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Culling Deer
Farmer friend of mine called and said that he had crops growing and that his depredation permits were active again. I needed to get busy shooting deer.
Being as I have to process the meat and can’t just ditch the bodies, I started taking “orders” from work as to how many guys wanted deer meat. Immediately had 5 takers so that means 5 deer needed to die for now.
Problem is, I can’t take anyone with me to help who aren’t on the state approved “shooter” list. That sucks because it means I have to do all the work alone.
Got to the farm at 9:52, checked the permits, saw several deer near the barn and grabbed my gear.
Stalked over to the edge of the farm equipment and where the winter wheat was starting to sprout. There were 2 bucks laying down about 150 yards away. Many more further off. But, these two were the easiest.
Got in the prone and aimed in on the first one who was laying quartering away with his back to me. The other was laying with his butt towards me and presented a harder shot. Plan was to drop the quartering away deer and figured the other would get up to run. Presenting a better shot.
They were only 8 yards from each other.
Anyway, aimed in on the quartering buck and sent a 168gr ELD-Match from my .308 Win through his shoulder.
“Pppsssssssshhhhhht!”
”POP!”
And his head dropped. Dead.
Quickly worked the bolt and located the other buck. Ready to shoot. Hell, the sucker hadn’t even flinched! He was still laying there chewing his cud. Oblivious that his buddy was dead. Not 8 yards away. Gotta love suppressors.
Well, with plenty of time now, I decided to take a head shot. Aimed below the ear on his broadside head and sent a round.
In the silhouette of a blinking tower light way off in the distance, I saw a halo of vapor jettison out the back side of his head as it dropped instantly to the ground.
Two deer down and now the work.
Arrived at 9:52 and had two deer dead by 10:08.
Used my game cart to haul them both to the barn at the same time. Kinda awkward, but it worked. That cart continues to pay for itself over and over.
Head shot was pretty simple. In and out.
The body shot enrered high on the shoulder and angled forward.
Smashing through the scapula, it plowed through about 6” of spine on its quartering drive forward and lodged under the hide of the off side neck (green arrow).
It made a hole through the spine big enough to put my hand through.
I absolutely love this bullet.
Two down. More to go.
Being as I have to process the meat and can’t just ditch the bodies, I started taking “orders” from work as to how many guys wanted deer meat. Immediately had 5 takers so that means 5 deer needed to die for now.
Problem is, I can’t take anyone with me to help who aren’t on the state approved “shooter” list. That sucks because it means I have to do all the work alone.
Got to the farm at 9:52, checked the permits, saw several deer near the barn and grabbed my gear.
Stalked over to the edge of the farm equipment and where the winter wheat was starting to sprout. There were 2 bucks laying down about 150 yards away. Many more further off. But, these two were the easiest.
Got in the prone and aimed in on the first one who was laying quartering away with his back to me. The other was laying with his butt towards me and presented a harder shot. Plan was to drop the quartering away deer and figured the other would get up to run. Presenting a better shot.
They were only 8 yards from each other.
Anyway, aimed in on the quartering buck and sent a 168gr ELD-Match from my .308 Win through his shoulder.
“Pppsssssssshhhhhht!”
”POP!”
And his head dropped. Dead.
Quickly worked the bolt and located the other buck. Ready to shoot. Hell, the sucker hadn’t even flinched! He was still laying there chewing his cud. Oblivious that his buddy was dead. Not 8 yards away. Gotta love suppressors.
Well, with plenty of time now, I decided to take a head shot. Aimed below the ear on his broadside head and sent a round.
In the silhouette of a blinking tower light way off in the distance, I saw a halo of vapor jettison out the back side of his head as it dropped instantly to the ground.
Two deer down and now the work.
Arrived at 9:52 and had two deer dead by 10:08.
Used my game cart to haul them both to the barn at the same time. Kinda awkward, but it worked. That cart continues to pay for itself over and over.
Head shot was pretty simple. In and out.
The body shot enrered high on the shoulder and angled forward.
Smashing through the scapula, it plowed through about 6” of spine on its quartering drive forward and lodged under the hide of the off side neck (green arrow).
It made a hole through the spine big enough to put my hand through.
I absolutely love this bullet.
Two down. More to go.
"To Hell with efficiency, it's performance we want!" - Elmer Keith
Replies
"The Un-Tactical"
We would have been ecstatic to see those bucks this year, nice shooting, again, and good autopsy report, again.
BTW, nice culls. My brother got another cull last night on our lease as well.
-Mikhail Kalashnikov
It sucks for general cleaning/butchering.
Razorblade is too soft a meral Metal and the edge rolls over after contact wirh bone.
I told him it was too much like “work” using that knife as I had to actually slice and work the blade to cut.
With mine, I can just apply pressure and they will cut.
It gets a resounding thumbs down!!👎🏻
I probably wouldn’t tackle an elk with one. Unless I could be very picky about the shot. But, medium game? All day long.
Just got back home from butchering and cleaning up.
Autopsy and story tomorrow.
"The Un-Tactical"
Heck of a meal.
And proceeds to use it to great effect.
Soon, they broke up and started circling each other. When one stopped broadside, I put a 168gr ELD-Match behind his shoulder, slightly quartering forward and he dropped on the spot.
Exit through ribs and shoulder.
This one was pretty straightforward.
He cartwheeled to a stop and laid there kicking.
As I was walking up to him, he regained his feet and started walking away from me across the field. Obviously not feeling good, his head was hanging low and he had a stumbling pace.
With no shot but up his butt, I walked after him across the field until he finally turned broadside and stopped 200 yards away.
I sent another round behind his shoulder and at the shot, he hunched up, walked a few steps, laid down, and that was it.
First shot thrned out to be in the neck, just above the spine. Close enough to stun, drop him, and obviously jack him up. But, not immediately fatal.
Upon cleaning him, I discovered the round had broke off the top of a vertebra but not damaged the spinal cord.
”Missed it by.....THAT much!”
Crisis averted!
I tried out a new knife from Bubba Blades.
It is a pretty fancy knife with a flex blade that gets stupid sharp!! Very thin and very pointed, it took some getting used to in order to properly function the blade without poking holes in everything. Including me.
The flex led thing is new to me and a little disconcerting. I get it for cleaning fish, but working around bones on larger animals, it’s kind of a pain. At least when I’m used to manipulating a blade one way and have to alter that to another because of the flex.
But cut? Hell yeah, it could.
The handle is very comfortable.
I am NOT a fan of serrated blades. Only reason I got this one is because it was half the price of a non-serrated blade. Now I know why.
Serrated blades hang up and stall on hide (and clothing). Not slicing through like a finely sharpened blade. But, ripping and tearing with a necessary excessive force. Useless!!!
Jury is still out.
Its just darn hard to beat my Cold Steel Comercial blades.
Gonna feed a couple of my buddies and their growing families.
Thanks for sharing your ecperience
How little it takes to drop one at times and how much punishment they can take at others.
One guy I gave a deer to on Friday sent me these pics of a Backstrap he cooked today.
Cream cheese/chives/bacon bit stuffed Backstrap with two layers of wrapped bacon.
I gotta try that some time.
As for the Outdoor Edge and similar replaceable blade knives, I'm pretty much of the same opinion: they are fine for field dressing and skinning duty, put they are not worth the trouble doing any butchering or other heavy lifting whatsoever. You'll go through blades like crazy unless you are excruciatingly careful with them. Not worth the trouble.