Springmom gets her first deer

ArcherAndShooter · January 10, 2007, 09:39 PM

Springmom and I just returned from a 3-day draw hunt in Huntsville State Park north of us. Regular season ended Sunday, but this doe-and-spike buck cull hunt was set for the time right after, and we got to go.

Beautiful deer hunting weather (freezing overnight, cool and clear in the afternoons, no wind to speak of). Good companionship with the park rangers and our fellow hunters. And some of the best chicken-fried steak we ever did eat for dinner after the hunt.

I got skunked - didn't even SEE a deer except for one large buck who disapproved of my presence so near to his bedding. Several others didn't even see that many deer.

But Springmom, now that's a different story.

She was assigned to a blind at the corner of the park, overlooking service roads that ran 90 degrees to each other along the park borders. Long narrow lines of sight. Tuesday morning at 10:00 or so, she looks up and sees a young buck crossing one of the service roads at the top of the rise beyond a gully leading to the property next door.

She was not sure of the distance, but could see well enough to know it was a shootable spike, so she raised her rifle and took the shot.

After the deer fell, she went to pick him up and wait for the ranger-mobile to bring her back to HQ for check-in. When she got to the deer, who was already dead, she pointed our laser range-finder back to the stand she'd been in...

215 YARDS. :what: DRT.

Dressed out at 73 pounds, a nice 1-1/2 year old east TX deer. He's at the butcher's as I write this.

As you might guess, I'm just a little proud of her. She may have more to tell you about it herself, but I insisted on the husband's right to brag first.

For those of you who helped her in her thread about the scope problem she had getting ready for the hunt - I guess she fixed it, wouldn't you say?

mete · January 10, 2007, 09:50 PM

Good job Springmom !!!

Now you have to learn to dress, skin, butcher, cook and eat your own deer !!

rem33 · January 10, 2007, 10:44 PM

Congrats, You never forget the first one.

Fremmer · January 10, 2007, 10:55 PM

Good shot! 215 yards is a long one. Congratulations! We want to hear from her about it.

If I recall, she shoots a Remington rifle?

FirstFreedom · January 11, 2007, 12:21 PM

Flippin' sweet, SM!

215 yards DRT is mighty impressive!

Jseime · January 11, 2007, 12:47 PM

Nicely done thats a pretty long ol shot for the first deer you ever take. I know i missed twice at 100 before i got it right.

Capp35 · January 11, 2007, 03:01 PM

Wasn't this the hog hunt also?
None seen?

Eghad · January 11, 2007, 03:25 PM

chicken fried backstrap...mmmmmmmmmmm

ArcherAndShooter · January 11, 2007, 03:56 PM

Fremmer,

Springmom is out, so I'll tell you - she shot an old Remington 700 in .243, pushing 100 grain CoreLokt. Bullet went in near the front shoulder and didn't come out - deflected off shoulder and totally mashed one lung and chopped up the heart.

Like I said - DRT.

Clayfish · January 11, 2007, 04:26 PM

Way to go Springmom!

hpg · January 11, 2007, 08:14 PM

pics man pics

Fremmer · January 11, 2007, 09:23 PM

Thanks, Archer. I'm glad she got the Remington ready for hunting. Those Remingtons can shoot.

Sounds like it was a great hunt. Congratulations!

Like those short-action rounds, do ya Springmom?!?

Me too! I've used the same caliber and ammo before, and it was a good combo.

ArcherAndShooter · January 12, 2007, 01:24 AM

I have to work on cropping one down to size to be accepted as an attachment on this forum. tomorrow, maybe. it is late.

BillCA · January 12, 2007, 02:03 AM

Good Job SPRINGMOM!

215 yards with a .243 - man! That's goooood shootin'!

Congrats on making that shot and showing us all how it's done! Gotta love that .243 for deer.

So who's gonna cook? Springmom or ArcherAndShooter?

Venison stew
Venison chili

Venison steaks with mushroom's & red wine sauce.

chemist308 · January 12, 2007, 02:04 AM

CONGRATS, Spingmom!

ride-a-aug · January 12, 2007, 05:56 AM

congrats ....now throw some meat on the skillet.

ArcherAndShooter · January 12, 2007, 05:01 PM

Springmom and her first deer...

btw, we both cook. venison stroganoff will come soon to our table.

