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Post by Sandbur on Nov 12, 2021 8:14:16 GMT -6
Dusted off the Savage 220 and sat in the storm over a bean food plot. Swift Falls farm … this buck chased a couple does in front of my stand and I ended up taking him @ around 75 yds. Certainly not a big one, actually some ground shrinkage, but I tried CPR and he didn’t make it 😑. I think he’s a 3 yr old, big body/average rack . Tagged out in MN! Congrats on the buck. I almost bought a 220 a year ago or so, but then decided to wait and see if the statewide rifle deal is going to happen. I guess my Ithaca Deerslayer is getting it done, but those 220s seem to be the cream of the crop for slug guns. Interesting difference in backgrounds. I have fired a slug since I was 12 or 13. My Dad started me with a .410 single shot. The next year, he let me use his 32 Special.
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Post by Bwoods11 on Nov 12, 2021 9:03:32 GMT -6
The Savage 220 is a nice gun. But, I’ve missed a buck and wounded one I never found in Iowa (big one) … plus I’ve noticed blood trails “can” be a challenge with the Remington accutips … like for me last night.
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Post by smsmith on Nov 12, 2021 9:13:37 GMT -6
The Savage 220 is a nice gun. But, I’ve missed a buck and wounded one I never found in Iowa (big one) … plus I’ve noticed blood trails “can” be a challenge with the Remington accutips … like for me last night. I've been less than a fan of slugs for deer since using the old rifled Foster slugs out of smooth bore barrels in the 80s and 90s. We witnessed way too many wounded deer with shitty or no blood trails. Dad's old 870 shot those slugs pretty good out to 75 yards or so. Mine would shoot 2 or 3 on target and the next few would be off a foot or more. Moving to the Ithaca was a big step up for me. It shoots out to 150 with consistent accuracy. That said, I've shot plenty of deer with it and very few have had good blood trails. I've taken to limiting my shots to 50 yards or less and usually try for a high shoulder shot to dump them in place. I want to see them drop so there's no tracking involved. The last two years that's exactly what happened. If we go to statewide rifle, I won't be offended. A rifle is a far superior weapon for killing deer.
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Post by Bwoods11 on Nov 12, 2021 9:31:20 GMT -6
I like the bow the best. But couldn’t pass up this storm. Deer were really moving.
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Post by Sandbur on Nov 12, 2021 9:41:57 GMT -6
I like the bow the best. But couldn’t pass up this storm. Deer were really moving. Did you get enough snow to call it a storm?
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Post by Bwoods11 on Nov 12, 2021 13:22:36 GMT -6
Maybe an inch of snow, 2 inches south of here a bit . Blizzard like though.
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Post by Bwoods11 on Nov 14, 2021 19:26:58 GMT -6
It’s over… I like to watch the cameras see what survived.
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Post by smsmith on Nov 14, 2021 19:33:32 GMT -6
It’s over… I like to watch the cameras see what survived. I'm anxious to pull SD cards this week. Haven't pulled any since a week or two before firearm season.
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Post by Sandbur on Nov 15, 2021 4:44:01 GMT -6
I am going to walk the edges of some areas I have not been in for months. I will probably take the shotgun and dog in one 5 acre area hoping for a pheasant.
There was one very nice buck around that I have not seen a picture of a happy hunter with him.
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Post by smsmith on Nov 16, 2021 14:21:32 GMT -6
Passed on a 125"ish 8 point this morning. Had him with a number of slam dunk shots at scrape posts and transitions between. The toughest shots I've passed with a firearm. Felt weirdly satisfying. If I want to shoot 140"+ deer I can't kill them before they reach that point. Stopped counting at 20 deer this morning. Pic of the 8 ^^^ He's probably lucky to go 117-120" He survived firearm season, so maybe he can make it until next year.
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Post by badgerfowl on Nov 16, 2021 14:58:06 GMT -6
Passed on a 125"ish 8 point this morning. Had him with a number of slam dunk shots at scrape posts and transitions between. The toughest shots I've passed with a firearm. Felt weirdly satisfying. If I want to shoot 140"+ deer I can't kill them before they reach that point. Stopped counting at 20 deer this morning. Pic of the 8 ^^^ He's probably lucky to go 117-120" He survived firearm season, so maybe he can make it until next year. I'm having a hard time debating what I'd shoot w/ a gun this upcoming week. Do I wait for the couple I have on camera that would be bigger than the one I got with the bow or do I take one of the numerous 100-120" deer we have running around. There's also a cool half rack that would probably go 120's if he didn't have a 3" spike on the one side. He's the biggest body/oldest out of the recent ones I have on camera. The bigger ones have been missing for several days. Probably won't see shit so it'll be a mute point anyways, but fun to ponder.
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Post by badgerfowl on Nov 16, 2021 15:05:13 GMT -6
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Post by smsmith on Nov 16, 2021 15:27:36 GMT -6
Pic of the 8 ^^^ He's probably lucky to go 117-120" He survived firearm season, so maybe he can make it until next year. I'm having a hard time debating what I'd shoot w/ a gun this upcoming week. Do I wait for the couple I have on camera that would be bigger than the one I got with the bow or do I take one of the numerous 100-120" deer we have running around. There's also a cool half rack that would probably go 120's if he didn't have a 3" spike on the one side. He's the biggest body/oldest out of the recent ones I have on camera. The bigger ones have been missing for several days. Probably won't see shit so it'll be a mute point anyways, but fun to ponder. It seems the answer is always "shoot what makes you happy". I would have been disappointed in myself if I shot this 8. I'm happy with the buck I shot, but I will be doing my best to not shoot another buck that is any smaller than this year's.
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Post by nhmountains on Nov 16, 2021 17:41:26 GMT -6
My dad sat 9.5 days dark to dark and never saw a mature deer to shoot. Up by Bena. Biggest buck was a spike. I know that scenario all too well here in NH.
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Post by nhmountains on Nov 16, 2021 17:49:05 GMT -6
Congrats on the buck. I almost bought a 220 a year ago or so, but then decided to wait and see if the statewide rifle deal is going to happen. I guess my Ithaca Deerslayer is getting it done, but those 220s seem to be the cream of the crop for slug guns. Interesting difference in backgrounds. I have fired a slug since I was 12 or 13. My Dad started me with a .410 single shot. The next year, he let me use his 32 Special. The 32 Special was what I used the first 15 years of hunting.
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