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+--- Thread: Oregon Blacktail down! (/showthread.php?tid=3828)
Oregon Blacktail down! - JohnOD - 10-06-2012
A cloud of dust at 250 yards and some movement caught my eye as two blacktail bucks, a spike and a 2x3 started down the hill in my direction. They disappeared in a swale but instead of continuing towards me they cut south and were headed for a draw. The larger buck came up the trail over a small knob walking slowly and offered me a clear shot. It was opening morning and I had made up my mind before season to take the first forked horn or better that presented an opportunity.
He was quartering away at ~150 yards when I shot him. He dropped instantly at the hit and I could see hair drifting in the air through the scope but due to the terrain I didnt have a visual on the deer. I called my shot slightly high and back. There was dust being kicked up in the area for about ten seconds so I knew he wasnt DRT at the shot. The spike froze and stared at the downed deer for a few seconds before vacating the area. I moved up the hill to gain a vantage point but could not get a visual on him so I moved in cautiously. Once I got to the landmark I had noted he was near when I fired I caught some movement as he came out of his bed and made for a draw 20 away on wobbly knees obviously hurting. I was in hot pursuit as the buck disappeared over the edge. As soon as I made it to the draw there he was bedded 30 yards away. A finisher in the neck sealed the deal. He rolled a ways down the 45 degree slope & came to rest against a bush.
My first shot came was high behind the diaphragm and clipped one lung on the exit. Fortunately it came in above the stomach but it did a number on the tenderloins. Not that i planned it that way but I was somewhat surprised that the hit so close to the spine did not anchor him.
![[Image: 002-23.jpg]](http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll94/johnod2/002-23.jpg)
First load out with 40# of boned meat in my hunting pack
![[Image: 007-11.jpg]](http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll94/johnod2/007-11.jpg)
The hooves were more impressive than the horns
![[Image: 003-18.jpg]](http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll94/johnod2/003-18.jpg)
Oregon Blacktail down! - Sojorboy - 10-06-2012
Thanks for sharing
What ammo were you using ?
Oregon Blacktail down! - JohnOD - 10-06-2012
Handloaded 120 Ballistic Tip @ 2,490 FPS
Oregon Blacktail down! - Whelenon - 10-06-2012
That's the way to do it, congratulations.
Oregon Blacktail down! - P-P - 10-06-2012
Very nice! Sounds like the same load as I used on my pronghorn (mine was at 2520 fps - little difference).
How did the bullet perform? Where did it enter and exit (if it did), and did it hit any bone? How far did it travel before exiting, or coming to rest? How much do you think the buck weighed?
Oregon Blacktail down! - Lead Chucker - 10-06-2012
Very nice! Nice rifle also!
Oregon Blacktail down! - gunrestorer - 10-06-2012
Very nice, you won't go hungry now. I'am really looking forward to our deer season with the Grendel. I just got permission to hunt 400 ac farm no one has hunted in years. I like yor camo job on the rifle, thats the same thing I'am going to do to mine.
Oregon Blacktail down! - PA_Allen - 10-06-2012
Congratulations John! Thanks for the report.
PA
Oregon Blacktail down! - JohnOD - 10-07-2012
P-P Wrote:Very nice! Sounds like the same load as I used on my pronghorn (mine was at 2520 fps - little difference).
How did the bullet perform? Where did it enter and exit (if it did), and did it hit any bone? How far did it travel before exiting, or coming to rest? How much do you think the buck weighed?
Both bullets exited P-P... he might have made it 40 yards or so. The first shot clipped the far shoulder. I would guess he weighed #170 on the hoof. The deer in that area are Blacktail with a heavy intermixing of Mule deer so they tend to be larger than the coastal Blacktails. I'm not sure why but we call them "Benchlegs".
Several years ago on the same hunt I shot a 23" wide 3x3 (plus eye gurds) on opening morning. It was pouring rain and my teenage son Sam who was hunting with me was sick as a dog with the flu. I gutted the deer and we headed back to the truck for the pack frame. Sam siad "Dad I'm just going to sit in the truck" so I started it and he got in. I got back to the buck, cut him in half behind the 3rd rib and humped him out in two trips head, hide hooves and all on the pack frame.
I had open heart surgery maybe four months before that to repair a congenital heat defect. The surgeon had cracked my sternum, put me on the heart lung machine and the whole bit. Anyway the pack out wasn't far but it was steep with lots of blowdowns. I remember on the first pack out my heart was beating about out of my chest so I leaned back against a tree standing there figuring if mt heart was going to blow a leak now was the time. When I finally got home I weighted both halves on a digital bathroom scale... they were 95# and 115# so that one must have weighed 230# of so on the hoof.
The funny thing was when I got everything loaded in the back of the truck and got in it was still idling but freezing inside and Sam saw shivering like crazy. I asked him "why didn't you turn on the heater once it warmed up?" he said I don't know. He was completely out of it.
Oregon Blacktail down! - ricsmall - 10-07-2012
great animal and story john.
Oregon Blacktail down! - Dinny - 10-10-2012
Great story! I'm glad you were able to recover your deer. I plan to use the 120 NBTs for deer hunting too.
Thanks, Dinny
Oregon Blacktail down! - Smoke - 10-10-2012
Good pics and great story ..
Been using Nosler 120 BT's for 2 years now .. Great projectile on deer out of a grendel
Oregon Blacktail down! - Deer Hunter - 10-12-2012
Congrats, I've got one week left till rifle season here in Georgia. Hope to add my own pic of a Monster Whitetail after opening day 10-20-12.