WY Mule Deer

longranger · October 24, 2011, 10:17 AM

I had been Antelope hunting here in Wyoming,opening day offrered no shot on Antelope.Walked back to my truck while putting my gear away,I had my binoculars around my neck and noticed a small set of hills about 1 mile away.I pick up my binoculars and have look at the hills and see 2 large bodied Mule deer making their way up to a point of rocks.It is warm so I leave my jacket and shoulder my day pack and start walking.I get about 1/4 mile form the small hills and 25 Antelope are standing 400 yards away,I don't get a shot but I forget about the deer and continue Antelope hunting.2 Days later I get my Antelope in the same area.With the Antelope tag filled I decide to walk back up to the hills I had started to hunt days earlier.
I get up to the hills and learn there's a series of bigger hills behind the small hills.I sit in a saddle and start glassing and spot 2 bucks feeding in a small draw they are working towards me,I make a plan to intercept them.The plan works so well I meet the biggest buck @ 10 paces face to face on a game trail.My scope is always turned down to the lowest power.I pick my rifle up and can't find the deer in the scope, to close ! He spooks and then there are 7 bucks running over the hill we were on.I back out and wait 2 more days and go back in at day break.I use a different route into the hills this time.Very quietly I poke around for a couple of hours and find a decent bedded Whitetail about 200 yds. across a ravine.I watch him for while thinking I might shoot him and be done ! I had decided I wanted a Mule deer this year so I passed on him.Walked another 1/2 mile and spot 3 Mule deer bucks coming up a draw below me,wind shifts and they get my scent and move quickly away,up the opposite hillside, stop and looking my direction I notice the biggest of the 3 is the one I met on the trail 2 days earlier.
257 yds away standing broad side,I give him a 180gr Nosler Partition just behind his shoulder from my Rem.700 .308.He is my best Mule Deer in 25 years.

Wyoredman · October 24, 2011, 10:46 AM

Perfect. And nice photo, too.

Looks like the bullet exited, so no info on it's retained weight! What was the range and how far did the buck go after being hit?

Congrats on the nice buck.

longranger · October 24, 2011, 11:21 AM

180 gr N-P. pushed @ 2300fps with 41grs. Varget.Yes that is a exit wound,just hit ribs and let the air out of him(bilateral hemo-pneumo thorax).257 yds. per the Nikon rangefinder.I would guess nearly 100% weight retention of the 180gr.N-P,he went about 50 yds.The rifle has a 1:10 twist and the 180's shot 3X better than 165's in this rifle.
I like getting my pictures before field dressing,I think it looks better,plenty of bloody animal pictures out there.

doofus47 · October 24, 2011, 01:38 PM

257? Congrats: nice shot. Was your scope zero'd for 200? Did you have a bullet-drop reticle or did you hold over?
And: is that a 20" barrel?

longranger · October 24, 2011, 03:26 PM

Scope zeroed for 200 yds(2.5"high@100 yd) Center of first mil dot is 261 yds.
The scope is a Nikon Monarch 4-16X42 and yes it is only a 20" barrel,short and fat(stiff).I found the rifle in a local sporting good store for $625.00(N.I.B.) It is one of those 700LTR's with a 1:10".Come to find out the rifle is a non cataloged Rem 700 made for shooting sub-sonic 200 gr. bullets,which I have not done.I love big heavy for caliber bullets for everything.It shoots 200gr Sierra MK's in to 1 hole @ 200yds.It is my most accurate rifle ever,I have lots to choose from.I junked the factory stock and bought a used H-S Precision stock and painted it.It is just to good to not use for hunting or anything else.I give up 100-200fps in velocity but it is deadly accurate out to 500m.

Brian Pfleuger · October 24, 2011, 03:31 PM

Nice shooting! Sounds like a great hunt all around, even long before you got your deer.

