Tag Archives: Styrka S7 Binoculars

Hunting

Alone

I enjoy spending time by myself. Time alone allows me to focus on specific things that are happening in my life. I can be introspective, and evolve thoughts without distraction. I am able to laugh at my shortcomings, while appreciating the many blessings bestowed upon me. When I am alone, I am only accountable to myself, and the principles that guide me.

Despite the many virtues associated with solitude, when I hunt, I would rather it be with a good friend.

On opening day of Colorado’s pronghorn season, I hunted solo during the morning into the early afternoon. I was able to put the sneak on two good bucks, but passed on them as I was hopeful I could find a better animal. While I was not discouraged, I knew that I had to be cognizant of the time as Saturday would be my only full day in the field.

Soon after lunch, I asked Bob to join me in my quest for the right buck. I soon realized that my question was selfish as he had to assist other people who were less acquainted with the ranch. I made my way to another pasture with a new friend. Scott harvested a buck earlier in the day in the Two Section pasture, and he witnessed at least one more mature male during his pursuit. We walked for two hours, but only managed to locate two does. As we made our way back to my truck, I saw Bob’s truck heading down the county road in our direction. Scott had to head home, so I volunteered Bob to spend the rest of the day with me.

With just over two hours of hunting light left, we made our way to the Box Car pasture. It did not take long to glass a small group of pronghorn, including a giant buck. They were feeding, and just over 1,000 yards away from our position. We worked quickly, and closed the distance to 300 yards without spooking the 4 animals. After a 20 yard belly crawl, I set up my tripod and pointed the rifle through the tall grass at the unsuspecting buck. My first shot went high, and the two subsequent shots missed as well. Admittedly, I was perplexed with my poor shooting, as well as a bit angry and embarrassed. Instead of dwelling on my failure, Bob refocused me on getting after one more animal before the day ended. As the sun set behind us, we stumbled upon a large group of antelope facing away from our position. We got to 100 yards, and we were able to see the horns on the male. He was very average, but ostensibly in my range. Once he spotted us, he activated his 18 bedded down does, and they all started to trot west. Bob told me the male was at 200 yards, and awaited my decision. My first shot missed, but the next bullet dropped the pronghorn to the ground.

As I lay in bed that night, I reflected on the day’s events. I replayed the missed opportunity a few times, but soon recognized how gratifying the day had been despite my obvious failure. I was able to take a respectable animal, and more importantly, celebrate the success with a valued friend.

Family, Hunting

Muzzleloader Pronghorn 2016

I take pride in making conservative, ethical shots.  Shots that result in quick, humane kills.  I have been fortunate to have taken all of my big game animals with a single bullet.  Tracking a wounded animal has not been necessary, and I am thankful for that.  I knew that when I won my CVA Optima V2 at this year’s Pheasants Forever dinner, there was a real risk of failure.  For years, I watched hunters on television kill all types of big game animals with a muzzleloader.  I now had the opportunity to hunt primitively.

Opening day of Colorado’s muzzleloader pronghorn season was September 21st.  Weeks before, my practice sessions with the rifle proved to be a challenge.  It took me forty-five minutes to get on paper, and another thirty minutes to establish a reasonable grouping.  To that point, when I arrived at the Ranch later in the afternoon on 9/21, I went straight to range in order to continue to get comfortable with iron sites.  Shooting from 100 yards, I put four within six inches of one another.  While I was not completely confident, I did not think additional practice time would produce incrementally better results.

