About 11 AM this morning my next door neighbor comes banging at the door in a panic. Seems her son's 4-H project, 1100 lb. steer got loose and is in my bottom pasture. Now this critter has an attitude. He's chased them out of the paddock several times and this morning he butted the front of her Toyota Tundra while she was trying to corner him, cracking the grill in the process.
So she wants me to know the beast is on my property and if I see it to please put it down. I promise to comply and off she goes in search of the wayward bovine. About a half an hour later I looked out the living room window and there he is just inside our wood line chomping on some multi-flora rose. Uh-Oh what to do, she did say drop it and there he is only 100 yards away. Ok I'll drop it.
Problem, which gun to use on an 1100 lb critter, never shot a steer before, better go for the 300 Wby. But damn all the good guns are in the safe, which is a pain to open quickly. I walk over to my pre-safe gun cabinet where I keep all the decoy pcs. and took a look at my choices. Hmmmm, 12 Ga. slug gun, maybe, 22-250 no way, 10/22 for an in-the-ear shot, no too risky, Marlin 336 in 35 Remington, perfect. Now I go for ammo. I've got 150's and 200s; better take the 200s.
So I stoke it up with a full magazine of 200s, never know he might charge, and put 2 more in my pocket for good measure. I head out the front of the house directly toward him with 1 in the chamber and my thumb on the hammer. He doesn't seem to pay me much attention as I get to within 10 yards. Too much brush for a heart shot so I dare to walk in front of him. At this point I'm shaking like I'm staring down a Cape Buffalo. I center the sights between his eyes and squeeze one off reloading quickly. Well the old 35 dropped him in his tracks like a bus hit him, not a twitch.
My neighbor's husband came over with his undamaged Tundra and drug him out of the woods onto my front lawn. They got him onto a tarp and have spent the last 6 hours butchering him on the ground. I'm looking forward to a big chunk of beef back strap for my services.
Honest and truly this really happened.
Mark
So she wants me to know the beast is on my property and if I see it to please put it down. I promise to comply and off she goes in search of the wayward bovine. About a half an hour later I looked out the living room window and there he is just inside our wood line chomping on some multi-flora rose. Uh-Oh what to do, she did say drop it and there he is only 100 yards away. Ok I'll drop it.
Problem, which gun to use on an 1100 lb critter, never shot a steer before, better go for the 300 Wby. But damn all the good guns are in the safe, which is a pain to open quickly. I walk over to my pre-safe gun cabinet where I keep all the decoy pcs. and took a look at my choices. Hmmmm, 12 Ga. slug gun, maybe, 22-250 no way, 10/22 for an in-the-ear shot, no too risky, Marlin 336 in 35 Remington, perfect. Now I go for ammo. I've got 150's and 200s; better take the 200s.
So I stoke it up with a full magazine of 200s, never know he might charge, and put 2 more in my pocket for good measure. I head out the front of the house directly toward him with 1 in the chamber and my thumb on the hammer. He doesn't seem to pay me much attention as I get to within 10 yards. Too much brush for a heart shot so I dare to walk in front of him. At this point I'm shaking like I'm staring down a Cape Buffalo. I center the sights between his eyes and squeeze one off reloading quickly. Well the old 35 dropped him in his tracks like a bus hit him, not a twitch.
My neighbor's husband came over with his undamaged Tundra and drug him out of the woods onto my front lawn. They got him onto a tarp and have spent the last 6 hours butchering him on the ground. I'm looking forward to a big chunk of beef back strap for my services.
Honest and truly this really happened.
Mark
-Rod-
