This is a photo of a photo. I downed this dandy coastal forky when I was stationed at Travis AF Base back in 1991. I had to crawl and use hunting skill to position myself within shooting distance. Marlin 44 MAG did the job with just one shot; distance was about 100 yards. No exit hole which means this buck absorbed the full wallop of the 200 grain Hornady hollow tip bullet. This animal jumped sideways at the shot but then just toppled over. He never knew what hit him! The hunt would've been over as soon as I spotted this deer at a distance of about 225 yards if I'd been armed with a .243 or similar rifle but that would certainly have ruined my fun of this stalk. Hunter orange not req'd in California.
I'm glad the buck was smallish because my car was parked nearly three miles away. The hunt took place on Bureau of Reclamation lands next to a large reservoir. TR
I'm glad the buck was smallish because my car was parked nearly three miles away. The hunt took place on Bureau of Reclamation lands next to a large reservoir. TR