The Blue Mill pasture is a favorite of mine.  While there is not a lot of cover, I am able to glass over a vast area from great vantage points.  My plan was simple; identify a shooter buck, determine his general direction, and go ambush him.  I felt I could execute a lethal shot within one hundred yards.  It did not take long to spot a really nice goat.  Glassing from three hundred yards, I spent about fifteen minutes looking at this rack to be certain he was worth pursuing.  Recognizing he was special, I started my stalk armed with one hundred grains of propellant along with a Powerbelt Aerolite bullet.  Almost immediately the buck spotted me, but he did not seem overly concerned.  There were a few females he was eyeing, and that kept his attention as I walked in his general direction.  When he dropped behind a knoll, I started running in order make up ground, and obtain a favorable position.  I glanced over the hill and saw his head down, casually feeding just seventy-five yards from my position.  My heart was beating rapidly but I remained composed.  There were about one hundred head of cattle just behind the pronghorn so I needed to wait until he cleared them.  As if it was scripted, he walked to my left and looked up at me.  My Optima V2 was already in the monopod, and I took aim.  The fiber optic site was centered on his left shoulder, and I squeezed the trigger.  

Unfortunately, the fifty caliber bullet sailed over his back.  Stunned that I did not connect, I watched the goat race to a position safely out of the reach of the muzzleloader.  As I made my way back to the truck, the buck cautiously made his way back to the lower section of the pasture.  I reloaded and ran towards him.  My rangefinder had him at 130 yards so I pulled the trigger.  Again, the bullet whizzed over his body.  Slightly dejected, I departed the pasture to see If I could find another animal.  I watched a few more bucks throughout the late afternoon but all were too immature to consider.

The plan on day two was to explore the eastern pastures of the Ranch.  It was seven in the morning, fifty degrees, and the sun was quickly warming the day.  I drove for miles, regularly pausing on the two tracks in order to peer into long draws.  Unfortunately, I did not see a single animal.  At about nine, I decided to head back to the Blue Mill to see if there was any activity.  As I motored west on the county road, I noticed a big buck with a single doe just one hundred and fifty yards off the road.  Startled by my presence, they completed a 180, and ran one hundred yards away from me.  Both animals stopped and looked back to assess the threat.  I backed my truck up until the pronghorn could not see me.  My loaded CVA was slung over my shoulder as I ran laterally in an attempt to impart a flanking strategy.  When I was six hundred yards from my truck, I slowly crept west toward the general direction of the animals.  Despite my efforts, they spotted me just as I spotted them.  Realizing I had to act quickly, I put the gun in the monopod and took aim.  Almost immediately I realized that the rear sites of the gun were gone.  I panicked as I knew I would not be able to kill this pronghorn or any other.  Once I got back to my truck I called Bob and told him about the situation.  As expected, he offered up multiple suggestions in order to solve my unfortunate predicament.  Luckily for me my friend Dave was heading to the Ranch, and he offered to let me use his muzzleloader.

Dave’s muzzleloader was shooting a bit high at one hundred yards.  It was almost four in the afternoon, so Tyler, Bob and I headed back to the Blue Mill.  It did not take long to locate a respectable goat feeding in and around some cows.  He did not startle when we approached him from two hundred and fifty yards away.  I was able to get to around one hundred yards before he started to trot away from us.  When he turned to look back, I took the shot.  Unfortunately, my bullet was off the mark, striking him in the leg.  The injured buck ran for a long distance before collapsing.  While I was certainly proud that I had harvested the pronghorn, I was disappointed in my inability to execute correctly.

If I am fortunate to draw another muzzleloader 2016-pronghorntag, I will put in even more time on the range.  Shooting with iron sights is difficult, and situational practice is a necessity.

 

Equipment Comment
Muzzleloader – CVA Optima V2 Easy to shoot and clean; great gun
Binoculars – Styrka S7 10 x42 Great optics for a reasonable price
Pants – Lolo Upland Briar Comfortable, tough but expensive
Electronic Ear Protection – SoundGear A must for all hunters who want to protect their ears
Truck Storage – MobileStrong Keeps hunters organized
Mapping – onXmaps Highly effective mapping software for your GPS

 

Hunting

Buck Down!

