Okay guys, here's how the day went:

6:15 am / 19 degrees - I made the 1/4 mile trek to my shooting bench this morning with my 19 lb. "Baby Ma Bell", set there and froze my fanny off till daylight...

8:35 am / 22 degrees - I've seen 19 deer out in this pasture since daylight, as well as 9 coyotes. By this time though, I had gotten so cold I decided to leave my rifle at the shooting bench and go back and get my truck...

9:10 am / 24 degrees - I finally get warmed up, drink a big cup of coffee and then head back over to my shooting bench...

10:21 am / 27 degrees - I'm watching a fat doe running back and forth on a fence line, then she jumps the fence and disappears...

11:28 am / 28 degrees - I watch several large flocks of geese as they fly North and then several minutes later, I see around 20 or so mallards buzz over the tree tops...

12:33 pm / 30 degrees - I watch 2 coyotes chase each other out in the open pasture. They eventually head down to a drainage ditch and then dissapar...

2:02 pm/ 32 degrees - Nothing happening so I get my camera out and take a few pictures...

This is how I was set-up, waiting for just that 1 long-range shot to present itself...




Remember this tree - the big one in the middle that looks like it has shade under it...








This also shows the open pasture I was hunting...




3:00 pm / 32 degrees - I see 3 deer slipping along the fence line on the West side of the pasture. I watch them for about three or four minutes and then they disappear into the trees...

4:08 pm / 30 degrees - Nothing happening...

4:40 pm / DEER! DEER! DEER!

Remember the big tree I said to remember, there are three deer standing under it! I know from earlier experience (a couple of years), that this big tree was laser ranged at 879 yds.. These deer are standing on the other side of it and I figure that puts them right at 890-910 yds., so I called it an even 900 yds. and started getting ready for the shot. My rifle stays sighted in to hit point of aim at 600 yds. and my range chart says I have to make elevation adjustments on 9.2 moa. I then rotate the elevation adjustment on the scope from "0" to "9" plus 1 click. There is no wind blowing and everything looks like a go...

4:55 pm - I line the vertical crosshairs on the biggest deer's front leg and put the horizontal crosshair high on the front shoulder, get settled in behind the gun and begin applying pressure to the guns 10 oz. trigger. I'm looking through the scope at the deer for at least a full minute, making sure everything is right, the deer is fully broadside, has it's head up, still applying pressure to the trigger and then the gun fires. Two deer run off but, the one I have the crosshair on, is just standing there! 1-second, 2-seconds, 3-seconds, 4-seconds, 5 seconds, six seconds and then the deer crumples...

This is my 25th. year of shooting deer at long-range and here is this years "long-range deer"...







Deer has been tagged and checked and is hanging field dressed in the barn and will be processed tomorrow....

Wow that is just incredible. What caliber is that rifle? Beautiful setup!


-DallanC

Very enjoyable hunting story!

Nice deer and AWESOME rifle!!!!!

great story dude, enjoy the eating.

DallanC wrote:

Wow that is just incredible. What caliber is that rifle? Beautiful setup! -DallanC

gun and firearm
Vince this is MY rifle

full description of this mans piece of art given

And there lies the exception to my dislike for long-range shots on game. Preparation, dedication, knowledge and experience makes for success. Great shooting and not a bad looking buck either! Enjoy.

That is great shooting DS...and once again, your expertise at building an awesome rifle comes to the fore mate...900 yards...I'm very impressed.

The wait was long and uncomfortable, but well worth it mate...that's what hunting is all about in my mind. Congratulations.

Thanks for the compliments guys, I appreciate it...

I had rechambered this rifle to a 30-284 since the first posting with this rifle...

Here is the load I am shooting in this gun -

CASE: Lapua 6.5-284 / necked up to .308...

PRIMER: Winchester WLRM...

POWDER: H-414 / 62.0 gr...

BULLET: Hornady 155 gr. A-MAX...

VELOCITY: 3,400 fps...


Vince - this is only possible with many years of practice and literally tens of thousands of rounds sent down range...

And the shot on this deer, it was in perfect alignment with the front leg and that bullet clipped the bottom of the spine, leaving a half-moon cut in one of the vertebrae. I figured that was why the deer just stood there, because of the spinal shock....


David

Good shooting there DS.

DS, congrats! Are you dressed in a camo outer layer while you sit at the bench?

slimjim wrote:

DS, congrats! Are you dressed in a camo outer layer while you sit at the bench?

Starting off, I had on a pair of heavy overalls and a down coat. After I went back to get my truck, I shed the coat and spend more time in the truck, looking for deer...

I guess I'm getting old, I just don't handle the COLD like I use to....

Might have only cut the spine mate...but that is a brilliant shot in it's own right. As I said...very impressed.

Well done DS !!!

One of these days you need to start a thread on long range bullet performance. I know it can be a controversial subject but would love to hear what you've learned over the years.

Chambered 221,

here is a little bit of personal information on my long-range shooting...

Since Hornady came out with the A-MAX bullets, those are the main bullets I use for shooting deer at long-range (meaning anything over 600 yds.) as long as they provide the accuracy I require...

I don't shoot any caliber at long-range that has a muzzle velocity of less than 3,200 fps...

Any cartridge or load I shoot, must shoot 1" groups or less @ 300 yds. and no more than 2 1/2" @ 600 yds...

These are some of the cartridges and bullets I use to shoot deer at long-range:

6mm-284 / Sierra 85 gr. B.T.-H.P. Game King and Hornady 105 gr. A-MAX...

280 Ackley Improved / Sierra 140 gr. B.T. Spitzer...

7mm STW / Hornady 162 gr. A-MAX...

300 Weatherby Magnum / 178 gr. A-MAX...

30-378 / 208 gr. Hornady A-MAX...

There are a few other cartridges I have used to shoot deer at long-range but, the ones listed are the most popular...

Here is a deer I shot yesterday with my 30-284 using Hornady's 155 gr. A-MAX.. It was looking straight at me at 617 yds. for over 30 minutes and it never moved a muscle in all this time. Then, when I got ready to shoot it in the white throat patch, it dropped it's head! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves....

geeez mate youve buggered the hide!!!!
probably got real tender back steaks...well whats left of them anyway..lol