tom
11-23-2008, 12:51 PM
This is a story about the preparation towards a special hunt.
Last February I was invited to participate in a culling hunt on Sidney Island. There used to be public hunting as well as limited entry hunts but it is now only by invitional only.
The fallow deer were originally imported to the Island for the pleasure of the big shots of the Forest Company. These deer have now lived on the Island wild for many generations. Due to the poor nutritional value of their food as well as low availability the deer have developed a huge stomach to process a large amount of food. Therefore the diaphragm is quite a bit more forward than all other deer. If one is to take the traditional behind the shoulder shot, the stomach would surely be punctured. If you shoot a few inches forward, both shoulders would be ruined and you would loose a good 2/5 of the total meat. Therefore headshots are encouraged by the huntmaster (my friend).
I took my Rem. model 7 in 7mm-08 which can group 1" MOA. However in February (last week of the hunting schedule), the deer were extremely wary and I was able to only harvest one deer at around 140 yards. I did not have the confidence to take anything chancy or farther out.
When I came back I decided I need a new gun. A bench rest calibre is the choice because of the inherent accuracy. Most bench rest calibre are available only with bench guns which are unsuitable for hunting. I was finally able locate a Ruger # 1 in 6 PPC from a fellow CGN. It came with dies and brass.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h191/shanni_shani/IMGP0411.jpg
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h191/shanni_shani/IMGP0412.jpg
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h191/shanni_shani/IMGP0415.jpg
Left is 6 PPC, right is 243.
As precision shooting is prerequisite I top it with a Leupold VX III 4.5-14 x 40 with the varmint hunter reticle.
I was fortunate that I did not have to fire-form the Lapua 220 Russian brass into 6 PPC, thus saving a bit of time. However most bullets available in 50-70 gr. range were varmint bullets and not suitable for big game. I was finally able to locate some Hornady SP in 70 gr. A bit light I thought but the Hornady bullet tech. assured me that if I do my job right so will the bullet. I did also develop another load for some 85 gr. bullets but since the barrel was 1 in 14 inch twist, it did not stablize the heavier bullet well and does not group well enough.
After working with development of load for several months I finally was satisfied with the result.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h191/shanni_shani/IMGP0413.jpg
On paper I was getting 2910'/sec and around 1600 lb/ in2 kinetic energy. But I needed more proof. Therefore I shot at a log lengthwise and got this. Now I am ready.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h191/shanni_shani/IMGP0410.jpg
In Oct. I found out my friend has resigned from being the huntmaster due to dissension amoung the landowners as to how best to cull the deer population. There were talks that there may not be a hunt at all. I had no choice but to wait.
Luckily my friend called later and I was invited again for the last week of Oct. This time around the ratio of bucks/doe was all in favour of bucks due to the 'only shoot doe' policy for the last two years. We were allowed to take bucks also.
At the end I took 5 deer (4 bucks and 1 fawn). All were shot in the head. Every one dropped immediately and the interior of the skull were all destroyed. I took four of the them from a tree stand (between 120-180 yds) and one in the woods.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h191/shanni_shani/IMGP0385.jpg
The picture below is the biggest buck I took (around 140 lb.)
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h191/shanni_shani/IMGP0383.jpg
Last February I was invited to participate in a culling hunt on Sidney Island. There used to be public hunting as well as limited entry hunts but it is now only by invitional only.
The fallow deer were originally imported to the Island for the pleasure of the big shots of the Forest Company. These deer have now lived on the Island wild for many generations. Due to the poor nutritional value of their food as well as low availability the deer have developed a huge stomach to process a large amount of food. Therefore the diaphragm is quite a bit more forward than all other deer. If one is to take the traditional behind the shoulder shot, the stomach would surely be punctured. If you shoot a few inches forward, both shoulders would be ruined and you would loose a good 2/5 of the total meat. Therefore headshots are encouraged by the huntmaster (my friend).
I took my Rem. model 7 in 7mm-08 which can group 1" MOA. However in February (last week of the hunting schedule), the deer were extremely wary and I was able to only harvest one deer at around 140 yards. I did not have the confidence to take anything chancy or farther out.
When I came back I decided I need a new gun. A bench rest calibre is the choice because of the inherent accuracy. Most bench rest calibre are available only with bench guns which are unsuitable for hunting. I was finally able locate a Ruger # 1 in 6 PPC from a fellow CGN. It came with dies and brass.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h191/shanni_shani/IMGP0411.jpg
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h191/shanni_shani/IMGP0412.jpg
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h191/shanni_shani/IMGP0415.jpg
Left is 6 PPC, right is 243.
As precision shooting is prerequisite I top it with a Leupold VX III 4.5-14 x 40 with the varmint hunter reticle.
I was fortunate that I did not have to fire-form the Lapua 220 Russian brass into 6 PPC, thus saving a bit of time. However most bullets available in 50-70 gr. range were varmint bullets and not suitable for big game. I was finally able to locate some Hornady SP in 70 gr. A bit light I thought but the Hornady bullet tech. assured me that if I do my job right so will the bullet. I did also develop another load for some 85 gr. bullets but since the barrel was 1 in 14 inch twist, it did not stablize the heavier bullet well and does not group well enough.
After working with development of load for several months I finally was satisfied with the result.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h191/shanni_shani/IMGP0413.jpg
On paper I was getting 2910'/sec and around 1600 lb/ in2 kinetic energy. But I needed more proof. Therefore I shot at a log lengthwise and got this. Now I am ready.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h191/shanni_shani/IMGP0410.jpg
In Oct. I found out my friend has resigned from being the huntmaster due to dissension amoung the landowners as to how best to cull the deer population. There were talks that there may not be a hunt at all. I had no choice but to wait.
Luckily my friend called later and I was invited again for the last week of Oct. This time around the ratio of bucks/doe was all in favour of bucks due to the 'only shoot doe' policy for the last two years. We were allowed to take bucks also.
At the end I took 5 deer (4 bucks and 1 fawn). All were shot in the head. Every one dropped immediately and the interior of the skull were all destroyed. I took four of the them from a tree stand (between 120-180 yds) and one in the woods.
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h191/shanni_shani/IMGP0385.jpg
The picture below is the biggest buck I took (around 140 lb.)
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h191/shanni_shani/IMGP0383.jpg