m gardner
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Posts posted by m gardner
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I noticed lots of talk about long range shooting and was wondering what methods you use to find the animal after shooting it? I've shot more than a few deer and elk at extreme ranges and in brushy cover or deep powder snow or across canyons it was a difficult task. How many have lost game because it was impossible to find after the shot? The last long shot I made (about a year ago), the deer jumped up and fell over backwards into deep powder snow on the other side of a canyon which meant I had to walk around to get him. I was alone and had no guide and it was a real problem but I found him. I had one roll off a cliff years ago and was never recovered. How do you guys do it?
Mark
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It's simple geometry. The higher you are and the more erect you are the less force there is to resist the recoil from driving the rifle back and up and affecting the position of the muzzle as the bullet leaves. It's not a new thing. Some hunters I knew always sighted their rifles in from a "high bench position" so the point of impact would be nearly the same in the offhand and sitting positions. The more the rifle recoils and the more drop there is in the stock the more you'll notice. Anyone familiar with big bore handguns knows how the grip affects the point of impact, even more so than a rifle.
Mark
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I shot a custom 264 win mag for awhile before giving it to my son who still has it. It wasn't very fussy at all. It shot any bullet from 100 grains to 160 grains and 140 factory loads to the same point of aim, which was convenient. We used anything from H4895 (for practice loads so the barrel would last longer) to H870 with good results. It really liked 120 grain Nosler Ballistic tips but they are a poor game bullet when driven that fast.
Mark
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Shooting from different positions will change your point of impact especially with rifles that recoil noticeably. I usually sight in from a high bench position and then check where I'm hitting from prone and sitting because these are the two positions I'll use hunting. I think it's because the rifle recoils differently when held differently. When I'm more solid behind it it shoots lower. My 6 1/2 pound .338 is a real problem in this respect. The .270 behaves better. This isn't noticed by alot of todays shooters because these days most shoot from a bench and that's it. Years ago we had lots of shooters that could shoot up to the capabilities of their rifles from sitting positions.
Mark
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During the 4th of July while scouting we saw a doe mule deer chasing a coyote. Little puffs of dust coming off his feet as he tried his best to stay ahead of her. Now and then she'd catch him and stomp him some. We figured he got too close to the fawn.
Mark
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The 7mmWSM approximates the 7mm Remington Magnum which was designed by some elk oufitters and gun nuts to kill elk. They found the 160 grain bullets worked best. You may want to go with that.
Mark
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It's more about useing shadows and cover to your advantage and moving well, than about camo. For years I had an old wrinkled olive drab shirt that was my favorite. This is my first year hunting Coues deer and I got within 5 feet of one dressed in blue jeans and a brouwn T-shirt. I am tanned up pretty good though. I also managed to stalk within 35 yards of two bucks, a spike and a 3 point. All that aside, I really like Natural Gear and Mossy Oak Brush. I think they look good on me!
Mark
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OOOH!! You know that's gonna leave a mark!!!
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We hunted the early part of the bowseason during the full moon and 95 degree temps and had activity during mid day. They liked the shady spots in the pines or the ravines.
Mark
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Pretty lucky. That's why ranges set the closest steel targets at 200 yards. I believe they set theirs at 100. Hard lesson to learn. probably never forget that one!
Mark
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Nice bull. I've got 4 points at 15 iches and 1 at 18 plus a 200 mainframe ( hard to tell from this angle). I'll say 355.
Mark
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There are lots of whitetails there. I'm new here and have been bowhunting them and haven't found any lack of them in 23. They are small and sneaky though. Have you been scouting from the road or actually walking? They don't seem to be as trusting as mulies and they don't like cattle much.
Mark
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I'm still new at this, this being my first year, but I've seen them in what look to be like ponderosa pines all the way down to the palo verdes as long as there was water and no cattle. I'm looking forward to the rut hunt though, cooler temps and lovesick bucks! Here's a little doe in the pines up high.
