r/WA_hunting • u/emtkid • Nov 12 '24

First Buck

Gallery image

Gallery image

I’ve hunted on the pheasant release sites on the west side as well as some Turkey and Duck. But got invited to deer camp this year! It’s really discouraging as a hunter in WA sometimes but not for me this year (low exceptions going forward but I’ll still be out there putting the miles in every year)

67 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

8

u/Living_Plague Nov 12 '24

What distance? Bullet/load? Don’t see many taken with iron sights anymore. Congratulations!

4

u/emtkid Nov 12 '24

80 yards in the timber, S&B 8mm Mauser 196gr SPCE. He was basically looking straight at me but turned slightly so I had a neck shot. Got him right through his spinal Column. All the neck meat was still ok.

2

u/Living_Plague Nov 12 '24

Nice. Did the bullet exit or stay inside? Did you recover it?

1

u/emtkid Dec 01 '24

Through and through, it was through his spinal column between vertebrae. Besides a “small” 8mm hole there was really not a lot of crazy damage even on the exit side. Bullet is sitting somewhere up on the mountain still sadly.

5

u/greysonhackett Nov 12 '24

Wiedmannsheil!

4

u/getjarfnasty Nov 12 '24

Nice. I was gonna use my K98 for my first hunt this year but I decided to invest in a Franchi

5

u/emtkid Nov 12 '24

They laughed at me I’m camp when I took that thing out with no sling. Definitely not hiking up 2000ft of elevation with no sling again.

2

u/getjarfnasty Nov 12 '24

Haha they’re still great rifles. A lot of pics of guys climbing the alps with those. (With slings) It makes you appreciate how far we’ve come with polymers etc.

1

u/emtkid Nov 12 '24

Oh man yea, made me appreciate carbon fiber and Titanium a little more that’s for sure. Amazing experience and a rewarding way to harvest my first Buck but I think I’ll be pulling a lighter rifle out for next year.

2

u/getjarfnasty Nov 12 '24

Good work still. I got my first buck a few weeks ago. He was a lil smaller than yours.

1

u/emtkid Nov 12 '24

Hell yea man, hey a deers a deer. Fills the freezer.

4

u/thulesgold Nov 12 '24

Congrats! Was this East or West Washington?

3

u/emtkid Nov 12 '24

Thank ya, it was eastern WA. Unit 204, so many people around I’m honestly surprised I found this guy.

3

u/Timmaybee Nov 12 '24

Awesome what a hefty, one well done

1

u/emtkid Nov 12 '24

Those are beautiful rifles!

1

u/emtkid Nov 12 '24

Yea he was a big boy, definitely ready for rut.

3

u/savell6 Nov 12 '24

My son just bought that rifle but the later Chilean mod

2

u/emtkid Nov 12 '24

Those are beautiful rifles!

3

u/Longjumping_Lynx_972 Nov 12 '24

Congrats! I got my first this year as well, I went archery tho.

1

u/emtkid Nov 12 '24

That’s awesome man! I’m excited to try some archery hunting out next year

2

u/Longjumping_Lynx_972 Nov 12 '24

Makes the skinning a little nicer smelling since they haven't pissed all over themselves yet!

1

u/emtkid Nov 12 '24

Oh yea I bet, he was pretty rank and covered in ticks. Like dozens of ticks. Meat tastes amazing though.

2

u/Longjumping_Lynx_972 Nov 12 '24

Really? Neither mine or my buddies had any ticks, not even one. Gmu 550.

1

u/emtkid Nov 12 '24

I’m to lazy to post a link but yea my buddy pulled 2 out of my beard after the photo op, we burned probably 20-25 off the head and neck while I was getting it skinned for a euro. I think it was because of how dry the climate was in 204. Another friend of mine from a different party got home and found 2 in him. One in the belly button and on on his back.

2

u/Acceptable-Season-35 Nov 13 '24

Did yah get that early season in October?

2

u/emtkid Nov 14 '24

Yep Oct 13th at like 10am