Last day before I had to go back to work, and damn my knee was sore...

Finally pulled myself out of bed, grabbed my pack and headed for the hills.

A few hours later, I was rewarded with this blacktail:

(Sorry about the blood...)

Jeezus that's a big blacktail isn't it!? Good shootin' Gate'!

That'll help you through the knee pains!

Good job!

Frans (I NEED TO GET OUT!)

Gatehouse, congrats to you, that is a beautiful buck Assuming it's a Sitka Blacktail you took on the BC coast, it looks to be near record-book quality, not that I'm an expert...

thanks for the pics,

Regards,
Craig Nolan

Very nice buck and looks like he was in full rut by the size of that neck, very nice thick horns on that beast!

I believe that would be a Columbian Blacktail, Sitka Blacktails are typical to Alaska. Columbian Blacktails are distributed from California through Oregon, Washington and B.C. (however I could be wrong its happened before).

Hey Gatehouse tell us about the stalk and the shots, I see a rear leg wound, looks like he gave you a run for your money.

That is a great Blacktail! Are going to have him mounted?

Well..I headed out to one of my spots, knee kinda sore. Packed in through the timber to the clearing above.

I sat down and immediately glassed a doe. I wa skeeping an eye on her, she was keeping an eye on me. Then she looks over away from me...

I get ready and spot 2 bucks coming out of the timber...ONe mills around a bit, then disappears back intot he timber. The other one (the one I shot) is a real big guy, and he stays, trying to track down the doe, I guess.

He is broadside at what I estimate to be about 300 yards away,so I lie down prone and shoot.. Bullet goes rigth under his belly and hits the bank behind him! He kinda jumps and looks around. For the bullet to be that low, he's gotta be about 360-380 yards away, so I give the elevation turret a quick rip up to the 350 mark, and find him in the scope.

He's quartering to me, so I put the crosshair on his mid shoulder and shoot. Bang FLOP...He is down..The 180gr TSX bullet form my 300WSM entered the chest, went crosswise through the deer, and exited, breaking a hip in the process.

I packed him out using my Bull Pac- a heavy load but it worked well.

Scores abotu 130 gross, should net around 123 or so.

Beauty, and nice jobbie!

KG

WTG Gates!!! That is a HOG of a blacktail. Beauty.

Why come no 375 Ruger though?

Nice shot with the 300 hundo shorty though!

quote:

I packed him out using my Bull Pac- a heavy load but it worked well.

I thought you just throw little animals like that over your shoulder?

Cheers,
Canuck

quote:

Originally posted by Canuck:

I thought you just throw little animals like that over your shoulder? ,
Canuck

I should have known I wasn't going to get off without a comment like that!!

SO, for you, I have included this picture, of my hand on the otherwise impressive antler.

Hey Gates...I am not sure by the pic at the top...do you require an extended loop-type trigger guard?

You really oughta keep those meat-hooks away from antlers or skulls. And you need a new photographer!

Hey, we should take 470 Mbogo up on his offer (on the Big Bore Forum) and meet him for a 375 Black Bear hunt next spring.

Cheers bud,
Chris

Clarke-: Congratulations on a fantastic blacktail. It is one of the nicest I've ever seen. Way to go!

Regards,

Gates
You collected one hellllll of a Black tail there. My hats off to you. Hope the knees better... know that pain well.