502 Yd Whitetail

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  • Adam Lilja
    Warrior
    • Dec 2013
    • 267

    502 Yd Whitetail

    I saw this buck once during archery season and wasn't able to get closer than 100 yds sneak style. I'm not one to sit around waiting for an opportunity in a tree stand, I'd rather create my own. He was just a 3x4 but his mass and height/width were unlike any of the other bucks I'd seen this year. I put the sneak on him but he was smarter than me and walked his way out into the middle of a grassy, sloped, natural clearing and to the edge of the timber on the other side (range of 400 yds from me). His does kind of tipped him off that maybe something was out there and he just stood on the other side of that big field watching. Of course I had no way to cross without getting spotted, so he lived another day. I never saw him again for close to three months until this Saturday, and by then I'd nearly forgotten about him.

    Low and behold here he was in the middle of that same big slope feeding up behind a few does. I was over 1200 yds away and the only way to get closer was to sneak through the open grass, which wouldn't normally be a problem due to the distance, but it was evening and there were close to 60 deer all around this field. There is a fence about halfway between where I was and where the deer was so I figured I would get up to it and rest my rifle on the post. After 20-30 minutes of crawling on my hands and knees up to the fence I had my rifle in position and my dope dialed in for 500 yds (3.6 Mils & 0 wind).

    I struggled internally for 10 minutes or so as to whether I wanted to end my deer season and have more time for elk or find myself a buck with more points. Realizing I didn't have the greatest rest I slowly piled a few rocks and placed my pack over the top of them giving me a much better rest and laid down prone.

    Five minutes later I'd finished watching him on 24x magnification and decided he was the one for me and with confidence I slowly squeezed the trigger and sent a factory 123 gr SST downrange. He shot into the air and took off behind a small rise in the landscape roughly 40 yds from where he was. I watched all the other deer sprint for the safety of the trees and kept my eyes glued around the edges of the rise. He never came out from behind it so I threw my pack on and gathered my things and took off towards it. I walked to the top of the rise and glassed around not really seeing anything. Walked 100 feet or less and there he was.

    Age estimates put this buck at about 5 or 6 years old so I'm glad to have eliminated his swimmers from the breeding pool this year. I've noticed a few thick, big bodied 2x2's and 3x3's so his genes are still out there, but at least the patriarch is gone. His body was absolutely huge and required two people to get him into the truck. Most deer I shoot can be loaded by one person.

    As for the bullet, there was no visible entry point and the exit was about 1" in diameter with no recovered bullet or fragments. It went in between ribs and passed out between ribs. The shot was a bit lower than I aimed but it still did the trick. I love the Vortex Viper PST 6-24 MRAD EBR2 w/ FFP.







    Last edited by Adam Lilja; 11-19-2014, 10:07 PM.
  • bwaites
    Moderator
    • Mar 2011
    • 4445

    #2
    Nice! Good job and a great story! I'd be more than happy with that rack!

    Comment

    • Kikn
      Warrior
      • Nov 2011
      • 689

      #3
      Congrats, nice looking deer. It looks like you may have got both lungs and possibly some arteries ass well.
      I hope to get some longer shots in this season on some deer but may be limited to 250-300 yards.

      Comment

      • hydrotech
        Warrior
        • Sep 2014
        • 115

        #4
        love seeing these deer pics! Good job, big bruiser and mature! nice heavy rack!

        Comment

        • rabiddawg
          Chieftain
          • Feb 2013
          • 1664

          #5
          Wow thats awesome. Pretty decent shooting too
          Knowing everthing isnt as important as knowing where to find it.

          Mark Twain

          http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showt...2-Yd-Whitetail

          Comment

          • Adam Lilja
            Warrior
            • Dec 2013
            • 267

            #6
            Thanks. Here's a better look at the landscape

            Comment

            • Slappy
              Warrior
              • Feb 2014
              • 711

              #7
              Great picture. Heck of a deer, its a big one. Nice shot at the distance. Thanks for posting. BANG BANG!!

              Comment

              • montana
                Chieftain
                • Jun 2011
                • 3209

                #8
                Nice job Adam, nobody does it better than a Montana boy. Big deer or osama bin laden, the outcome is always the same Great story and pictures Adam, thanks for sharing.

                Comment

                • bwaites
                  Moderator
                  • Mar 2011
                  • 4445

                  #9
                  I thought you guys got snow?

                  Comment

                  • LRRPF52
                    Super Moderator
                    • Sep 2014
                    • 8569

                    #10
                    What a great story! 502yds with 123gr SST, 1" exit. What barrel profile are you using? That's a ballsy shot man, and you made it.
                    Last edited by LRRPF52; 11-19-2014, 10:01 PM.
                    NRA Basic, Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, RSO

                    CCW, CQM, DM, Long Range Rifle Instructor

                    6.5 Grendel Reloading Handbooks & chamber brushes can be found here:

                    www.AR15buildbox.com

                    Comment

                    • Adam Lilja
                      Warrior
                      • Dec 2013
                      • 267

                      #11
                      Originally posted by LRRPF52 View Post
                      What a great story! 502yds with 123gr SST, 1" exit. What barrel profile are you using? That's a ballsy shot man, and you made it.
                      Thanks AR-740 Fluted.
                      Last edited by Adam Lilja; 11-19-2014, 09:51 PM.

                      Comment

                      • Adam Lilja
                        Warrior
                        • Dec 2013
                        • 267

                        #12
                        Originally posted by bwaites View Post
                        I thought you guys got snow?
                        We have snow up high but this hunting location is on the Clark Fork river so I'm pretty low elevation.

                        Originally posted by montana View Post
                        Nice job Adam, nobody does it better than a Montana boy. Big deer or osama bin laden, the outcome is always the same Great story and pictures Adam, thanks for sharing.
                        Haha that's right!

                        Comment

                        • Adam Lilja
                          Warrior
                          • Dec 2013
                          • 267

                          #13
                          Hopefully I can lay the smack down on a couple of these damn wolves that keep pushing all the animals. This picture is 400 yds from a house.

                          Comment

                          • LRRPF52
                            Super Moderator
                            • Sep 2014
                            • 8569

                            #14
                            Have you shot the rifle a lot, and seen how it hits at distance?

                            Are you using a ballistics program, and did you already have your drop and wind data set up before the hunt? That's impressive to be able to make a cold turkey shot like that on a vital zone at 502yds. My hat goes off to Adam bigtime.
                            NRA Basic, Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, RSO

                            CCW, CQM, DM, Long Range Rifle Instructor

                            6.5 Grendel Reloading Handbooks & chamber brushes can be found here:

                            www.AR15buildbox.com

                            Comment

                            • Adam Lilja
                              Warrior
                              • Dec 2013
                              • 267

                              #15
                              Originally posted by LRRPF52 View Post
                              Have you shot the rifle a lot, and seen how it hits at distance?

                              Are you using a ballistics program, and did you already have your drop and wind data set up before the hunt? That's impressive to be able to make a cold turkey shot like that on a vital zone at 502yds. My hat goes off to Adam big time.
                              The furthest I've shot with it is 200 yds (max at our range) but I tracked my scope and it all jived so in the end it just comes down to 'is the math right'? Had drop and wind set up on a cheat sheet prior to hunt. I've burned through a few hundred rounds with it.

                              Comment

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