My First Deer

[markT]

I've never been a deer hunter and never had a reason to hunt deer. But, now deer are doing crop damage to my dove fields and my folks vegetable garden. I put up a "poachers" ladder stand ( thanks poacher) that I cut off a tree last year.. The only rifle ( pdogs) I had any ammo for is a 22-250 / 50 gr Vmax.
I shot this young (varmint) buck in the shoulder. ~125 yds.
Have a look at what a Vmax does. Wow.
Now I'm hooked. Will be back in stand.

 

[J P Brown]

Did the projectile make it through the on side shoulder? It looks to have mostly blown up on the shoulder.
Usually a soft bullet at that speed at that distance isn't such a good combination. Or change to a neck shot.
Good meat for the freezer, well done.

 

[hogpatrol]

Where I hunt, the locals call them "garden eating pests" with the adjoinder "kill 'em all". If you've got that varmint rifle dialed in precise, save the meat, hit them in the head.

 

[markT]

They completely destroyed both of my planted sunflower fields. My dads garden. Ate everything. We have extreme drought and I think the population is very high as well.
So now game on.
The boolet did not exit. It fragmented and the bone it hit did too.
It was my first time in the "ladder" stand and really didn't have a good "rest" I'm shooting a Savage with a Shilen bull barrel.
I will go for the head shot or further back behind shoulder, on the next.. If I see one.

 

[hogpatrol]

They completely destroyed both of my planted sunflower fields. My dad garden. Ate everything. We have extreme drought and I think the population is so high as well.
So now game on.
The boolet did not exit. It fragmented and the bone it hit did too.
It was my first time in the "ladder" stand and really didn't have a good "rest" I'm shooting a Savage with a Shilen bull barrel.
I will go for the head shot or further back behind shoulder, on the next.. If I see one.

My stands have rails of varying heights so I use a monopod leaned up against the rail.
If there's any food at all remaining, they'll be back.

 

[snert]

I have shot lots of deer with a 55 gr Vmax 22-250. i like head shots, but if you can get a broadside, just poke it in the ribs. It goes in, turns everything to shrapnel and mush, deer hops about and drops. DRT and little meat lost, unless yo like ribs. And it sounds like a bass drum when it hits.

 

[2506]

For the sake of the deer shoot it behind the shoulder in the ribs. I once finished off a suffering deer that a fellow tried to head shoot and only blew off it's lower jaw a day after he shot it. It could not drink or eat and would have starved to death otherwise.

 

[CaptainMal]

Congratulations on your first deer.

Dead is dead and you did get the job done.

 

[hogpatrol]

For the sake of the deer shoot it behind the shoulder in the ribs. I once finished off a suffering deer that a fellow tried to head shoot and only blew off it's lower jaw a day after he shot it. It could not drink or eat and would have starved to death otherwise.

SMH, Good grief. In other words, you assume every hunter, including the OP, is a lousy shot and every scenario is the same. Sorry but large numbers of deer have been killed with headshots by professional cull hunters and good shooters. It's a perfect way to save all of the meat.

 

[snert]

I have killed lots of cull deer with head shots. Lots. Kill a bunch of chucks too. But I once "whiffed" and caught a cull doe in the jaw. The follow-up was immediate, and included a night time jaunt through the puckerbrush and jaggers, and a "charging lion" (ok, really a fleeing deer) shot with a single shot 18 pound 220 Swift and 10X scope, while holding a flashlight, that put it down (darned nice shot if I do say so myself).
We all screw up now and then.
Key is, follow-up!

 

[Tommie]

That massive bloodied meat area is an amazing example of hydrostatic shock.

 

[ab_bentley]

I've never been a deer hunter and never had a reason to hunt deer. But, now deer are doing crop damage to my dove fields and my folks vegetable garden. I put up a "poachers" ladder stand ( thanks poacher) that I cut off a tree last year.. The only rifle ( pdogs) I had any ammo for is a 22-250 / 50 gr Vmax.
I shot this young (varmint) buck in the shoulder. ~125 yds.
Have a look at what a Vmax does. Wow.
Now I'm hooked. Will be back in stand.

Neck shots is where it's at with the varmint calibers. I shot quite a few deer on cull tags, with everything from 17s to 358s, the lightweight bullets all went into the necks for a humane meat saving kill.

Adam

 

[Geno C]

SMH, Good grief. In other words, you assume every hunter, including the OP, is a lousy shot and every scenario is the same. Sorry but large numbers of deer have been killed with headshots by professional cull hunters and good shooters. It's a perfect way to save all of the meat.

Only deer I don't shoot in the head are big bucks. The difference in gutting a head shot deer and a chest shot deer is pretty pleasant.

