ukenout
Well-Known Member
Well here I am all packed up and ready to head back home to GA in the morning. I feel that I really accomplished my goals this season here in Idaho. A year ago at this time I came home with just an elk I took at 100yds, but passed up on a shot at at a nice mule deer because I didn't have confidence in my rifle and ability. So I started making plans on how to get back here to Salmon ID and go after a deer my buddies called SOCOM because of his uncanny ability to be steLth like and out maneuver so many hunters. I stRted reading everything I could on mule deer and researched alot on LR hunting here on this site. I was fortunate that a good friend on the Army AMU team got together with John Whidden and they came up with a rifle/caliber they thought would be the perfect choice for my hunt. I had a 700LA already so that was the start of what would eventually become a custom 7rsaum. Another incredible piece of fate was I connected with the guys at 406Precision. They are sponsors on this site and communicated to me they had a class in Phillipsburg MT in June , this past summer. I was excited to be able to attend. (I wrote a story on my experience already on this site).
So with the new knowledge I learned from 406Precision and a new rifle I spent time with on the range in Ft Gordon working up loads I met my hunting buddies in Missoula on October 10th. We drove down to Salmon and got our tags and unloaded our gear. We decided to spend that first evening scouting, so I grabbed my Vortex spotting scope and binos and climbed a tall rocky bluff where last hear me and my buddy witnessed SOCOM giving our other friend the slip from no more than 10yds. As the sun was beginning to set who steps out of his secret hiding spot! One of my friends was already on the valley floor near old SOCOM so we text him to let him know direction and distance. After about 45 minutes our buddy couldn't make anymore ground without being busted by SOCOM. My other friend spotting next to me asked if I could take the shot, we both ranged him at 452yds, and I said yes. We called our other buddy below to back out as we were going to set up for a shot. I checked for wind and got in a good prone position. I double checked my dope card several times and made my turret adjustments. Settled in behind the rifle and picked a spot in the shoulders and base of neck as he was quartered toward us. I squeezed the trigger and boom thwack is all I heard and my buddy next to me said he went down hard. When we collected our gear and made it down to the bottom we were all amazed at the size of the body this deer had. He was huge. We got him loaded on my buddies receiver hitch rack and you can see it straining with the weight of the deer. We got him field dressed and had to go by the game check station where the officers and biologist aged him at over 5 1/2 years old. Said he was about 280 pounds. I was so happy to finally say that it took me a year and some serious homework but we finally got old SOCOM. I also wrapped up my elk on opening morning when I was able to take a bull at 455yards. Super excited as I get to tKe home 312 pounds of elk meat.
So with the new knowledge I learned from 406Precision and a new rifle I spent time with on the range in Ft Gordon working up loads I met my hunting buddies in Missoula on October 10th. We drove down to Salmon and got our tags and unloaded our gear. We decided to spend that first evening scouting, so I grabbed my Vortex spotting scope and binos and climbed a tall rocky bluff where last hear me and my buddy witnessed SOCOM giving our other friend the slip from no more than 10yds. As the sun was beginning to set who steps out of his secret hiding spot! One of my friends was already on the valley floor near old SOCOM so we text him to let him know direction and distance. After about 45 minutes our buddy couldn't make anymore ground without being busted by SOCOM. My other friend spotting next to me asked if I could take the shot, we both ranged him at 452yds, and I said yes. We called our other buddy below to back out as we were going to set up for a shot. I checked for wind and got in a good prone position. I double checked my dope card several times and made my turret adjustments. Settled in behind the rifle and picked a spot in the shoulders and base of neck as he was quartered toward us. I squeezed the trigger and boom thwack is all I heard and my buddy next to me said he went down hard. When we collected our gear and made it down to the bottom we were all amazed at the size of the body this deer had. He was huge. We got him loaded on my buddies receiver hitch rack and you can see it straining with the weight of the deer. We got him field dressed and had to go by the game check station where the officers and biologist aged him at over 5 1/2 years old. Said he was about 280 pounds. I was so happy to finally say that it took me a year and some serious homework but we finally got old SOCOM. I also wrapped up my elk on opening morning when I was able to take a bull at 455yards. Super excited as I get to tKe home 312 pounds of elk meat.
