WildRose
Well-Known Member
Gotta love Texas. I've spent the last couple of weeks patterning a buck I've wanted to shoot for some time. So I got my chores done, of course a little late and drive off down in the pasture to try and get set up for a shot.
The first point at which I knew I might get a shot at him was right at 645 yards, and he's been following some does in the evening through a narrow gate, then down the draw for seveal hundred yards to water. Where they water is at my 1080yd rock which sets on the backside of the tank dam.
There are only a couple of points along the draw where I've seen them move where a shot is even possible from my vantage point across the wheat field and just for grins I decided that I'd use the .260 if he popped out shy of 900yds and the 300 Rum if he popped out beyond 900yds.
So I'm all set up in the back of the truck with a makeshift "rest" set up on top of my 350 gallon water tank. It's about an hour before dark which is just about the time the first of the does usually pops her head up. I'd seen deer all over the place from 3:00pm on today so I'm feeling good about my chances.
Well sure enough the first doe pops out, then five more and I'm getting stoked because I know the big seven point will be along any second.
Instead of him popping out though here come three little young bucks the nicest of which is an 8pt that would probably score about 85 B&C and they start chasing the does literally all over the place.
Finally I see the old big buck through the trees who's now standing at the fence watching this cluster and he just shakes his head and slinks back off into the brush with a doe in tow.
Of course I'm a little bummed and I'm thinking about maybe pinging the rock just to watch the little bucks freak out and as I'm scoping it something moves.
Too small for a deer and moving through some low brush but I thought "what the heck no time to move and set up for the big 11 point so let's see what pops out."
I'd killed one coyote earlier and thought this might be my first opportunity to really stretch out the 300 Rum on something smaller than a deer or hog.
Well no coyote pops out but a VERY large bobcat did.
Now at that range a bobcat presents about a .5MOA kill zone up and down and about 1 MOA wide. That's a considerably more challenging target than a deer or even a coyote, but "what the hell" ? He's within 30 yards of the same target I've plinked regularly with the same rig so I just settle in and hope to catch him in the open when he finishes drinking.
Sure enough he pops back up over the dam and decides to move along the edge away from my rock.
I get settled in count/time his paces, figure the lead and let the 180gr Scirocco fly.
My deer hunt went to hell but I set a personal best with this rifle and beat my previous longest bobcat ever by over a hundred yards so the night was certainly not a total loss.
Not only was he the prettiest Bobcat I've ever shot, he's amongst the largest if not the largest. The Taxidermist here in town was pretty impressed with him and weighed him and even though he's awfully thin (no surprise with our drought) he weighs 38lbs.
Well there goes another 300.00 bucks I'll have to figure out how to explain to the wife!
The first point at which I knew I might get a shot at him was right at 645 yards, and he's been following some does in the evening through a narrow gate, then down the draw for seveal hundred yards to water. Where they water is at my 1080yd rock which sets on the backside of the tank dam.
There are only a couple of points along the draw where I've seen them move where a shot is even possible from my vantage point across the wheat field and just for grins I decided that I'd use the .260 if he popped out shy of 900yds and the 300 Rum if he popped out beyond 900yds.
So I'm all set up in the back of the truck with a makeshift "rest" set up on top of my 350 gallon water tank. It's about an hour before dark which is just about the time the first of the does usually pops her head up. I'd seen deer all over the place from 3:00pm on today so I'm feeling good about my chances.
Well sure enough the first doe pops out, then five more and I'm getting stoked because I know the big seven point will be along any second.
Instead of him popping out though here come three little young bucks the nicest of which is an 8pt that would probably score about 85 B&C and they start chasing the does literally all over the place.
Finally I see the old big buck through the trees who's now standing at the fence watching this cluster and he just shakes his head and slinks back off into the brush with a doe in tow.
Of course I'm a little bummed and I'm thinking about maybe pinging the rock just to watch the little bucks freak out and as I'm scoping it something moves.
Too small for a deer and moving through some low brush but I thought "what the heck no time to move and set up for the big 11 point so let's see what pops out."
I'd killed one coyote earlier and thought this might be my first opportunity to really stretch out the 300 Rum on something smaller than a deer or hog.
Well no coyote pops out but a VERY large bobcat did.
Now at that range a bobcat presents about a .5MOA kill zone up and down and about 1 MOA wide. That's a considerably more challenging target than a deer or even a coyote, but "what the hell" ? He's within 30 yards of the same target I've plinked regularly with the same rig so I just settle in and hope to catch him in the open when he finishes drinking.
Sure enough he pops back up over the dam and decides to move along the edge away from my rock.
I get settled in count/time his paces, figure the lead and let the 180gr Scirocco fly.
My deer hunt went to hell but I set a personal best with this rifle and beat my previous longest bobcat ever by over a hundred yards so the night was certainly not a total loss.
Not only was he the prettiest Bobcat I've ever shot, he's amongst the largest if not the largest. The Taxidermist here in town was pretty impressed with him and weighed him and even though he's awfully thin (no surprise with our drought) he weighs 38lbs.
Well there goes another 300.00 bucks I'll have to figure out how to explain to the wife!
