I had a dandy of a deer hunting season in PA. Dropped a doe on the opener to get out of the rain. Used a SSK Contender 45-70 Gov't. No pics of that deer...the 45-70 brass made it look kinda small!
With one doe tag left I wanted to reserve it for the opportunity to extend my personal best "long shot" record with a handgun. Previously it was 377yds. This year I wanted something over 400yds. On day two I was just sittin' along side my fire, munchin' some crackers and feelin' kinda drowsy when four deer came leggin' it across the strip cut and stopped where they apparently felt safe. I hit them with the 20X Burris to check for antlers. All were bald, ranged the largest with the RX4 (460yds), dropped a cartridge in the chamber, held the 3rd SU (calc'd at 498yds)of the 3-12x32 Burris just under her heart and sent the 162gr A-Max across the valley. She was quartering to me a little farther than expected. I clipped the near-side lung, through the liver, gut and exited the front edge of the right side ham. She ran forty yards and immediately laid down. After a few minutes her head dropped for good. I watched for 20 minutes until satisfied she was done then made the trek to get her. The gun was a XP-100 built by Allen Precision Shooting and is chambered in 7mm-270WSM. This is my longest deer with a handgun by nearly 100yds. It also beats my longest rifle shot by 15yds.
With only a buck tag left I was in my little hidey hole on the 12/6.....not long before lunch, munchin' an apple, fire kickin' to keep me company (and the fact that it was 6* when I set up made greatly welcome) but this time I had a hunting buddy walking the other hillside looking for deer. He likes to push'em and I like to shoot so we work well together. I was content to make sure the fire stayed lit!
He just hit the upper end of the cut when he called and said he was coming back my direction...then he said "deer", hangs up and then I hear "boom....boom". Back on the phone and says he missed. While he was dogging around I watched about 15 different deer sneak all around him including a little buck that gave several shot opportunities around 430yds. I let him walk. Just as Rick called back to report the misses, a doe and the little buck coming running across the cut in my direction and into the creek bottom (only about 50yds wide). I turn the scope to 5X as the shots would likely be less than 150yds. A few seconds later he pops up on my side of the creek bank and presents a broadside 150yd shot. After a brief (and I mean BRIEF) look to make sure he met the "3pts per side rule" in my area of PA, I let the 162gr A-Max fly. That dumped him instantly. This was the closest deer I ever shot with this gun...the exit hole was a sweet 2" circle and had nearly half the right side lung hanging out!