FirstFreedom · January 12, 2007, 05:09 PM

Hee hee. Fine job! [Last night ate venison-burger hamburger helper (generic) beef stroganoff - very good!]

Fremmer · January 12, 2007, 10:18 PM

That's a fine lookin' deer!

skeeter1 · January 13, 2007, 12:15 AM

215yds??? I'm very impressed. Springmom obviously knows her way with a rifle. Well done!

springmom · January 13, 2007, 10:53 AM

Thanks. I think if I'd realized how far it was I'd have chickened out

but I had a good clear shot and he was there for the taking, so...

In my own head, I think I had judged it at about 150 yards. And that just goes to show that the rangefinder is your friend. I didn't use it until my next-stand-over buddy and I had walked...and walked...and walked...down the road to go get him out of the middle of the road. When the guy said "you need to check this distance, this is more than any 150 yards" I dug out the rangefinder out of my vest and sure 'nuff, it was.

By next year, I want my own rangefinder so I don't have to borrow A&S's and I will make a point of practicing WITH it. Train myself to check the range and then take the shot. I'd hate to underestimate again and then end up screwing it up...you know, thinking "oh, that's 225 yards and I can make that" only to have underestimated by 75 yards again and screwing up the thing.

And I'll never say anything bad about .243 for deer, at least not our east Texas deer. I'm impressed at what that bullet did. The left lung was just GONE. The heart was in bits. For a plain old factory load, that Remington Core-Lokt sure did its job. I wouldn't mind getting a new scope with a little higher magnification for next year, though. I did see three deer the next morning, but they were just a wee bit too far away for a sure shot. And on one, I couldn't be certain whether there were antlers or not, even at 9x. (That's probably a sign that the shot's too far to take anyway, LOL).

Let me take the opportunity publicly to praise the Texas Parks and Wildlife personnel who ran that hunt. Professional, courteous, helpful, friendly, never condescending, CERTAINLY never hostile to a woman on the hunt! Gentlemen all. A couple of my fellow hunters were a little fish-eyed at seeing a woman come walking in the first day, but when I got my deer I was "one of the guys", LOL. When the length of the shot got around, I was definitely "one of the guys". But back to TPWD. Those guys prebaited for a month, put up the stands every year in the places where the deer are actually traveling, and go out of their way to make sure that we have a good time, and that we're successful. I was more than impressed, and felt totally at ease. It was the best vacation I've had in many years, and they're part of the reason.

I am awfully pleased with the shot I made, I must admit. And looking forward to that venison jerky

Springmom

Foxman · January 13, 2007, 06:08 PM

Way to go Springmom, a great shot by anybodys standard.

sanson · January 13, 2007, 06:12 PM

WHAT A GREAT POST...you go girl

Fremmer · January 13, 2007, 07:35 PM

Quote:

And I'll never say anything bad about .243 for deer, at least not our east Texas deer. I'm impressed at what that bullet did.

Good. Stick with that rifle and ammo. Don't modify the rifle or scope; leave them alone. You've got a rifle that you shoot really well, so don't mess with anything.

Concerning the scope, I'd consider just sticking with it. If you can make a 215 yard shot, the magnification is just fine. And I agree that at 9x, if it looks really small, it probably is too far away to take a shot.

Rangefinders are nice. But you have to lug 'em around. You use a flat-shooting caliber, which helps with the longer shots. If you can find a 200 yard range for practice, you can set up a target deer and learn what it looks like at various distances.

sanson · January 13, 2007, 07:37 PM

I LOVE .243winchester

January 10, 2007, 09:39 PM	#1
ArcherAndShooter Senior Member Join Date: November 12, 2005 Location: Spring, TX Posts: 106	Springmom gets her first deer Springmom and I just returned from a 3-day draw hunt in Huntsville State Park north of us. Regular season ended Sunday, but this doe-and-spike buck cull hunt was set for the time right after, and we got to go. Beautiful deer hunting weather (freezing overnight, cool and clear in the afternoons, no wind to speak of). Good companionship with the park rangers and our fellow hunters. And some of the best chicken-fried steak we ever did eat for dinner after the hunt. I got skunked - didn't even SEE a deer except for one large buck who disapproved of my presence so near to his bedding. Several others didn't even see that many deer. But Springmom, now that's a different story. She was assigned to a blind at the corner of the park, overlooking service roads that ran 90 degrees to each other along the park borders. Long narrow lines of sight. Tuesday morning at 10:00 or so, she looks up and sees a young buck crossing one of the service roads at the top of the rise beyond a gully leading to the property next door. She was not sure of the distance, but could see well enough to know it was a shootable spike, so she raised her rifle and took the shot. After the deer fell, she went to pick him up and wait for the ranger-mobile to bring her back to HQ for check-in. When she got to the deer, who was already dead, she pointed our laser range-finder back to the stand she'd been in... 215 YARDS. :what: DRT. Dressed out at 73 pounds, a nice 1-1/2 year old east TX deer. He's at the butcher's as I write this. As you might guess, I'm just a little proud of her. She may have more to tell you about it herself, but I insisted on the husband's right to brag first. For those of you who helped her in her thread about the scope problem she had getting ready for the hunt - I guess she fixed it, wouldn't you say? __________________ The Second Amendment - America's ORIGINAL Homeland Security