October 24, 2011, 10:17 AM	#1
longranger Senior Member Join Date: November 4, 2008 Location: Buffalo WY Posts: 1,056	WY Mule Deer I had been Antelope hunting here in Wyoming,opening day offrered no shot on Antelope.Walked back to my truck while putting my gear away,I had my binoculars around my neck and noticed a small set of hills about 1 mile away.I pick up my binoculars and have look at the hills and see 2 large bodied Mule deer making their way up to a point of rocks.It is warm so I leave my jacket and shoulder my day pack and start walking.I get about 1/4 mile form the small hills and 25 Antelope are standing 400 yards away,I don't get a shot but I forget about the deer and continue Antelope hunting.2 Days later I get my Antelope in the same area.With the Antelope tag filled I decide to walk back up to the hills I had started to hunt days earlier. I get up to the hills and learn there's a series of bigger hills behind the small hills.I sit in a saddle and start glassing and spot 2 bucks feeding in a small draw they are working towards me,I make a plan to intercept them.The plan works so well I meet the biggest buck @ 10 paces face to face on a game trail.My scope is always turned down to the lowest power.I pick my rifle up and can't find the deer in the scope, to close ! He spooks and then there are 7 bucks running over the hill we were on.I back out and wait 2 more days and go back in at day break.I use a different route into the hills this time.Very quietly I poke around for a couple of hours and find a decent bedded Whitetail about 200 yds. across a ravine.I watch him for while thinking I might shoot him and be done ! I had decided I wanted a Mule deer this year so I passed on him.Walked another 1/2 mile and spot 3 Mule deer bucks coming up a draw below me,wind shifts and they get my scent and move quickly away,up the opposite hillside, stop and looking my direction I notice the biggest of the 3 is the one I met on the trail 2 days earlier. 257 yds away standing broad side,I give him a 180gr Nosler Partition just behind his shoulder from my Rem.700 .308.He is my best Mule Deer in 25 years.

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October 24, 2011, 10:46 AM	#2
Wyoredman Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2011 Location: Wyoming Posts: 1,350	Perfect. And nice photo, too. Looks like the bullet exited, so no info on it's retained weight! What was the range and how far did the buck go after being hit? Congrats on the nice buck.

October 24, 2011, 11:21 AM	#3
longranger Senior Member Join Date: November 4, 2008 Location: Buffalo WY Posts: 1,056	180 gr N-P. pushed @ 2300fps with 41grs. Varget.Yes that is a exit wound,just hit ribs and let the air out of him(bilateral hemo-pneumo thorax).257 yds. per the Nikon rangefinder.I would guess nearly 100% weight retention of the 180gr.N-P,he went about 50 yds.The rifle has a 1:10 twist and the 180's shot 3X better than 165's in this rifle. I like getting my pictures before field dressing,I think it looks better,plenty of bloody animal pictures out there.

October 24, 2011, 01:38 PM	#4
doofus47 Senior Member Join Date: June 9, 2010 Location: live in a in a house when i'm not in a tent Posts: 2,483	257? Congrats: nice shot. Was your scope zero'd for 200? Did you have a bullet-drop reticle or did you hold over? And: is that a 20" barrel?

October 24, 2011, 03:26 PM	#5
longranger Senior Member Join Date: November 4, 2008 Location: Buffalo WY Posts: 1,056	Scope zeroed for 200 yds(2.5"high@100 yd) Center of first mil dot is 261 yds. The scope is a Nikon Monarch 4-16X42 and yes it is only a 20" barrel,short and fat(stiff).I found the rifle in a local sporting good store for $625.00(N.I.B.) It is one of those 700LTR's with a 1:10".Come to find out the rifle is a non cataloged Rem 700 made for shooting sub-sonic 200 gr. bullets,which I have not done.I love big heavy for caliber bullets for everything.It shoots 200gr Sierra MK's in to 1 hole @ 200yds.It is my most accurate rifle ever,I have lots to choose from.I junked the factory stock and bought a used H-S Precision stock and painted it.It is just to good to not use for hunting or anything else.I give up 100-200fps in velocity but it is deadly accurate out to 500m.

October 24, 2011, 03:31 PM	#6
Brian Pfleuger Moderator Emeritus Join Date: June 25, 2008 Location: Austin, CO Posts: 19,578	Nice shooting! Sounds like a great hunt all around, even long before you got your deer.