worse by the fall snowstorms driving the deer out of that area and down into town. We walked a lot of miles and glassed a lot of cover over the two days.
On Sunday afternoon, Isaac said we'd go to a Game Production Area and sit on a small food plot of cane next to a draw leading up out of town. He guessed some of the deer might filter up the small side canyon into the food plot at sunset. We got there early and I promptly fell asleep. I woke from a small nudge and his voice whispering advice that I shouldn't move. I opened my eyes to three small whitetail does at 75 yards right smack dab in the middle of the plot. When I asked him why he didn't wake me sooner he said he was asleep. Dang kids these days.
We watched them for a bit when he checked his cell phone and advised we had about 2 minutes to legal shooting hours. I put crosshairs on the pocket behind the largest doe's elbow and squeezed off the Rem 700 in .243. A Barnes Vor-TX 85 grain copper solid did what the manufacturer claimed. I got a mere 45 yd run out of her before she piled up.
When I checked the scope on this rifle a week ago the best group I shot was over 4 inches at 100 yds using Winchester Power Point lead ammo. And that was not counting the two flyers in the 9 shots I used to make sure I was still on paper. When I ran three 3 shot strings at the same distance I was getting inch and a half groups with the copper rounds. Maybe I am a better rifleman that I have always given myself credit for! Another great benefit was the reduced felt recoil.
Sorry, no pictures. We had to field dress the deer by the light of his cell phone. And even then I managed to nick the stomach. Fortunately we were minutes from his house and a garden hose. The doe was all washed up and hung in my garage quickstep. From the looks of the weather forcast I should be able to hang her at least a week, so I am anticipating good eating. This is only my second modern rifle deer kill and I am about to turn 51!
Despite being just a conservation tag doe, just a short hop outside of city limits, not using a flintlock or a bow, and no great story, I really enjoyed this hunt. I enjoyed spending the weekend with a young man with ethics that run deep (Thanks Nancy for raising such a damn fine boy). He's a great conversationalist, a young man of convictions and faith, and when he graduates this coming spring the Army is getting good raw material to work with.
Thank you, Isaac, for a memorable hunt.
