Firearms season opening day buck

[Graybeard]

Well guys my friend Barry up in PA did it again on opening day. His rifle is an original Weatherby from the days when old Roy himself was making rifles using whatever actions he could dig up. It's chambered to .257 Whby. Magnum. He calls it the "money pit". Here is his story and images.

Hello Bill,
 
Yup today was our first day of buck season. It was pouring rain before daylight and after daylight. It did lighten up and then rained more. I think it was over somewhere around 9:30AM?
 
BTW I was one wet hunter this morning. I had taken a poncho but grabbed the wrong one and ended up not using it.
 
This morning I saw two tails real early on. Then I found a nice stump and sat down to enjoy the rain. I did see a few squirrels out and about. Then I hear some running and here comes three deer running along the hillside and they passed about ten yards below me. First was an adult doe which stopped and looked at me as she caught a little movement as I was trying to see the last deer. After a quick look she moved on and the yearling came right behind her and never looked my way. The last was a buck that probably had a normal size antelope set of horns and he stopped and looked, then he went on. They were kind of poor horns at best.
 
Then I figured the rain might be ending and I was soaked so I headed in to put out feed for the cattle and get a change of clothes.
 
Once back out in some dry clothes and it was not raining things seemed a whole lot better.
 
I guess around noon or so I saw deer movement below me and I saw four deer moving below me and working up the hillside at an angle that brought them within 20 yards of me. Three were does and a spike buck of about three inches. He was close for me to see that without the aid of some kind of magnification. I could see two deer or just glimpses of them a lot farther down the hill. I could not tell what they were and eventually the four up near me turned and met up with them and they went on down into the hollow.
 
Another hour went by with nothing of note but the wind picking up some and the temperature in the mid 30s.
 
Finally down below me in some nice brush I saw a deer moving. When it got to a place I could see better I saw it had horns. So I waited for the next better view and saw it was an 8 point. At that time I did look back behind it and saw nothing. So I looked ahead along its route as it was browsing along and picked the next open place. As he came into view there I fired off the money pit and down he went.
 
As he fell a deer that was close behind him and still in the brush bolted past him and wow you could see some serious horn there. It ran about 30 thirty yards and stopped. He was not sure what happened I guess. Then by luck he turned up the hill and started back my way and stopped. Then he came right below me and stopped again looking around. He was most likely an eight point but twice the horn of the one I shot. So I'm trying to get a better look at him and he catches some movement and looks right at me and then he kicks in the afterburners and was gone.
 
So I went down and gathered in my buck and headed for the farm. Even seeing the bigger buck did not dampen my spirits with the little 8 point. I was just glad to see a legal buck and have the opportunity to harvest him. I imagine it was maybe one that I'd got on the trail cam earlier in the year.

First picture is the buck with the money pit. The last picture Donna took of me with the buck!

[JerryKo]

Perfect story.  My son missed a four point just after7am and we didn't see anything afterwards. I though maybe he had the Buck fever or something.  It was an easy shot for him at less than 50 yds and his 300wsm Ruger frontier loaded with 160gr ftx's at 30/30 velocities is a one holer at that range.  All we found was some hair and the bullets jacket where it went into a deadfall.  Did some tracking and confirmed no blood and went back to our spot.  He and I couldn't believe he made such a poor shot.  Well, sitting there for the rest of the day, I later realized a tiny branch was split in a direct path maybe 20 yds from where the deer was standing.  With the spent jacket and split twig I have to assume he hit the branch.  It's making me feel a lot better too.  Also taught him a good lesson about deflection.  Guess he'll have a lot more chances, being he is 8.  Good luck to the rest of you guys.  I'll resume hunting the 2nd and 3rd.

Jerry

[puma4440]

Good show!

I'll be making it out for the first time thursday and friday. Supposed to by rain/snow mix with high winds, sounds like a good milsurp day, it won't be the only buck the old mossin nagant has taken.

[Halwg]

Nice buck.  This is the first year in many that my brother, who lives in Armstrong Co., didn't get a buck opening day.  As of the end of the first week, he still hasn't scored!