I usually hold out when hunting until I get something that’s at least a bigger buck. I’d shoot a 6 or 8 pointer – I’ll take the shot, but not on a little spike or tiny basket buck. I’m mostly after the MEAT, and those smaller bucks are mostly BONE & TENDON.

Gimme some MEAT!

The first time I butchered a deer last year was INCREDIBLY informative for me!

I learned precisely where the spine is located in a deer’s neck, and this year I used that knowledge for a perfect kneck shot on a nice buck.

Just the one shot, and it severed the spine perfectly – while also keeping nearly all the meat intact!

A lot of people that just drop their deer off for processing don’t always get that kind of detailed view of their spinal / neck anatomy.

Welcome to the other new members too!

That looks like quite a nice rack! I’m not so sure about that 3rd picture though. Seems different.

Thanks for the great welcome here, Guys!

Sorry to hear you didn’t get a shot on the first outing!

I’m not quite yet convinced the deer are fully in rut yet this year. Seems to me like next weekend will be a better time for catching them in rut.

This weekend they were only showing light beginning signs of rut behavior, and the temperatures didn’t help everyone out much either!

Good luck next time!!!

NICE job! Thanks for the story!

Hey guys…

First, I apologize for the long post – I type about 55 to 65 WPM (depending on what I’m typing), so I can get rather long before I know it…

My brother recommended I check out this website and I must say that it’s got an impressive amount of information! Looks like I’ve got a lot to learn reading through here!

Thanks for having a really nice website!

Just a bit of information to clear up a little… I’m what people call a ‘gun nut’ as I love building & shooting guns.

This was my second deer that I’ve shot in my life.

The first deer was a 12 pointer that weighed in around 185 or so? I’d guess he was only a few years old, maybe 3-4? It was a fun first deer to shoot! The neighboring property owners can’t shoot worth a darn, and I heard a string of nine rapid shots fired, and then the brush & trees on the property line started shaking… First a big doe came running out of the woodline, then a small 6pt basket buck, a couple more does, an NICE 8 point buck, and then the does & 8 pointer turned south, jumped a creek, and headed across a field toward other hunters in the ‘party’. Then another doe came thru the same opening, and then OMG! This bigger guy came running out! He came right at me, then about 85 yards out he turned, slowed to a light run/trot, I took a ‘lead’ with my K-31 Swiss rifle, and fired. The bullet went in just behind the shoulder plate, thru both lungs and the heart. He bucked up, ran about 35 yards & hit a tree before he dropped.

I only really have this one pic of my first deer. I had to drag the guy 120 yards, and then across a wooden plank ‘bridge’ that was wet with dew. As myself and somebody else from the group dragged it across the board ‘bridge’ I slipped & fell, and my digital camera went in… So I only really have this one crummy/blurry cell phone picture before it was gutted. The camera dried out a few days later & worked though.

I prayed & prayed for a good deer that first year, and God provided nicely!

Then just as I got razzed for ‘blowing my load’ and ‘never gonna see another one like that’, I also got chastized for having shot my deer with a “military rifle” and not a “hunting rifle” in a good caliber like .308, .30-30 or .30-06! Seriously?

So this year I had to do a little ‘convincing’ to ‘get permission’ to use my AR-15 for hunting this year. It’s much too much of a ‘military rifle’ for most HUNTER’s blood. LoL!

This year, I mentioned how 223/AR-15’s have been legal for years in ND & WI, and that with good bullet selection they’d perform excellent! They asked what kind of bullet I was using, and I told them Federal Premium Bonded Vital Shok ammo – it’s one they knew of, and respected. In reality, I was using 62 (or is it 64?) grain Federal LE Tactical Bonded Soft-Points. I figured if it’s what LE Agencies consider to be the most ‘humane’ for killing humans, it’ll likely do well on deer too.

Then last year I got skunked. Looking back, I realized I forgot to pray for a deer that year! But one of my in-laws shot a little 5 pointer they didn’t want, so I tagged it & brought it home for the meat. Last year was my first time processing my own deer, and I learned I really like it. It’s a lot of work, but it’s not too difficult – just time consuming and you need a lot of sharpened knives.

Then this year, I rebuilt my AR-15, and it was recently topped off with a nice US Optics SN-4S 1x-4x rifle scope. The AR-15 is almost 99% built from used parts. Everything on it except the bolt & scope/mount I got used for really cheap.

