My 2009 Buck

[Aaronhome27]

Congrats on a great buck for the season!! Nice pee shooter also. A buddy of mine just set his up for the season but has not taken his buck with it yet.

 

[turkeykiller]

AWESOME BUCK

 

[jimbojr]

Nice 1.
Oh the deer I guess. He didn't have a chance?

 

[langb29]

Nice buck! Those rubs are impressive too!

 

[AGarbers]

A few questions for M4...

Since you appear to have much better success than myself, I thought I would ask the conditions under which he was harvested. Were you on the edge of a field? In deep woods? How long before the kill did you find the rub? Was the buck slinking along through brush or in relative open. How much area did you have to scout to find his sign?

He is impressive. Wish I had one like that...

 

[kedie]

Very nice! I'd like to know a little more about the rifle.

 

[M4Madness]

that is a great buck, what do those uppers run? and where can you find them around IN

Mine is a custom upper, and I asssembled the entire rifle myself. The only thing I didn't do was the Duracoat. You can pick up a standard factory Rock River Arms .458 SOCOM upper receiver assembly for around $700 or so, and it fits a standard AR-15 lower with no modifications.

Since you appear to have much better success than myself, I thought I would ask the conditions under which he was harvested. Were you on the edge of a field? In deep woods? How long before the kill did you find the rub? Was the buck slinking along through brush or in relative open. How much area did you have to scout to find his sign?
He is impressive. Wish I had one like that...

I seldom hunt pastures, and have never hunted over a crop field (nothing but cattle operations near my hunting areas.) I took this particular buck on a wooded property that had been logged extensively in the past, and is overgrown with briars over a man's head. I was bowhunting the edge of this property where it meets open hardwoods on Halloween morning, and failed to connect there with a great buck. My stand location was on a slight saddle.

I backtracked that buck's path into the overgrown property, and through a maze of thick stuff to a small more open section in the center. I found what was probably the only tree on the entire property that would be accessible to a climbing stand, and marked a trail to it on my way out that day with reflective thumbtacks. I decided then and there to not enter that sanctuary again until the opening morning of firearms season.

On opening morning, I found my way to that marked tree well before daylight, which was a good thing, as the tree (which was the only one I could climb) was a shagbark hickory -- very noisy to climb! A half hour after legal shooting light began, the buck crossed the head of a steep draw and entered the thick property, heading for the saddle I had hunted on Halloween. He was alone, and was completely at ease. I guess I would attribute my getting this buck with hunting thick security cover, and understanding how bucks (and deer in general) utilize terrain features in their movements, as well as the grace of God. I knew that deer would walk around the top of that draw as opposed to walking up and down its steep sides.

I found those large rubs on either side of the logged property in late October, and knew that they probably were boundary markers for a big buck's core area. I would venture to guess that he was slipping in there early that morning to bed for the day, and just happened to be running a little late.

Very nice! I'd like to know a little more about the rifle.

Teppo Jutsu .458 SOCOM flat top upper with stainless Lothar Walther barrel
Tromix .458 SOCOM lower receiver
Magul dark earth PRS buttstock
Magpul XT dark earth rail covers
LaRue LT104 SPR M4 1.5 one inch ring scope mount
Magpul MIAD full kit pistol grip
KNS .154" anti-rotating firecontrol pins
Larue 13.2" railed forearm
Barrel threaded 5/8" X 24 by SRT Arms
Bushmaster lower parts/buffer tube/buffer spring/buffer
LaRue 0.936" low-profile gas block
.458 SOCOM Phantom flash suppressor
Chip McCormick single stage match trigger
Leupold VX-III 2.5-8X36 scope
Butler Creek flip-open scope covers
Duracoat finish in Magpul Dark Earth by R.I.P. Custom

 

[csaws]

Nice buck, congrats

 

[kedie]

Teppo Jutsu .458 SOCOM flat top upper with stainless Lothar Walther barrel
Tromix .458 SOCOM lower receiver
Magul dark earth PRS buttstock
Magpul XT dark earth rail covers
LaRue LT104 SPR M4 1.5 one inch ring scope mount
Magpul MIAD full kit pistol grip
KNS .154" anti-rotating firecontrol pins
Larue 13.2" railed forearm
Barrel threaded 5/8" X 24 by SRT Arms
Bushmaster lower parts/buffer tube/buffer spring/buffer
LaRue 0.936" low-profile gas block
.458 SOCOM Phantom flash suppressor
Chip McCormick single stage match trigger
Leupold VX-III 2.5-8X36 scope
Butler Creek flip-open scope covers
Duracoat finish in Magpul Dark Earth by R.I.P. Custom

Awesome! I'm thinking of building myself a .458 for next year.

 

[Uconas]

that was a very nice buck. what is the gross score?

 

[jonny4523]

wow

 

[Kirk Freeman]

M4, impressive.

I just have to say I get a huge kick of seeing so many sucessful INGO hunt photos.

 

[M4Madness]

that was a very nice buck. what is the gross score?

Right around 150". I came up with a green score of 150 6/8" gross, but I'll admit that I measured quickly, so I could be off an inch or two. An 1/8" off on each of the 16 measurements would be 2 inches.

 

[johnjw77]

very impressive buck and I love your rifle.. I've stuck to tradition with my 870 in shotgun season but that thing is flat sexy... might have to look into a build, I've been wanting to build an AR anyways... I might be messaging you for a few pointers... again CONGRATS!!!

 

[Mike H]

Sweet!
Best I can tell that looks like another great 8.
Really love the rifle! Congrats.

 

[Carp]

Nice deer.

How do you like the optic set up for that rifle? I have one I am setting up for deer and am trying to decide to work with it for next year. LaRue and Leupold are obviously tip top, what made you choose it over other options?

Which ammunition?

 

[M4Madness]

I might be messaging you for a few pointers...

I'll help you any way I can. If I'm slow to respond here, you can find me on AR15.com.

SO WHERE WERE THE BIG BOYS HANGOUT

In the one of the thickest places imaginable. The majority of that property is briars taller than your head. The deer just push their way through them like it's nothing, but I sure don't. Two weeks prior to taking this buck, I backtracked another big buck's travel route back into it, and was lucky to find a small opening in the center of the property, and a halfway decent tree to climb. Does bed in that thick property as well, and I'm sure that didn't hurt either.

Nice deer.
How do you like the optic set up for that rifle? I have one I am setting up for deer and am trying to decide to work with it for next year. LaRue and Leupold are obviously tip top, what made you choose it over other options?

Which ammunition?

I'm a huge believer in "buy once, cry once". I'd rather spend top dollar for high quality, than buy something cheap and have it fail when I need it most. Buy cheap, and you'll be out the money you spent on the cheap item, as well as the funds for a better replacement later. Obviously, there are quality optics and mounts for less than what I paid -- I just trust LaRue and Leupold and saw no reason to go elsewhere.

I use Wagner Accuswage 300-grain ammunition. I can easily get 100-yard sub-MOA groups out of it, and it has performed well on the two deer and two coyotes that I've taken with it.

 

[Fenway]

Very nice! Congrats!

 

[langb29]

That's a beauty, congrats!

 

[Carp]

.458 SOCOM

Thanks for your response. I was looking at the same LaRue mount with one of the Trijicon AccuPoints, but will take a look at that Leupold.