As mentioned in another LR thread a few weeks ago (I really didn't want to drag it back up to the top, so I just started a new one...), where it was asked "What is long range?", I said that for this year at least, 100 yards would be long range for me.



And so it was.



I mentioned that for nostalgia reasons, I was going to be using my dad's original deer rifle, a mid-1950's vintage Winchester M94 in 32 Win Special, complete with buckhorn iron sights and all. He bought it new, killed his first buck with it back in about 1957 or so, and hadn't used it since. I decided that this year it was coming out of the safe & going hunting. My dad laughed at me, knowing that I have some "high precision" long range rigs, love shooting an exact spot (not just "hair"), have done lots of long range shooting, etc, and take lots of pride in my marksmanship abilities. I told him that for this hunt, it simply required a different mindset and set of tactics...



So, a few evenings ago, I sat on one of our "magical" hot spot crossings. It is a field about 50 yards wide and a few hundred yards long that the deer like to cross near one end for some reason. So I picked out a good spot (a lot closer than my "normal" spot), and snuggled in beside a small tree.



About 30 minutes before dark, here they come, stepping out of the thick brush on the other side, and crossing the field below me, about 50-60 yards out. They angled slightly towards me as they crossed the field, and stepped into the woods on my side. There was a narrow, natural shooting lane that ran almost parallel to the field, about 10 feet back into the woods. When the lead doe crossed into it, I thumbed the hammer back. But, she just stepped straight through, so I held my fire. Then, in a stroke of bad luck for her, she stopped after a few more steps in the next little gap, at about 40-50 yards away from me. I was already on my knees, with that little Winchester on my shoulder. I settled the sights tight in behind her shoulder, and then I guess instinct took over. I vaguely remember thinking "That looks good, you should shoot now...", but never remember actually consciously pulling the trigger. I do remember the report of the rifle, and as soon as I came out of the little recoil that there was, she was already on the ground.



The factory Remington 170 grain soft point dropped her right there in her tracks. I looked down at that little rifle & smiled.



When I got back out to the truck, my dad was standing there. I had my sleeves rolled up from gutting her, but had left her on the other side of the road. (By now it was fairly dark). My dad looked at me & said "I hope your sleeves are rolled up because you're bloody!" He said he heard that little rifle go off (I was about 500 yards away from him when I shot), and knew immediately that it was me. He said it definitely sounded different than those "big boomers" that we had been hearing all week.



He couldn't believe it when I told him that I had actually killed a deer with his old rifle, with the very first shot fired out of it in the woods in almost 50 years. (I had checked the sights earlier though on the range). And on the evening before my 40th birthday...



My dad has made a few comments lately about not knowing how much longer he's going to be able to hunt, so not only did I want to use his rifle for my own personal satisfaction, I wanted to do it on a hunt together with him, while he could enjoy it and reminisce as well.



It was too much fun!!



(BTW, I killed another deer earlier in the week. I was still-hunting through a big patch of woods, with my dad standing at the far end. I snuck up on a small herd, took one, and as luck would have it, they broke out and ran past my dad who at that point was only about 200 yards away, and he nailed one as they went past. I used my 7mm-08 for that one, and took that deer with "another long shot" of about 75 yards, and my dad got his at about 80-90 yards with his 30-06. Yeah, I'm prepared for long range, but find that over the years, I have probably killed 90% of my deer inside if 100 yards...)



But of the two, the one taken with my dad's old M94 was definitely the better memory...

Hey Cold Bore, Congratulations on both hunts.

If you are not already doing so, I'd encourage you to make a hard copy of your hunt to a Disk, Floppy and for sure to a piece of paper to be stuck in a 3-ring binder. And flicks if you have them. As you get older, being able to look back at the hunt with your Dad will mean a lot to you.

The more details you retain, the more you will enjoy it.

Cold Bore,

This is great to read. My Dad passed on to the happy hunting grounds 4 years ago but I have many happy memories of hunting with him and always feel like he's with me when I hunt.

Hot Core is right... Save that story and hopefully you took pictures.

$bob$

Thanks guys.

The memories of this kind of hunt are better than any good buck taken without my dad there.

And yep, I'm always taking pictures. I figure take extras now, cause you can't go back & get them later...

I called earlier today. He was heading out & was in the woods this afternoon, and I'm sitting at home, 800 miles away....

My dad died in 1993. I gave his primary hunting rifle to a son in law of mine. Its about a 1952 Rem 721 30-06. Much to my delight,my son in law worked up some loads for it and has taken a couple of antelope,deer and an elk with it. When I was a kid I made my dad a handtooled sling for it. I put his name on it. Slight problem. His name was Howard and I stamped Howad on it. Well my son in law loves that and Howad is what he calls the gun. Him and Ol Howad are legends to hear him tell the stories--I love it.