 

[markT]

All my rifles are varmint heavy Bbl. Too heavy to carry and control from a ladder stand. Was thinking about a Savage 11 "package deal" in .243. $519 with a 3x9 Nikon. Was thinking about putting a 3x9 Leupold XR with illuminated Reticle.. Thoughts? Should I go 4x12?

 

[Larryh128]

Either one will work nicely. Personally, I like Illuminated reticles, not everyone does but a little red dot in the center of the scope makes a VERY fast aiming/shooting point. You really don't need a 243 to shoot deer, if you're concerned about the bullet, just switch to a Barnes TTSX. I will hammer right thru any bones or ribs.

 

[Shaggy357]

Did you get that shoulder into a bucket of saltwater? Saltwater will draw out the blood and start to cure the meat. Clean it up and that is a good start to your "grind". That is future sausage, salami, pepperoni, or burger hanging there. A little higher shot and you will be golden. Just need to clear the heavy bones.

Good luck on the next...

Steve

 

[savagedasher]

I've never been a deer hunter and never had a reason to hunt deer. But, now deer are doing crop damage to my dove fields and my folks vegetable garden. I put up a "poachers" ladder stand ( thanks poacher) that I cut off a tree last year.. The only rifle ( pdogs) I had any ammo for is a 22-250 / 50 gr Vmax.
I shot this young (varmint) buck in the shoulder. ~125 yds.
Have a look at what a Vmax does. Wow.
Now I'm hooked. Will be back in stand.

The first one you always remember .
Good hunting Larry

 

[markT]

I took the deer to a buddies place and his dad "processed" it. I'm getting some loins.. he's getting the "Vmax" burger and sausage.
Your right about the 1st deer. I can still see the hit.. all the circuts and control
systems in his hind quarters blew out and he sat right down.
I've got more that need to be laid down..i'll be back in the stand soon.
Illuminated scope ordered and new rifle.. (on the way)

 

[fredo]

Neck shots is where it's at with the varmint calibers. I shot quite a few deer on cull tags, with everything from 17s to 358s, the lightweight bullets all went into the necks for a humane meat saving kill.

Adam

I don't doubt that at all, but its not something I'd recommend.

For smaller cals, one might load a Barnes TSX (if available), & 'choot 'em like you were bowhuntin' (broadside, behind the shoulder). You can eat right up to the holes it leaves in both sides, if ya like chewin' on those candlewax/tallow covered ribs...

I prefer aiming for vitals, all the time, everytime. The fudge factor of an inch or two on a neck shot don't leave a deer much better off than fudgin' a head shot, low. A potential complete mess is avoided by simply aiming for the volleyball sized vitals of an average deer.

Just loaded up a bunch of 80TTSXs for my 6x45AI. Seriously doubt a deer is gonna stop one, even at a modest 2900fps. Sure, I could neckbone one with an 87Vmax, easy. Just not my cup o' tea...

YMMV

 

[snert]

MarkT, I did not look to see where you are hunting, but if in the south, deer are smaller, with less hair this time of year. it matters with a varmint bullet. Northern deer with more hair and fat do not make a good combo with varmint bullets. All the culls I have sot were late summer deer, little hair, little fat.
I stand by my thinking...if you must use a 22-250 with a varmint bullet, wait for a relaxed squared standing still broadside and slip it into the ribs right behind the point of the leg/shoulder. I like lower rather than higher...about 4-6 inches up from the breast bone. A vmax will hit those close side ribs, tear one heck of a hole, drive the ribs and bullet fragments through and most of the time you will skin it and find holes on the other side too, as it busts ribs there too...with chunks of ribs from the close side, lungs, heart and soup on the outside of the far side ribs. Makes a mess of the ribs, but personally, I dont eat them, so other than a diaphram forward blood soup at field dress time, no issue. The point is, there is no margin for error. A hit back of the diaphram and you have one heck of a nightmare, and one very hurt deer suffering needlessly.
If you can, try the TTSX with the 22-250, if that is all you have. It will drive through, and you can break a shoulder with it.

All that said, maybe you should go up a bit in caliber...maybe a 7 mm,,,,even a mild 7mm like a Waters from a TC or a 7-08 and a 120-140 grain bullet and you are all over it...
Or if you must, a 6mm...using a decent 85 to 100 grain bullet. I am thinking TTSX again, or a partition, just so that raking shot makes the grade, cause not all deer stand quietly sideways while you pop them. (In my world, NONE of the big ones do...they just show me the tailgunner eye under the white flag as it goes Bye bye!)

And go get another one! tell us how it goes!