Mark
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Thom, you're right. The ones I talk to or witness shooting at long range usually have the most technology and the least skill. I had one guy I hunted with last year miss an elk at 325 yards. The whole elk. Nine times. I finally stopped him from shooting anymore or it may have been 19 times. The wind is a real problem as it may blow left, right,up and down before the bullet reaches the target. The last three long shots on big game I have taken (over 400 yards) I waited for the wind to be calm before the shot. Mirage can be beat somewhat by getting into an elevated position because it is usually at ground level. Get into a shooting game like Silhouettes during the off season and practice. Playing with the smart kids pays off in real results.
Mark
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Sometimes Nosler partitions don't shoot well in a rifle that's why I've used many different brands of bullet. They never fail though if you stick them in the right place. I shot a deer a while back that I tracked about a mile, then did it right. I swore it was lung shot but the bullet had deflected on the ribs on a quartering away shot and traveled under the shoulder exiting the brisket. The blood ended up looking frothy like lung blood from having air sucked into the wound by the action of the shoulder moving. If I had lost that animal I'd have sworn it had survived a lung shot, but in reality not. Here's me after shooting the largest bodied elk of my life with a 270 win. though the lungs at about 350 yards. I used a 150 grain Grand Slam bullet because they shot best in that rifle. Got 510 pounds of meat from him. He was big and old.
Mark
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I went looking and found a photo of the deer I shot on this hunt. Here's a wrinkly old guy and a mulie.
Mark
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No they aren't hard to hunt once you find them but it's steep and high. This is the first time I've lived at this low altitude and going back to 7500 to 11,000 feet ain't easy!
Mark
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Here's a photo of a buck we were skinning during the 2007 Utah bow season. In the background there are two deer. the one on the left is a legal spikehorn. They hung around camp and watched occasionally as we worked skinning and quartering. I got a photo because it was too unbelieveable!
Mark
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I shot the SST's extensively a few years ago. Enough to wear out the barrel on the 270 winchester I had. They were very accurate, especially at long range. I shot prairie dogs out to 500 yards with them. They were good in the wind too. The 150 grainers and maximum charges of IMR7828 and magnum primers worked best. Varget and the 130 grainers were accurate and easier on the shoulder and rifle during daylong shoots. I killed 3 deer with them and loaned the rifle to my buddy for his 3 daughters and wife to use. They shot a dozen or so with it. It is a good deer bullet but seemed too soft for anything bigger than a large mule deer. I like Speer Grand Slams, Barnes Tripleshocks, Trophy Bonded Bear Claws, Nosler Partitions for elk.
Mark
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No Bill, it doesn't seem to spook the animal. The last one I shot at long range (450 yards) I dry fired several times before I was satified with my position and shot. If I need to shoot at long range I take my time and do it right. I learned long ago not to rush. Hunting prairie dogs during the off season and shooting rocks helps too. Taking a GPS or compass reading after helps when you need to find the animal especially if you're alone.
Mark
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One thing I'll add. I get my rest then dry fire the rifle to make sure the crosshairs don't move after the trigger breaks. If it does I rearraign my rest until it doesn't.
Mark
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I'm new to Az and Coues hunting, but I've hunted all over for the past 42 years and have some knowledge of deer. I believe they have equal power of smell, but like what was said the bucks are more wary because of being hunted. In areas where the does are hunted (legally or not) they are very bit as wary as bucks. They are easier to find though because they usually exist in larger numbers. This is a good test as to whether your area is being poached too. If the does duck and run when they see you somebody's been shooting them and probably the bucks too. You may want to look for other signs of illegal activities and tip off the warden. I did this in one area in particular 5 years ago and now there are trophy quality bucks showing up and the does could care less if you watch them, like this one.
Mark
Long Range Animal Recovery
in Rifle hunting for Coues Deer
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I thought I'd ask because the first animal I shot at over 400 yards across a brush choked ravine I nearly lost because I had never given it a thought. I had shot prairie dogs all summer with my 270 and was pretty handy with it. When I spotted a buck bedded under a small pine on the rim across from me and realized I couldn't get closer and see him I got a rest and shot him in the head. He just rolled over under the pine and disappeared. Oooops!? I finally did the compass thing and after a few hours found him. Now I always like to have a plan, even if it's bad one.
Mark