By Mackey

June 7, 2013

It was the middle of November 2011 and I thought I would leave work early and hit the deer woods for a few hours. I didn't expect much due to how windy it was that day and the temp was in the middle 60's. As I began to walk towards my hunting spot, the wind began to really pick up. Luckily it was into my face so my scent would not be much of a factor and it helped with the sound of the leaves crunching with each step I took.

As I was just about to get to my spot, I noticed a doe about 75 yards down a slope and through the trees. She hadn't seen me, so I slowly continued to move closer and sat down so that I could just see her head. She had no idea I was there. After about 15 minutes I noticed she quickly looked behind her and I saw another doe approaching the first. The second doe walked up within feet of the first and now they were both standing and began to walk slowly from my left to right. After another ten minutes went by, I noticed they both were looking behind them after a few steps. I glassed that way with my binos and saw what looked like a really nice buck rubbing his horns against some limbs from an oak tree. He was on the prowl looking to score him a date and he honed in on these does. After another fifteen minutes of watching him follow the does from my left to right, I knew I was only going to have a couple of opportunities to take a shot because of trees in front of me down the ravine.

He finally made it to where I needed him and I hit my grunt call. He never even heard it from the wind blowing so hard through the trees. He started to walk again and I only had one more spot to take a shot. Once he hit that spot, I blew on my call again a lot louder and he heard it!

He turned to look straight up at me and I immediately thought, Oh great, a straight on shot at the chest. I aimed in with my Marlin 30-30 and with iron sights placed a shot right between the shoulders and dropped him like a sack of potatoes. I couldn't believe it. The adrenaline was pumping so much I thought I had jerked the trigger and missed him. I didn't have time to range him but figured he was right at 100 yards. Once he was down I took out my rangefinder and aimed at a tree right where he was standing and it ranged 104 yds.
Needless to say I was pumped and excited.

Thank you Hornady for making great lever action 30-30 ammo. I will never use anything else.