January 11, 2007, 12:47 PM	#6
Jseime Senior Member Join Date: December 31, 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 1,775	Nicely done thats a pretty long ol shot for the first deer you ever take. I know i missed twice at 100 before i got it right. __________________ I love the smell of fresh shotgun in the morning.

January 11, 2007, 03:25 PM	#8
Eghad Senior Member Join Date: May 28, 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 6,231	chicken fried backstrap...mmmmmmmmmmm __________________ Have a nice day at the range NRA Life Member

January 11, 2007, 03:56 PM	#9
ArcherAndShooter Senior Member Join Date: November 12, 2005 Location: Spring, TX Posts: 106	Fremmer, Springmom is out, so I'll tell you - she shot an old Remington 700 in .243, pushing 100 grain CoreLokt. Bullet went in near the front shoulder and didn't come out - deflected off shoulder and totally mashed one lung and chopped up the heart. Like I said - DRT. __________________ The Second Amendment - America's ORIGINAL Homeland Security

January 11, 2007, 08:14 PM	#11
hpg Senior Member Join Date: September 14, 2002 Location: in the Bluegrass State Posts: 1,610	pics man pics __________________ NRA member Semper Paratus

January 10, 2007, 09:50 PM	#2
mete Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2004 Location: NY State Posts: 6,575	Good job Springmom !!! Now you have to learn to dress, skin, butcher, cook and eat your own deer !!

January 10, 2007, 10:44 PM	#3
rem33 Junior member Join Date: March 31, 2006 Posts: 1,528	Congrats, You never forget the first one.

January 10, 2007, 10:55 PM	#4
Fremmer Senior Member Join Date: June 19, 2005 Location: Nebraska Posts: 3,482	Good shot! 215 yards is a long one. Congratulations! We want to hear from her about it. If I recall, she shoots a Remington rifle?

January 11, 2007, 12:21 PM	#5
FirstFreedom Junior member Join Date: May 31, 2004 Location: The Toll Road State, U.S.A. Posts: 12,451	Flippin' sweet, SM! 215 yards DRT is mighty impressive!

January 11, 2007, 03:01 PM	#7
Capp35 Senior Member Join Date: May 2, 2006 Location: Lone Star State Posts: 198	Wasn't this the hog hunt also? None seen?

January 11, 2007, 04:26 PM	#10
Clayfish Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 2005 Location: Valdosta, GA Posts: 953	Way to go Springmom!

January 11, 2007, 09:23 PM	#12
Fremmer Senior Member Join Date: June 19, 2005 Location: Nebraska Posts: 3,482	Thanks, Archer. I'm glad she got the Remington ready for hunting. Those Remingtons can shoot. Sounds like it was a great hunt. Congratulations! Like those short-action rounds, do ya Springmom?!? Me too! I've used the same caliber and ammo before, and it was a good combo.

January 12, 2007, 01:24 AM	#13
ArcherAndShooter Senior Member Join Date: November 12, 2005 Location: Spring, TX Posts: 106	pix I have to work on cropping one down to size to be accepted as an attachment on this forum. tomorrow, maybe. it is late. __________________ The Second Amendment - America's ORIGINAL Homeland Security

January 12, 2007, 02:03 AM	#14
BillCA Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 2004 Location: Silicon Valley, Ca Posts: 7,117	Good Job SPRINGMOM! 215 yards with a .243 - man! That's goooood shootin'! Congrats on making that shot and showing us all how it's done! Gotta love that .243 for deer. So who's gonna cook? Springmom or ArcherAndShooter? Venison stew Venison chili Venison steaks with mushroom's & red wine sauce. __________________ BillCA in CA (Unfortunately)

January 12, 2007, 02:04 AM	#15
chemist308 Senior Member Join Date: July 28, 2005 Location: Pocono Mtns, PA Posts: 587	CONGRATS, Spingmom! __________________ critters: the other red meat Live in PA? PA Firearms Owners Association

January 12, 2007, 05:56 AM	#16
ride-a-aug Member Join Date: July 10, 2005 Posts: 85	congrats ....now throw some meat on the skillet.

