33 opener buck 748 yards

[tomgobbler]

Well, i got down to shane's thursday night to do a little scouting, not that we really needed it, we always sit in one of two spots, we have a spot on the west side of the mountain, and one on the east side, its just a matter of choosing a side and going for it. Since Shane's BUddy, Ray had spent the week before my hunt, hunting mule deer, on he east side, i decided to look the west side over that evening. Ray had us some good bucks located, but i wanted to see what was hangin out on the west side. So i glassed from 1:30 or so, until dark, locateing 6 different bucks. 3 nice 80is 3x3's one small 3x3 and 2 unknows, as they disappered to fast. BUt a GREAT sign the evening before the opener. However daylight found us on the East side of the mountain were Ray thought there might be one of the bigger bucks he had seen earlier in the week. As we pulled up in the dark to our glassing spot, i met Ray for the first time, and i also was able to meet his "baby" his custom 30-378, with turrets out to about 2000 yards....he says with a chuckle anything on the this mountian that you can glass we can shoot. ( and it was a BIG mountain) anyhow as it begin to get light enough to start to make things out we each faced a different direction to begin the process of picking apart the mountainside. Ray about 75 yards down the ridge, to be able to look back into some cuts, me looking out the front and right side, and shane about 25 yards to my left watching the ridges and bowls to the left. About 30 minutes into glassing i barely make out a buck 3/4 of the way up to the top behind some brush. The sun still hasnt topped over the edge of the mountain range behind us, so with the buck being so far away and no sun to highlight his rack, i couldnt really make out what he was for sure. i knew he was out his ears in width, and he had a good body size, so i was thinking he had to be a decent buck. So i walk down to were SHane is sitting and ask him to come back up to were i am at, to take a look at the buck to see if he can get any better detail on him. As we are looking at him he moves out a little, and the sun finally tops out and so we get a little better look, but he is still a ways away. SO i radio Ray to come up and see what he thinks and to dig his gun out. In the mean time as Ray is making his way up a herd of pigs start up the mountain and run right into the buck, he didnt care to kindly to sharing the mountain and he ran the rest of the way to the top, SO now he is about 10' from the skyline and about 3 jumps from being gone for good. i tell Ray i think the buck is big enough to shoot, and show him were the buck is, and ask him what he thinks, and he says no problem, lets get him ranged and dialed in before he tops over. So he ranges him at 748 yards, and tells me how much to dial the scope so i lay down, rest the gun over Ray's pack, and dial the turrets to the correct yardage, ( allowing for the steep incline as well) he says you need to hurry, he's broad side ( very slight quarting away) and about 3 steps from being gone for good, so put a shell in and find the bucks shoulder in the reticle, hold steady for a split second and touch it off. ...... well what happened? is all i saw was smoke and dust with the muzzle break the gun has on it. SHanes says he down you nailed him, and i'm line no way, and Shane's like yep the big centry plant just shook a bunch as the buck layed and kicked in it. And i was like if you guys are just trying to get me to hike to the top of the steep mountain for the fun of it, i aint going to be happy, and Shanes says nope hes laying right there at the top. SO to make a long story shorter we hike to the top of the mountain and there lays my buck. an 85ish 2x2 with 6" eye gaurds, 13 1/2 inside spread and 15" main beams, but NO 3rd point, just a 2x2. BUt i'm happy with the buck, a 748 yard 1 shot kill opening morning at 7:45 or so. ANd it is my wifes birthday tomorrow, so i really needed to get home for that. ( Which i made it for) so what a day.... A BIG THANKS TO SHANE AND HIS BUDDY RAY, A GREAT GUY, THAT CAME ALONG AND GAVE A COMPLETE STRANGER A HAND. May all YOUR friends be like these 2 guys.

 

Good luck

 

tommy

in the last picture you can barely make out the truck were i shot from

[cpugsie]

Great Story and a really nice 2 point. I love big two points! CONGRATULATIONS!!!

[hunterdude]

Sweet 2x2! I would shoot it also! Congrats

[Couzer]

Sweet buck and one heck of a shot!!!

[CouesWhitetail]

Great buck and great shot!

[Coach]

Great buck, great story, and wow, what a shot... It seems more and more there are stories here of some amazing long range shots. I reload my own ammo, and I know I have guns and optics capable of shots like that, but it still seems like something I can't quite get. To me, a 500 yard shot is a long way away, and even in my tightest shooting guns, anything over 400 yards just seems amazing.

 

In this case, just short of 800 yards - 8 football fields minus a field goal...How in the world do you guys get so good with your rifle to put a good shot on at that range? I've got guns that shoot clover leaves at 100 yards, 250 we're still inside 4 inches, maybe 3 on a good day. But that's off sandbags on a portable shooting table. When I see guys in the field making spectacular shots like that, I am just amazed at how much work it has to take to pull off that kind of shot in actual hunting conditions. My hat is off to you - kudos and then some. That is some amazing marksmanship.

[Apatkelley]

Great buck!

[Santana Outdoors]

 

Sweet buck and great shot!

[The Coues]

Congrats!!

[Ernesto C]

Good job you the man!!

 

 

[couesarcher7]

Nice shot. Congrats!

 

[ac guy]

I normally don't shoot any less than 750 yds. Hit the range more and someday you'll be a man like me JK nice deer and great shot. That's one to be proud of.

[roninflag]

nice buck. what gun and load?

[tomgobbler]

the gun is the 378 wthrby. necked down to a 30 caliber. so a 30-378.

[Coues Archer]

nice buck and nice shot..