The lower receiver is an old “Becker” marked DPMS lower, all used internals, and all together I spent ~225 on the lower, and the upper is what’s newest on it. I have a Sabre Defense 14.5″ chromelined barrel with permanently attached blind-pinned & welded flash hider bringing the legal length over 16″, mid-length gas tube system, a Yankee Hill Machine Diamond pattern quad rail, YHM flip-up front sight, and I don’t know the maker of the flattop upper receiver. The bolt & carrier are older colts I think. This past spring at the DPMS / Outbreak Omega Zombie shoot event I won a gift certificate for $1200 toward a US Optics rifle scope, so I ordered a custom SN-4S Tactical 1x-4x scope with Circle-Chevron reticle, and red illumination. To get those options I had to pay an additional ~$215 or so, and the mount cost $85 or so. My total investment in this rifle is about $925 including the scope & mount! I got a great deal on that optic!

I got razzed by all the guys in the hunting party the last 2 years, “You blew your load! Now it’s all downhill from here!” Or “You’re never going to get another deer like that one ever again!” I realize I was quite blessed to have gotten that great 12 pointer for my first deer.

This year, I prayed & prayed for a great deer to take home & provide for my wife & I as we hate buying ground beef, and we both love eating venison 99% of the time. Occasionally I need to BBQ some pork ribs or something though. SO, I went up into the deer stand & waited. The neighbors were trigger happy again as usual – whether or not they got anything is a different matter – I’ll never know. Come 1:30ish, I moved to a different deer stand, and crawled over a log to get to the ladder. I climbed up, and it couldn’t have been more than 20-25 minutes up there, when I heard sticks & leaves rustle behind me a little. Remaining absolutely still & silent, shallow breathing, and waiting. Sure enough, a doe came up behind me, then stopped about 15 feet below & to my left! She could smell me and tell something was ‘off’, but the Buck still kept coming. He came around my left about 20 feet out – I saw at least 8 points, and I thought, GREAT, my scope is set at 4X for a long shot! I have to dial it back or I won’t even be able to see the deer! So I sloooooowly moved my arm to twist the power down to 1X. I was doing good, time to shoulder the rifle. Gotta be quiet, gotta be dead silent & really slow!

The buck stopped at the log I climbed over & sniffed it. He knew somebody WAS in the area, and turned his nose skyward and his ears all over trying to tell if somebody was still there. I carefully lifted the rifle up, trying to not catch the sling on the velcro tab on my blaze jacket, and shouldered it… By now the buck was a good 35 yards out in front of me with his rear facing me – no good shot. I started silently praying, “Gimme a shot, Gimme a shot…” and just my luck, the buck stopped walking – the hunters across the river a few hundred yards away started up their 4-wheelers, and the buck stopped, slowly turned his head to the side, I leveled the chevron on his spine (about 2/3rds the way up), and fired!

He dropped straight down instantly, and the doe just FROZE there still 15 feet to my side – looking at the buck. About 10 seconds later one leg twitched, and his tongue came out. Then the doe realized, “OMG, he’s not just laying down – he’s dead!” And she took off like lightning.

When I got down out of the stand, & checked on the deer, I noticed it had 11 points, 10 ‘traditional’ ones, and a couple side ‘kickers’ – one was too short, and the other was over 1.5″ long so it counted in my book – bringing the total to 11 points.

I dragged it about 20 feet, and realized it’s waaaay to darn heavy! So I gutted it, and even then it was too heavy to drag the ~425 yards out of the woods. So we drove a 4-wheeler in, hooked it up & dragged it out with that.

Later after we got it hung up for the night in a tree, one of them asked, “What kind of rifle did you shoot him with?” I told him my AR-15, and he said, “WHAT THE HECK KIND OF HUNTING RIFLE IS THAT!?!?!?” Knowing full well what it was, but somewhat disapproved of its use…

*SIGH* I guess I’ll have to work harder at convincing them it’ll work just fine! The truth is a 223 / AR-15 will work just fine out to about 200 yards or so – maybe further, but I won’t test it. Just because this one was shot at about 40 yards doesn’t mean it won’t still work further out.

Shot placement is key to making a humane & quick kill no matter what the caliber. Just make sure it’s an accurate rifle, with good ammno, and don’t take any shot you’re not VERY sure of…

Today I took the day off work to skin, quarter, and get started butchering my deer, and one little spike buck my father-in-law shot.

Edited to add: Maybe next year I’ll prove ’em wrong again and shoot a 30-pointer!