January 12, 2007, 05:09 PM	#18
FirstFreedom Junior member Join Date: May 31, 2004 Location: The Toll Road State, U.S.A. Posts: 12,451	Hee hee. Fine job! [Last night ate venison-burger hamburger helper (generic) beef stroganoff - very good!]

January 12, 2007, 10:18 PM	#19
Fremmer Senior Member Join Date: June 19, 2005 Location: Nebraska Posts: 3,482	That's a fine lookin' deer!

January 13, 2007, 12:15 AM	#20
skeeter1 Senior Member Join Date: April 11, 2006 Location: Northeast Ohio Posts: 3,403	215yds??? I'm very impressed. Springmom obviously knows her way with a rifle. Well done!

January 13, 2007, 10:53 AM	#21
springmom Senior Member Join Date: October 26, 2005 Location: Houston area Posts: 1,823	Thanks. I think if I'd realized how far it was I'd have chickened out but I had a good clear shot and he was there for the taking, so... In my own head, I think I had judged it at about 150 yards. And that just goes to show that the rangefinder is your friend. I didn't use it until my next-stand-over buddy and I had walked...and walked...and walked...down the road to go get him out of the middle of the road. When the guy said "you need to check this distance, this is more than any 150 yards" I dug out the rangefinder out of my vest and sure 'nuff, it was. By next year, I want my own rangefinder so I don't have to borrow A&S's and I will make a point of practicing WITH it. Train myself to check the range and then take the shot. I'd hate to underestimate again and then end up screwing it up...you know, thinking "oh, that's 225 yards and I can make that" only to have underestimated by 75 yards again and screwing up the thing. And I'll never say anything bad about .243 for deer, at least not our east Texas deer. I'm impressed at what that bullet did. The left lung was just GONE. The heart was in bits. For a plain old factory load, that Remington Core-Lokt sure did its job. I wouldn't mind getting a new scope with a little higher magnification for next year, though. I did see three deer the next morning, but they were just a wee bit too far away for a sure shot. And on one, I couldn't be certain whether there were antlers or not, even at 9x. (That's probably a sign that the shot's too far to take anyway, LOL). Let me take the opportunity publicly to praise the Texas Parks and Wildlife personnel who ran that hunt. Professional, courteous, helpful, friendly, never condescending, CERTAINLY never hostile to a woman on the hunt! Gentlemen all. A couple of my fellow hunters were a little fish-eyed at seeing a woman come walking in the first day, but when I got my deer I was "one of the guys", LOL. When the length of the shot got around, I was definitely "one of the guys". But back to TPWD. Those guys prebaited for a month, put up the stands every year in the places where the deer are actually traveling, and go out of their way to make sure that we have a good time, and that we're successful. I was more than impressed, and felt totally at ease. It was the best vacation I've had in many years, and they're part of the reason. I am awfully pleased with the shot I made, I must admit. And looking forward to that venison jerky Springmom __________________ I will not be a victim home on the web: www.panagia-icons.net (my webpage) www.nousfromspring.blogspot.com (Orthodoxy) "I couldn't hear you. Stop firing the gun while you're talking!" Frank Drebin, The Naked Gun

January 13, 2007, 06:08 PM	#22
Foxman Senior Member Join Date: August 13, 2005 Posts: 466	Way to go Springmom, a great shot by anybodys standard. __________________ Better the man suspected of being a fool keep his mouth shut, than to open it and remove all doubt.

January 13, 2007, 06:12 PM	#23
sanson Senior Member Join Date: December 21, 2006 Location: FL panhandle Posts: 547	WHAT A GREAT POST...you go girl __________________ www.sansoneservices.com

January 13, 2007, 07:37 PM	#25
sanson Senior Member Join Date: December 21, 2006 Location: FL panhandle Posts: 547	I LOVE .243winchester __________________ www.sansoneservices.com