Who all is sitting in the woods with a rifle way to big for the critter they are after

[Hillbilly Marine]

Feral piggy with a 500 Jeffery. 570g TSX moving at 2300 fps at 8 feet. Bullet started out between the eyes, blew a desert plate sized whole out of one ham exiting. Definitely overkill.

Sweet! At that range with it facing you any rifle is to little.

 

[8x68]

CZ 550 450 Rigby hunting whitetail, no not the little guy in my avatar picture 'cause he's cute. Actually saw him about 2 weeks ago. Nice button buck. Looked real healthy.

 

[Shawn.54]

Well another firearms deer season is in the books and I’m here to report that my 375 ruger has not cut meat. It’s not that it didn’t have a chance but as I over looked my field I chose not to drop the hammer. I had a small doe at 150 yards for 30 minuets or more and I just watched her go about her business.
I guess I’m getting lazy in my old age I thought to myself if I shoot then I have more work to do and my schedule is kinda full this weekend with basketball starting and the fact that both my sons did harvest deer that are waiting to become sausage this week.
Sometimes not shooting is as good as shooting I saw several deer that could have joined the other in the cooler but decided that I’ll have more fun filling the tags with my flintlock after Christmas.
Shawn

 

[Milan]

Well another firearms deer season is in the books and I’m here to report that my 375 ruger has not cut meat. It’s not that it didn’t have a chance but as I over looked my field I chose not to drop the hammer. I had a small doe at 150 yards for 30 minuets or more and I just watched her go about her business.
I guess I’m getting lazy in my old age I thought to myself if I shoot then I have more work to do and my schedule is kinda full this weekend with basketball starting and the fact that both my sons did harvest deer that are waiting to become sausage this week.
Sometimes not shooting is as good as shooting I saw several deer that could have joined the other in the cooler but decided that I’ll have more fun filling the tags with my flintlock after Christmas.
Shawn

I did not kill anything this season either. We seem to have fewer and fewer whitetails due to predators being on the rise, so I passed up the does and the buck I was chasing eluded me successfully, even though I had 3 chances at him. I'm just too slow in my old age. If it was not for my buddy getting a buck and a moose, I'd have no fresh meat in the freezer. LOL. But I had some of the best hunting days this season regardless.

 

[Hillbilly Marine]

We styhave another two weeks to get deer in the freezer. Hoping for a few chances but hell, whether or not I get one or dozen is truly immaterial to me. I have a blast watching the other critters. Sunday morning I was out and left my ammo sitting at home. Carried an empty rifle and watched two turkeys argue over the same branch. Then the snow changed to rain and I said no more fun.

 

[Shawn.54]

I saw a giant red fox turkeys and watched a groundhog clean a bunch of leaves out of his hole that was a first for me. The older I get the less I feel I need to harvest. I enjoy reloading and sighting in choosing a stand as much as time spent actually in the field. I guess I’m getting to a point where once I shoot the work begins.
Shawn

 

[Bas]

I saw a giant red fox turkeys and watched a groundhog clean a bunch of leaves out of his hole that was a first for me. The older I get the less I feel I need to harvest. I enjoy reloading and sighting in choosing a stand as much as time spent actually in the field. I guess I’m getting to a point where once I shoot the work begins.
Shawn

There's lots of us at that point brother ....

 

[Hillbilly Marine]

I'll second that Bas!

 

[Hogpatrol]

I saw a giant red fox turkeys and watched a groundhog clean a bunch of leaves out of his hole that was a first for me. The older I get the less I feel I need to harvest. I enjoy reloading and sighting in choosing a stand as much as time spent actually in the field. I guess I’m getting to a point where once I shoot the work begins.
Shawn

PA is seeing this in license sales. A lot of boomers are giving it up and too little youth entering the sport. As far as the work, five minute gut job and a few minutes to winch it up on the truck, I can still do that. I don't hunt where I can't back the truck up to it.

 

[Shawn.54]

I will agree that Pa is loosing hunters faster than it’s gaining but another cause is land available to hunt is dwindling due to posting and leasing at 1 time I could walk all day long never travel same woods twice and cross 6-8 properties and when I’d see the owners that was a chance to catch up on things.
Now I’m down to the home stead about 180 acres of which 80 is woods and a little crowded with family. We do have lots of young hunters in that group this is my first year of hunting by myself in 10-12 years I have had a mentor or jr hunter with me at all times in that period I’m not complaining because seeing a kids have a successful hunt is way better than taking game yourself at least for me.
Shawn

 

[BeeMaa]

watched a groundhog clean a bunch of leaves out of his hole that was a first for me.

Missed opportunity to make a modern art materpiece out of that groundhog with your big bore.

 

[Shawn.54]

I know I missed the opportunity but my thoughts were on a large buck that was living in the standing corn some where below me I saw him twice in bear season chasing does I didn’t want to break the silence.
Shawn

 

[Shawn.54]

I have in the past hunted ground grizz with the 375 and it does a fine job no recovered bullets to report on weight retention.
Shawn

 

[BeeMaa]

I know I missed the opportunity but my thoughts were on a large buck that was living in the standing corn some where below me I saw him twice in bear season chasing does I didn’t want to break the silence.
Shawn

Yeah, I get it.
Better luck next time with the buck...and the groundhog.
Gonna have to get you some plastic explosive so you can play "Carl" from Caddyshack.

 

[Tom Leoni]

Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018. .375 H&H Flanged. No heart was found.

 

[Von S.]

Now there's a happy Leoni if there ever was one.

 

[Tom Leoni]

You got that right, buddy!

 

[Hogpatrol]

@Tom Leoni Nice one! What ammo? Reloads? What bullet? Just curious.

 

[Tom Leoni]

Thanks, man!

68gr of Alliant RL-15 under a 270-gr Speer BTSP, Winchester LR Magnum primer, Bertram case.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Thanks, man!

68gr of Alliant RL-15 under a 270-gr Speer BTSP, Winchester LR Magnum primer, Bertram case.

Gotta love it! I whacked a big doe last week with a 200 grain SST out of my smokeless muzzleloader, 104 yards heart shot, still ran 75 yards before piling up. Amazing how far they can go with a mortal wound.