1 Comment

I climbed into the deer stand at 5 am on day two of my deer hunt.  The temperature was thirty five degrees, and there was a bit of weather moving in.  Morning snow flurries were forecasted to subside, but rain would persist throughout the day.  Given the colder, nastier weather I had determined that the deer would be active, and hopefully moving within gunshot range.  Sunrise was at 7:17 am, and I used my Styrka S7 binoculars to survey the terrain in the lowlight conditions.  Unfortunately, there was nothing happening around my particular position.  As with the prior day, I witnessed three bucks and four does move along the western fence separating the Cage Ranch from their neighbors.  One buck was obviously a shooter, but never drifted over the boundary line.  Frustrated with the inability to locate my quarry, I made a decision to leave the stand and walk the Shipping Trap pasture.  It was 9 am and the rain was increasing steadily.  Using the Cottonwoods as cover, I walked east towards a more dense formation of trees.  Every twenty steps or so, I would glass a few hundred yards ahead, searching for signs of life.  As I reached the far northeastern end of the land, I glanced south and I saw a face staring at me.  Raising my binoculars, I realized that the buck was young, and unworthy of my pursuit.  Arriving at my truck at 10:30 am, I developed a strategy for the rest of the day.  Earlier in the week, my friend Dave had witnessed deer moving about the Pump Pasture.  To that point, I made my way a few miles west, and I entered the field.

The wind had shifted in my favor, blowing at 10mph from the west.  The dry creek abutting the Pump Pasture is not a part of the Ranch.  There is a fence that defines the property line, and I would glass the area from a vantage point high above the eastern edge of the land.  I did not witness any movement, so I made my way down to the actual barrier.  Years before, I stalked and eventually killed my first pronghorn in this field.  I remembered where the earth changed its formation, and I felt deer would likely bed down just over a ridge a half a mile to the southwest.   As I made my way west down the fence line, I noticed an abundance of fresh deer scat.  My heart started to beat more rapidly, and my pace quickened.   When the ridge became visible, I changed directions and I walked straight south.  My Tikka T3 Lite 30-06 had a Barnes VOR-TX 168 grain round chambered, and I was prepared to engage.  I took a moment to look behind me, and I saw a doe gazing at me just inches from the fence.  She remained motionless while I ranged her at 150 yards.  My gut told me that she didn’t flee because this deer was a part of a larger group still hiding in the long grass.  Another doe jumped up, followed by yet another doe.  I started to quietly repeat the phrase “where is the buck”?  Seconds later, a buck jumped up to my left, and he started to run straight west, then he jogged to the north.  He stood at 130 yards and stared back at me.  I put the crosshairs on his right shoulder, and scrutinized at his rack through my Bushnell Elite scope.  It was obvious that this was not the deer that I was searching for, but he was a shooter.  The buck bolted north still offering me an ethical shot so I took it.  The round hit him just behind his right shoulder, and he staggered, ultimately hitting the ground just yards away from the impact site.  As soon as he had fallen over, a massive buck with a doe emerged from the grass just 80 yards from my position.   They ran straight west then stopped to look back.  He was a brute, and absolutely what I had wanted.  I smiled at him realizing he got lucky on this day.

Once I arrived at the downed deer, I took a moment to reflect on the hunt.  There was a unique level of satisfaction as this was the first time I had hunted big game on my own.  I came up with a logical plan, and it had ended up working out perfectly.

Ross' Buck 2015

Equipment Comments
SoundGear Electronic hearing protection is a must for all hunters. This is the brand.
Styrka S7 Binoculars Results are in; these premium optics must be considered. They’re that good.
onXmaps Critical for all hunters and anglers that hunt both public and private land.
Tikka T3 Lite Six for six with this rifle.  Price is right and the gun is very accurate.
Barnes VOR-TX  Ammunition 168 grain round is devastating and results in a quick death.
Under Armour Hunt Apparel Clothing is weatherproof, breathable and warm.
Under Armour Speed Freak Boots Light, comfortable and worth the price.
Leupold Rangefinder Expensive but accurate.  Easy to acquire target.
Bushnell Elite Scope Has and continues to work great.  Even in bad weather.
Knives of Alaska Great knife set.  Had the deer cleaned inside of 30 minutes.