Well, I just recently got into the long range game less than a year ago. Have always liked to make hunting interesting (shooting does at 400-500 yds) but had not really got into the true "Long Range" game. Built me a 243 Ackley last spring and have gone to a couple matches and have gotten quite a bit of help from posts on this site. Starting our rifle season, my goal was to take a doe @ + 600 with the ackley. Mission accomplished! Smoked one at 690 on opening weekend, but......was not happy with bullet performance and that is a whole different story. On to the good stuff (sorry for rambling). Our opening weekend in western oklahoma consisted of +80 degrees weather and slow moving whitetails. Some of our hunters we had out had some good success, but it sure is hard to get pumped up when your wearing a Tshirt all weekend! We got some cold weather on wednesday before thanksgiving and we started to get a little pumped. We took off and headed out to hunt for 5 days. There are still some good bucks roaming around, and I through the Ackley in the safe and pulled out 'old faithful' = the 7STW. After hunting pretty hard for 4 days, we had passed up some good ones, but we try to let the young ones grow up a little. Fast forward to Sunday morning. The bucks are chasing hard and the temps hadn't gotten over 35. My buddy is about 1/2 mile north of me in a tripod stand and he smokes a dandy 8 pt @ about 220 yds around 8 AM. Now we both have identical Sako 75 SS with Leupold VX III LR. His is in 300 Win Mag, mine the STW. Anyway (rambling again), He's pumped! All I've seen is smaller bucks and does. So I get up off the frozen hill and get moving up to where he is and check him out. As I arrive, we spot movement about 600 yds. Sure enough, looks like it could be a shooter?? We duck down in a canyon and get about 100 yds closer. He's chasing a doe all over the county. Looks like good mass, got a little height, we can tell he is an older deer and we say good enough. But..... she's coming closer and closer and he's right on her butt. I have a good rest, throw him the swaro and tell him to let me know. They are heading right for another big canyon and who knows where they will pop out if they get in there so it's now or never. He tells me 390 but he's still moving on a good trot. I tell him to stop him and after a couple good loud 'Grunts' = nothing. About that time, Rhett lets out the loudest imitation coyote howl I've ever heard. The doe stops on a dime and the 10 pt right behind her. He calls out 362 and I send it. I heard it hit him and my buddy says HOLY SH**! and starts laughing. He never took another step. The 140 gr accubond in the high shoulder folded him like a cheap lawn chair.
His 8 pt. is about as nice a 8 pt as one could ask for. He dropped him with a 180 gr Accubond out of the 300. G2's are 11" and 9 1/4".
My 10 Pt. was no monster, but had one 5" base and the other 4 1/2" and longest tine was 8 1/2". We didn't score them as we went ahead and started celebrating and showing them off on the way to the meat locker and taxidermist. They should both get close to 140. As you can see, We are both all smiles
Me with both our bucks.
Once again, sorry for all the rambling (I'm still somewhat of a rookie). I know it is not long range, but there is still some doe days left later in the year for the ole ackley to come out again!!!
It sure is great to get out in the great outdoors (freeze your Cojones off!), hang with hunting buddies, and enjoy life.
