Picking up my slack

[Roosiebull]

My wife killed her first Blacktail buck this season, which was her first big game animal. It was a really fun season, and an awesome way to spend time together.

We decided to get her a rifle elk tag, knowing how chaotic that season is, and how competitive it is, we decided to do it anyways and just enjoy the time together. It ended up being warm and a full moon, which led to an eerie silence in the woods.

We hunted hard all 4 days, and we heard no more than 2 shots on any day which is crazy, usually it’s steady shooting every morning with scattered shooting the rest of the day... never seen an elk season like this.

Yesterday morning after another 3am wake up and 4 mile walk in the dark, we sat their in disbelief again, cannot find any fresh sign, cannot glass up an elk, and not even a distant shot... quiet.

We decided to work our way out early and try something different, but I wanted to peak over a ridge on our way out, and as I do, I’m startled by a herd of elk in the flat below us!

We kneel down and I’m looking for a place to set her up for a shot, and do, and tell her to get comfortable behind the gun, then I start looking for antlers. It doesn’t take long and I find the one spike in the group.

Once I did I explained which elk it was, and we had to wait awhile for him to get by himself, both to give her a clear shot, and to make darn sure there was no confusion about what one was the spike. This took about 10 minutes, and finally he is out to the side, about 20yds from the rest, and broadside.

I remind her to keep the crosshairs where they need to be, and start applying pressure to the trigger until it goes off, don’t “pull the trigger”

After a few seconds, the gun goes off, and they all run off.. besides one!

If it wasn’t for her this year, we would be in a meat crisis, haha... she really took a liking to hunting last year, and it’s pretty amazing for me. She is so dang tough too, I drug her all over these 4 days through lots of tough hiking, and she never complained. I gave her easier options every day, and she wasn’t having it. She wanted to put in full effort, she was determined. I was so happy to see her effort turn into what it did.

I bought her a savage lightweight hunter in 6.5creed this year (stainless one) and she had broke it in nicely!

[7mmfan]

Fantastic! A lot of great eating right there. Congratulations to her, and you as well for being so lucky.

[WapitiTalk1]

Excellent! Way to double down; congrats to your hunting partner. Getting an elk is tough enough, but, getting both an elk and a deer in her first season is off the charts good .

[Swede]

Congratulations to you and your wife. It looks like she made a perfect shot on the bull. I can't see where she hit the buck, but it was obviously good enough. Again congrats.

[wawhitey]

Good first year hunting there. And you have good taste in guns. I bought a lwh in .243 and was so impressed i got another in .308. First 4 shot group at 200 with the .308 came in just under a quarter inch, with factory ammo. Guys spend thousands on custom rifles and cant get groups like that. Very sweet guns. The barrels are too thin to thread for even those micro bastard brakes, so i got witt machine clamp on brakes for mine, even the .243. They really benefit from a brake, being such featherweights.

[Roosiebull]

Good first year hunting there. And you have good taste in guns. I bought a lwh in .243 and was so impressed i got another in .308. First 4 shot group at 200 with the .308 came in just under a quarter inch, with factory ammo. Guys spend thousands on custom rifles and cant get groups like that. Very sweet guns. The barrels are too thin to thread for even those micro bastard brakes, so i got witt machine clamp on brakes for mine, even the .243. They really benefit from a brake, being such featherweights.

your early reports on your .243 is what finalized that decision, along with the adjustable LOP. perfect gun for the application. crazy accurate, and comfortable to shoot... nice to carry too of course

[Roosiebull]

Excellent! Way to double down; congrats to your hunting partner. Getting an elk is tough enough, but, getting both an elk and a deer in her first season is off the charts good .

it's cool for her to see what goes into hunting too, her perspective on it has changed a lot.