I watched him bed at 10:00 am at 600 yards and waited for him to get from behind about the only tree on the whole ocotillo hillside.  At 332 yards I waited until 1:30 pm before he got back up.  In the meantime I checked out over a dozen other deer on the same hill but he was still the biggest and he was the only the 2nd 3-point or better I had seen in 5 days.  While I had waited I had tipped my gun off it's "Snipe Pod" right onto the scope.  this was my  backup gun.  the same thing happened to my .300 WSM the day before.

 

I aimed at the 3x3 while he sparred with a little spike and a large forkhorn watched the match.  At the shot, the 3x3 moved downhill but didn't fall.  He eventually laid down and started chewing his cud!  In his new location I had to move higher up to get a shot.  At 348 yards I could see the junction of his neck and back between two ocotillo stalks.  I fired and he rolled over.  Imagine my surprise when he stood up!  But he was hit hard. I could see blood falling from his mouth.  I aimed for the middle of his spine to break him down and completely missed.  He laid back down and I again aimed for the junction of the neck and back.  This time he fell over and rolled down the hill.

 

When I put my hands on the buck I saw that my scope had obviously been knocked off target and the bullet was hitting 4 inches high and 2 inches right at 348 yards!  Both times I aimed at the neck/back intersection I had hit him and both entry wounds were within 2 inches of each other.  The first high in the neck.  The second at the base of the skull.