2020 Deer season. Quick rundown

[fitch270]

Slammer buck FB, good job with the assist!



Edit; Fella needs to pay attention to his gun handling, semi auto action looks in battery with the mag in place and the barrel pointed at his leg. Oops.

[Sarge01]

Pighunter I killed another 8 point this morning. I used my .308 shooting 125 grain Hornady SST's. This is the first year I have used the Hornady SST's and I am impressed with the job that they do. I usually use Nosler Accubonds but I had a lot of SST's and wanted to try them.

[Sarge01]

I have an old timer friend of mine that told me years ago and still hold to it that all good deer calibers start with 30. That is all that I have now 300WSM and .308.

[FirstBubba]

Nothing wrong with a .30 caliber, but bullets kill deer. Not numbers.

At one time, I would have jumped right in on the ".30-06 vs .270" argument.
No more.
I have discovered that a hunter who can shoot accurately, take the time to pick his shot and not get rattled, will usually seal the deal, regardless of the cartridge.

"Bore diameter can not compensate for poor bullet placement."

[PigHunter]

Pighunter I killed another 8 point this morning. I used my .308 shooting 125 grain Hornady SST's. This is the first year I have used the Hornady SST's and I am impressed with the job that they do. I usually use Nosler Accubonds but I had a lot of SST's and wanted to try them.

Sarge, that's good to hear. I've got some SST's that I've loaded for the .30-06 but haven't tested for accuracy. The .308 Win and .357 Maximum took my attention over the summer..

My current load for the .308 uses the Barnes 150gr TSX. Hopefully I'll connect with a buck tomorrow.

[jhjimbo]

My season is messed up. A early snow storm is going to hit my area and the forecast color band is the darkest they have on their scale of severity. That is o.k. I thought, I can skip the first day or two. Then I heard the forecast is for another to hit the same way which is when I would be returning home. So, I may cancel everything and catch a couple days ML if the weather is better.

[Milldawg]

I can vouch for hornady sst that’s what I used in .270 for over a decade and they do the job. Every time without fail. If I’m not mistaken D.P. Said something to the effect that they are best deer bullet going. I would be using them in 25-06 but my rifle doesn’t like hornady ammo.

[Sarge01]

The accuracy is outstanding in my 300WSM shooting the Hornady 165 SST's and IMR 4831 powder. In my 308 I use WW748 and the 125 grain Hornady SST's and they are super accurate too.

[PigHunter]

At midday I dropped this small sow. 1st shot through moderate undergrowth wounded it , second shot to the head finished the job.

Remington Model 788 in .308 Win with Boyd's stock and Leupold VX3-i, 3.5-10x40. This was the first animal for the recent handloads. Barnes 150gr TSX.

[FirstBubba]

At midday I dropped this small sow. 1st shot through moderate undergrowth wounded it , second shot to the head finished the job.

Remington Model 788 in .308 Win with Boyd's stock and Leupold VX3-i, 3.5-10x40. This was the first animal for the recent handloads. Barnes 150gr TSX.

Good shooting mi amigo!
...and good job taking out the "factory"!
How much meat did you make it out with?

[dewman]

All right PH! Living up to your avatar. Meat in the freezer. Looks like a good eating size. Christmas ham .🐗👀⚡️=🍖&🥓

[fitch270]

That'll work PH. Impressions of the TSX load?

[PigHunter]

Thanks guys. The young sow was only about 50lbs and was thin, probably from suckling the brood of piglets that scattered after I shot. The first bullet traversed through the lower gut and ruined the small right ham. Intestines were hanging out and I positioned that side down in order to make the photo more acceptable. I didn't think there was enough good meat left to fool with. Besides, I was over an hour's walk from the 4x4 and believe pork needs refrigeration quicker than does venison. Temps were in the upper 60's and the green flies were already gathering. So, I left the carcass to the coyotes.

The TSX seemed to perform adequately with lots of damage. However, my first shot was bad and the pig was able to keep moving even with one hind leg out of commission. Either my aim was off or there was deflection in the undergrowth. For a deer I would have waited for a better angle but with pigs I'll take a marginal shot just for the sake of eradication.

Of course the head shot worked but I believe even a FMJ would have done the job there. So, I'll hold judgement on the TSX until I have a better case to examine. But, I'm pretty sure those bullets will do just fine.

[dewman]

Well, at least it's one less pig in the woods and that's a good thing.

[FirstBubba]

"... The young sow was only about 50lbs and was thin, probably from suckling the brood of piglets that scattered after I shot. ..."

Feral pigs can breed as early a 3 months of age.
Mature sows can produce as many as three (3) litters a year.
Litters can be as many as 10.
Feral hogs have VERY few natural predators. (none?)
If given the opportunity, I'll take out the females (factories) first.

I've slaughtered 40 pound sows (about 4 months old) that had several fetuses (fetusi?) in utero.