quote:

Originally posted by RIP:


Allow me to big bore y'all with the record of my vehicular game harvesting and a couple that got away.

1. Fall 1978, I was driving home on a Friday night, from U.K. in Lexington, KY, crossing southern Indiana through a portion of the Hoosier National Forest.
The hapless little buck staggered out in front of my car. Impact speed was 55-60 mph. The car was not quite totaled, still drive-able. The deer was tenderized. I called the Hoosier State Police. They arrived and gave me a permit. I gutted him and tied him to the car. I got stopped twice by KY State Police after I crossed the Ohio River near home. He was tasty.
In skinning, a bullet wound was found indicating a gut shot. It was muzzleloader season in Indiana. My harvest was a mercy killing, put him out of his misery.

2. Driving to work in the spring of 1985. Just outside the main gate of Whiteman, AFB, MO, a big rooster wild turkey committed suicide on my 1985 Chevy PU.
I had equipped the truck with a cowcatcher/grill&headlight protector, no damage to truck. Turkey died. Speed of this medium-bore (Silverado) was 50 mph, probably a minimum effective speed for varmint-class game.

3. Driving at dusk in fall 2003, Highway 54, KY, a large buck with good antlers jumped off a bank and landed right in front of my Dodge Caravan.
The minivan was unable to dodge the deer. Impact speed about 60 MPH, and I just kept rolling to the first pullover I could find. Damage was extensive, but minivan drive-able, though totalled for insurance replacement value. I called the KY State Police and limped home, left the deer behind.
Consider this a medium bore, medium velocity, very effective on deer-class game.

4. Fall 2013, driving at dusk again: This time I was in NY, midway between Syracuse and Watertown, doing 70 MPH on Interstate 81, northbound,
driving a rental car, 4-door sedan, of medium bore.
I heard a thump from the driver's side rear and reflexively glanced into my side mirror, driver's side.
I saw a big buck tumbling arse-over-antlers in the road behind me.
I continued to the next exit, got out and inspected the rental car.
Only a small scratch in the paint a few inches long on the left rear fender, something that might buff out.
I reversed course and drove back to impact scene, the deer was gone.
He ran nose first into left rear fender of my car that was traveling at 70 MPH.
The buck's speed may have been considerable too, at 90 degrees to projectile trajectory.
Just goes to show that shot placement is everything, even with a high-velocity medium bore, even with deer-class game.

5. In Fall of 2014: Back home in KY, I was headed to the deer stand, cruising a river-bottom 2-lane state road at 55 to 60 MPH.
It was 4 AM and I wanted to be in the tree stand well before daylight.
Suddenly, about 300 yards ahead I saw a scrawny, little deer step out into the road and freeze in the headlight beams.
I braked and skidded a little, at the end, as I stomped the pedals,
and gently tapped the deer with my front bumper,
as I came to a complete stop.
The deer fell over onto its side in the middle of the road and immediately jumped up and ran off,
seemingly unharmed. Another button buck?
My vehicle was a Ford Ranger, light-medium bore, but very low impact velocity.
The only damage to the truck was the decorative "America" license plate on front bumper center was bent a little.
This proved my perfect aim.
But even a light-medium bore with perfect shot placement can be a dud on deer if velocity is too low.

Rip


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quote:

Originally posted by Fjold:
I'm a small bore fan.

In 1995, I took a bull moose on the Kenai Peninsula with an Avis rental Buick. Normally I don't use outfitter's weapon but the trip was a last minute deal.

quote:

Originally posted by Fjold:
I got real lucky because it was a low speed, side impact crash.

I was driving the Seward Hwy and heading right into a low sun at 10 PM so I was only driving about 35 MPH. The bull came down a cut slope and ran right into the passenger side front fender. His brisket smashed the passenger side windshield and window but his head and neck went over the roof. He slid right down the side of the car removing the side mirror and dented it all the way back to the trunk. I actually drove the car back to Anchorage and traded it in for another rental.

The bull had a broken front leg and made it about 100 yards to the middle of a field and a trooper who came out for the accident call had to put it down with a slug from his shotgun.