First deer hunt in 30 plus years.

Well, found out a new friend has 300 acres and wrangled an invite. Just had hopes of getting a young doe to make some pattie sausage and ground meat. Plus do something special with the tenderloin. Had a nice box stand. He dropped me off at 2 pm. At 3:30 a turkey appeared. Within 5 minutes I counted 42. About 4 they were 75 yards away. Knew it probably was not a good idea, but could not resist a pic. As you see in the second pic they became shy. Figured no chance of seeing a deer after that, but I never seen so many turkey's, and was pleased with that. Low and behold about 20 minutes later a couple does came out across the field I was watching. Out of range but exciting. 5 minutes later one stepped out about 90 yards away. I made the decision that yes I would take her, since I talked about it before hand. Using a 35 caliber Marlin, shooting Remington 200 grain, I cocked and put her in sight. At that time another stepped out next to her. i waited for them to settle and decided on the second. She went cross ways and bent her head down. A perfect target. I lined up and squeezed. She raised her head and shook it then turned and walked in the woods. I cocked and was lining up on the other when she ran in the woods. They were only 5 feet from the edge. I gave it a little time and walked down to look. Found no trace of blood, hair or deer.:dono At least I can say I only missed one in 30 plus years. hahaha.:Doh: Anyway, loved it and now with permission I plan on going at least twice more this week. Also, plan on buying into the lease next year and getting fully into it. I had a blast. Thanks Max.

Attachment 284472Attachment 284471

I've killed 2 in 52 years. We running a close race

Great read D. Might ck that scope zero buddy. Enjoyed the pics.

Nice read, thanks for that.


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Originally Posted by crp4570

Great read D. Might ck that scope zero buddy. Enjoyed the pics.

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SIL checked it and said it was on at 100 yards. I'm gonna shoot it some in the next couple days. If it gets up from the single digits we supposed to get. Also, will probably buy a 30-06 or 308 next year if I stick with it. For longer shots.

The 308 will take you out as far as you want to ethically harvest an animal. Waiting for our temps to warm up also. Got several boxes of reloads dying to be shot. :highfive

So will the 06 but the 308 will have less recoil.

Your better off to sight the scope in for your eyes and not someone else sighting in for you. Yeppers, shoot it before you hunt.

The 308 not only has less recoil,and shoots long range, if you decide to reload or have a buddy reload for ya,the 308 will save you money on powder.

I used to use a 308 but I only use a 30 06 now and have 2 of them . both weapons work well but I settled in on the 06 because I like the bark ...lol
sorry you missed your opportunity but a little range work in the off season will help that and of course some more time in the woods .
and Yes there is such a thing as doe fever , been there and done that myself ....nice read

Buck fever, doe fever, crappie fever which is trying to lift in a big crappie into boat while in a state of adrenaline rush without using a net. Thus producing crappie gut punch which is the feeling you have while on your knees watching aforementioned big crappie swim off after coming loose. :banghead

I’m 58, and have never deer hunted. I spent my younger years chasing all kinds of small game. Squirrels, rabbits, dove, grouse, and a severe coon hunting addiction! Life got in the way, stopped hunting and fishing to raise a family and chase the dollar. That being said, I just purchased my very first hi powered rifle. I still have all my shotguns and 22’s from my previous life. I went with the 30-06...go big or go home! My plan is to learn all I can in the off season, and maybe hook up with a more seasoned hunter to show me the ropes. Time will tell, but I’m looking forward to beginning this pursuit.

Nice read. I have a habit of taking pictures while hunting to lol


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Great read D. I have run the gauntlet on calibers, 30-06, 7mm mag, 300mag, 270, 243 and now 308. Love the 308 and when I bought it I was looking for either 7mm08, 243 or 308 and 308 was what was in stock with sale going on. I really prefer the short action calibers. Highly recommend the Browning Abolts.

Like Huntinslabs said Lot to be said for short actions. 6.5 Grendel is my new favorite.


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Good read D . It's good just to get out there and enjoy what God made. I litte time at the range will help with that miss. I use both 308 and 30-06. Really not much difference in recoil. I've had a few more drop in there tracks with the 30-06. You 30 should be good to 150ys so no need for a new gun. Just keep the shots under 150ys

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I had a grand time. The miss did not bother me at all. I know I can shoot, I have the medals from the military to prove it. And I have killed deer in the past. I will put in a little range time. That was the first time I pulled the trigger on my brother's gun that had not been shot in forever until SIL checked it a couple months back. I thank you all for the comments and will probably have a new 308 and 4 wheeler next year. I will mount the scope with see thru mounts so I can free aim for short shots. If you guys notice I mod this forum and really wanted to share a story. I am going again 2 more times this week. I will shoot a few times first and hope to post one. Don't be disappointed if it is a small doe, that is what I want for the freezer. "D"

Go get em Danny !

