This morning I took my climbing stand and went to the top of the mountain behind my house. I got situated in my stand just as it was getting daylight.
At 7:20 I heard a loud noise and looked to see three deer coming out of the laurels about 150 yards from me. There was a doe and two bucks, one of the bucks was a nice one, eight or better, the other buck was probably a four or six pointer. They turned and ran away from me and in just a minute or so they came running back into the laurels were I saw them originally. The smaller buck stayed out in the open woods while I assume the larger buck and doe were breeding.
The big buck and doe stayed in the laurels for a few minutes and then I saw the doe take off to my right and the big buck came out of the laurels in a run and went away from me and the smaller buck followed him.
I was standing up in my stand while all this was going on and I had the 500 S&W Handi at the ready. I continued to stand for a good thirty minutes after the big buck left, in hopes that he might come back and give me a shot. I finally sat back down and about 9:15 I saw deer legs walking through the laurels directly in front of me. It was a big doe and she was walking at a very steady pace, I was able to track her very easily with the 1.5-4 Burris set at it’s lowest power. At about 50 yards she walked into an opening and the big 500 sent a 385 grain Remington Ultra-Bonded Core-Lokt right behind her shoulder, through the heart and broke the off side shoulder as it exited the far side.
She may have went 15 yards after being hit. The bullet seemed to have done more damage on this doe compared to the 8-pointer that I got with it on opening day. I haven’t butchered her yet to examine what the bullet actually did but I noticed a lot of damage to her heart when I field dressed her. She was about 50 yards and the 8-pointer I got was about 125 yards, the higher impact velocity from the 50 yard shot may have opened up the bullet better. I may have hit a rib on the way in also, I won’t know until I butcher her.
Well, the 500 Handi is now two for two!
GOOD SHOOTING!
Slufoot