Well, this year has had its share of ups and downs after fracturing my left arm in an auto accident. I was finally able to bowhunt by early November and was able to arrow two does within 45 minutes of each other, but I did miss a real nice eight pointer with the Rem 700 in October as I was still in a wrist brace. After that I haven't had the opportunity to put the crosshairs on anything until .....
I went out yesterday afternoon with the Rem 700, really looking for a meat doe. At about 4:00 PM, I saw a deer poke its head out of some thick brush and walk out onto the opposite bank of Bynum Run (a run is a creek in Mid-Atlantic states). As it came down the bank, I noticed it was limping...badly. To the point that I was pretty sure its right front leg was broken.
It walked out onto the bank and turned downstream (of course, I was upstream). It was a heavy-bodied four point with a 10" inside spread. It stopped a few feet down the bank and then turned, giving me a slightly quartering-away shot at 70-75 yards. The vitals were pretty much screened out by twigs and brush, but I had a 4" hole that was clear, and knowing how accurate this rifle is when I can hold it steady, I took the shot. The bullet hit about 1/2" from my aiming point and he dropped and never got up.
When I got to him, his right front leg was definitely broken, and he had some big scar on his leg that was down to the hide. I don't know if he was previously shot, injured in a fight with another buck, fell down a cliff, etc. But he was definitely hurting. Now he's in the freezer after a brutal drag-out.
So, while he's not that big in the rack, I'm a happy guy. I thought for a while my entire 2010 hunting season was shot. Instead I upgraded my Remington with this absolutely fantastic 209 conversion, restocked it on a gorgeous wood laminate stock and had an opportunity to take out a wounded buck before a harsh winter possibly ended his life before my bullet could do so.