Good read. I hunted a lot when I was younger, but havent hunted for about 20 years. My wife bought me a Henry 45/70 for Christmas. It's time to go hunting again. I used to like ski boats and magnum rifles. Now it's my canoe and a 45/70. I'd say I've slowed down a little.

D if you shot in the military and have medals to prove it then you know consistent and proper cheek weld is paramount, forget the see thru mounts. Bad cheek weld and very weak mounting system. The clarity of optics and large field of view offered by variable scopes negates the need for iron sights on short range target. A high quality 3X9 from Leupold, Zeiss or Nikon will get the job done.

Nothing at all wrong with the 35 Marlin, but it does have its limitations and longer shots are certainly one of them.
Even larger calibers do if the wrong bullets are used. Chances are you were using round nose bullets in the 35 Marlin,
and with that style magazine it is the safest to use.
If the opportunity is there for longer shots by all means take advantage of it.
Take your time with your selection of a gun and cartridge.
Don't just jump on one because your familiar with hearing it mentioned.
By the way, in PA we train the young boys to piss more than 200 yds. lol

Great story! Similar to me, been 20 years since I deer hunted. Although my result was different. I got a 6 pointer. Day 2 the big doe got up , nose dived, got up again and I never found her.


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Around here it's shotgun or muzzleloader. No rifles. Although I do want either a 30-06 or 308. Leaning toward the 308. I like shooting long distances. Unfortunately the local range only goes out to 200 yards. I'd like 500 yards, 300 would be nice.


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Like my friend Hanr3 said, here in Illinois only shotguns with slugs or a muzzleloader here. I myself am a muzzleloader fan and even thou I have both I only use my smoke stick. To me, you train yourself to be a better shot when you only have one but I have before shot reloaded and shot again end up having 2 laying dead in the field.

I do love the anticipation of waiting for the smoke to clear to see if I have made a good shot. As far the choice of dropping a deer in its track or not, I prefer to track a blood trail, I think it the second best thing of a hunt only to watching a deer working its way to you, but that's just me.

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Originally Posted by "D"

I had a grand time. The miss did not bother me at all. I know I can shoot, I have the medals from the military to prove it. And I have killed deer in the past. I will put in a little range time. That was the first time I pulled the trigger on my brother's gun that had not been shot in forever until SIL checked it a couple months back. I thank you all for the comments and will probably have a new 308 and 4 wheeler next year. I will mount the scope with see thru mounts so I can free aim for short shots. If you guys notice I mod this forum and really wanted to share a story. I am going again 2 more times this week. I will shoot a few times first and hope to post one. Don't be disappointed if it is a small doe, that is what I want for the freezer. "D"

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go get ya some sir , big or small they eat about the same , whacked a many a yearling myself ....
lower the KABOOM on one for us ....good luck brother

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Originally Posted by Hanr3

Great story! Similar to me, been 20 years since I deer hunted. Although my result was different. I got a 6 pointer. Day 2 the big doe got up , nose dived, got up again and I never found her.


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had one or 2 leave for parts unknown after being clearly hit to never be seen again myself and not a drop of blood to be found
I have a video somewhere of a doe my friends wife shot with a 22 250 , I was on video that day and she shot it in the head at about 75 yards . it went down ,did four or five flips in the grass and got up running like the wind . We all sat there for a bit astonished and then went to the house to get all of our trackers and some short range weapons . so off we go into the brush and about 100 yards in we come up on her and she is laying down looking in our direction . at about 25 yards the man whos wife shot it the first time shot it in the head again with a shotgun and a slug !
that deer came up like a bolt and about ran me and another guy over , ran right between us so close I could have touched it !
we tracked her for about 2 more hours and never saw her again after the blood trail let up .
they have a will to survive that is beyond what is real for sure .

Huntinslabs nailed it..forget the see thru mounts....with practice a scope on a low power works fine.. The 308 is very efficient with bullets up to 180 gr. After that the 30-06 shines because of increased case capacity...I own three 30-06, and five 308s...you can't go wrong with either...

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Originally Posted by huntinslabs

D if you shot in the military and have medals to prove it then you know consistent and proper cheek weld is paramount, forget the see thru mounts. Bad cheek weld and very weak mounting system. The clarity of optics and large field of view offered by variable scopes negates the need for iron sights on short range target. A high quality 3X9 from Leupold, Zeiss or Nikon will get the job done.

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Your partly correct. The scopes you mentioned would be just fine, assuming you can see thru them.
Hunt someplace where snow is common, and it wouldn't take long to see the merit of having iorn sights as a backup.
I doubt see thru mounts or flip mounts were designed with southern hunters in mind.
Yes flip mounts, just grab the scope and push it out of the way.

Well we did not get to go again, but I have been assured next year, I can go whenever I want during season. I will have new rifle and probably a 4x4 side by side. Think the wife and I would enjoy that more than a regular 4 wheeler. I also may not have mentioned, but the limit in west Tn. was 2 bucks a season and 3 does a day. That's right 21 a week. Think they not thick. Mae and I went out just to look a couple days ago and we saw 14 turkey, 2 small bucks and 20 does in 30 minutes. I am already drooling for next year. haha

When season first opened, My step Brother and two of his friends came over to Site in their scopes using the Contraption that holds the Gun -- taking the human element out of the shot... they also had a range finder -- targets were set up at 25 -- 75 -- and 150 yards If you have never done this it will open your eyes to what the chart shows for the point of impact

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Originally Posted by Fish on Line

When season first opened, My step Brother and two of his friends came over to Site in their scopes using the Contraption that holds the Gun -- taking the human element out of the shot... they also had a range finder -- targets were set up at 25 -- 75 -- and 150 yards If you have never done this it will open your eyes to what the chart shows for the point of impact

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I guess I'm confused over the need for the rangefinder at those distances, and also the choice of their target distances.

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Originally Posted by "D"

Well, found out a new friend has 300 acres and wrangled an invite. Just had hopes of getting a young doe to make some pattie sausage and ground meat. Plus do something special with the tenderloin. Had a nice box stand. He dropped me off at 2 pm. At 3:30 a turkey appeared. Within 5 minutes I counted 42. About 4 they were 75 yards away. Knew it probably was not a good idea, but could not resist a pic. As you see in the second pic they became shy. Figured no chance of seeing a deer after that, but I never seen so many turkey's, and was pleased with that. Low and behold about 20 minutes later a couple does came out across the field I was watching. Out of range but exciting. 5 minutes later one stepped out about 90 yards away. I made the decision that yes I would take her, since I talked about it before hand. Using a 35 caliber Marlin, shooting Remington 200 grain, I cocked and put her in sight. At that time another stepped out next to her. i waited for them to settle and decided on the second. She went cross ways and bent her head down. A perfect target. I lined up and squeezed. She raised her head and shook it then turned and walked in the woods. I cocked and was lining up on the other when she ran in the woods. They were only 5 feet from the edge. I gave it a little time and walked down to look. Found no trace of blood, hair or deer.:dono At least I can say I only missed one in 30 plus years. hahaha.:Doh: Anyway, loved it and now with permission I plan on going at least twice more this week. Also, plan on buying into the lease next year and getting fully into it. I had a blast. Thanks Max.

Attachment 284472Attachment 284471

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D turned my harvest into jalapeños and pepper jack salami today
Attachment 286626
On the smoker now


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Originally Posted by Mike58

D turned my harvest into jalapeños and pepper jack salami today
Attachment 286626
On the smoker now


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Bring one to fall camp. Looks great.

beautiful sausage right there .....

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Originally Posted by yobuck

I guess I'm confused over the need for the rangefinder at those distances, and also the choice of their target distances.

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bullets rise and fall after they leave a rifle and if the caliber is not a long ranger it is likely high at 25 and close at 75 and below at 150 or at least I think I remember that from back when ...maybe 2 inches or more in difference in point of impact or so on those ranges ?

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Originally Posted by Ketchn

bullets rise and fall after they leave a rifle and if the caliber is not a long ranger it is likely high at 25 and close at 75 and below at 150 or at least I think I remember that from back when ...maybe 2 inches or more in difference in point of impact or so on those ranges ?

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Bullets never rise after leaving the muzzle, the drop toward the ground is immediate. Confusion is often connected with line of site, which can be crossed by the bullet. But it never crosses above the line of the bore, regardless of the velocity when it leaves the muzzle.
Long range shooters/hunters, will as a rule choose a 100 yd zero distance for their rifle, regardless of the cartridge they use.
That simply put is a place to start and return to with the scope. Home base if you will, everything starts, and then returns there.
If the distance is known, there is no need for a rangefinder.