Thread: Introducing Larry

It's kind of embarrassing to relate in a forum full of accomplished hunters and some beginners with half a dozen deer racked up, that this is my first.
Oh well, better late than never, I suppose.

I've been out, but been an armed tramper, and come back empty handed every time.

In the last few years I flagged hunting away as too frustrating( I had lots of other frustrations at the time and one more was one too many) and learned to use a pistol instead.

A good friend knew I'd yet to shoot any deer and offered to take me hunting where he knew I'd be able to find something to zap.
We were out of the Hilux about 50 metres when his son's GSP pointed into the scrub. I snuck forward for a look, and saw a small mob 150-200m away on a small spur. All of them promptly disappeared except for Larry the spiker, who stayed to eyeball me.

I lined up for the shot, and had one of those " I'll sit down- damn too low, I'll kneel- damn too wobbly " moments where I tried both.

I went with kneeling, and put a hole in his chest with a 7mm08 120gn Nosler.

There was a loud smack, and I was confident I'd hit him. He disappeared downhill into the scrub. We went back to the Hilux, and drove to the top of the spur, then combed downhill from above the site where I'd hit him.



We found a patch of blood from a lung shot on the ground where he'd rested, but was still mobile at that point, had heard us coming and wasn't interested in hanging around.

We searched downhill awhile assuming he'd slid into some scrub, but found nothing, then we decided to follow the contour of the hill across instead of straight down.

Larry was lying off the track across the gully from us. He'd travelled 200m or so from the initial point with a lung shot.

The other two advised me to put another round into the crease of his neck to turn his lights out, so I did.

I was interested to see what damage the Nosler through the chest had done and found that it had basically whistled on through and come out the far side without doing much expanding at all. The exit wound was pretty small, not the crater that I was expecting.

There was a 20mm hole going into the rib cage where I presume it had zapped through a lung.



I named the spiker Larry 'cause he was my first deer. The next ones will not be similarly honoured.

We took the back straps and back wheels off him, and the head, which I will keep the the antlers from.



The only reason this photo's included is that the picture of the red eyed dog amuses me.

If I'd known he was like that, I'd have turned around and performed an impromptu exorcism on him.

Well done and thanks for posting, hope you have the bug now.
Larry should taste yummy.
James

Good to see you have broken your duck.

I am intrigued to know specifically what Nosler bullet you were using please. That is a mighty long runner, considering the point of impact. Was he broadside or quartering towards or away?

EDIT... okay I see it must've been the Ballistic Tip Hunting.

I would send your story to Nosler if I were you. Do you have any photos of the vitals and the holes on each side of the rip cage?

Originally Posted by Flyblown

Good to see you have broken your duck.

I am intrigued to know specifically what Nosler bullet you were using please. That is a mighty long runner, considering the point of impact. Was he broadside or quartering towards or away?

EDIT... okay I see it must've been the Ballistic Tip Hunting.

I would send your story to Nosler if I were you. Do you have any photos of the vitals and the holes on each side of the rip cage?

Why send to nosler?.... Because it ran so far? Nature of the shot placment isn't it. ...
Well done on the first deer. Larry reminds me of a Jersey bull who was named Larry long cock. Haha.

Originally Posted by Flyblown

Good to see you have broken your duck.

I am intrigued to know specifically what Nosler bullet you were using please. That is a mighty long runner, considering the point of impact. Was he broadside or quartering towards or away?

EDIT... okay I see it must've been the Ballistic Tip Hunting.

I would send your story to Nosler if I were you. Do you have any photos of the vitals and the holes on each side of the rip cage?

No photo's, sorry. I do have a question though.

I have pretty much always loaded my ammo at or near the starting load so as not to wear out cases or the rifle. I'm just not interested in hot loads.....yet.

From the data that I do have on the 120gn loads, I used the pill on top of 43 gn of 2206H, for a chronied speed of 2800- 2900 fps. (I don't have chrony so the data is only patchy at best. Occasionally I've been at the range when somebody else has had one.)

I'm wondering if the 120gn pill needed to be pushed harder in order to mushroom or kaboom.

Looking back at my photo of Larry, the neck shot which was taken from about 50m and entered the other side hasn't left an exit crater either.

Originally Posted by Max Headroom

No photo's, sorry. I do have a question though.

I have pretty much always loaded my ammo at or near the starting load so as not to wear out cases or the rifle. I'm just not interested in hot loads.....yet.

From the data that I do have on the 120gn loads, I used the pill on top of 43 gn of 2206H, for a chronied speed of 2800- 2900 fps. (I don't have chrony so the data is only patchy at best. Occasionally I've been at the range when somebody else has had one.)

I'm wondering if the 120gn pill needed to be pushed harder in order to mushroom or kaboom.

Looking back at my photo of Larry, the neck shot which was taken from about 50m and entered the other side hasn't left an exit crater either.

The 120 grn NBT is known to be quite thick jacketed for its weight - I understand the same or thicker than the 140 grn. Mostly they don't make a big exit hole but that should not be the measure of their effectiveness, its what they do on the inside that is important and I have never been able to fault that. They work best though if they hit bone. Mine are driven at 3k.

Well...I for one am very disappointed. You don't resemble Max at all and even your head appears to be of the correct size. Bah, humbug.

Originally Posted by outlander

Well...I for one am very disappointed. You don't resemble Max at all and even your head appears to be of the correct size. Bah, humbug.

.................................. Dude.

Fiction over here.............................................. .................................................. .................reality over here.

Did you have them both in the same box??

Well well well.. a 7mm putting a pinhole in something.. unbelievable, that sort of carry on is only for 270s, I read it in a book from 1972 and everyone on the internet has experienced it so it must be accurate and up to date information...


Well done on your first deer mate

Gday Max.

Wow good on ya mate. Thanks for the photos. Good luck with the demon dog.

Sako.

Well done.

Well done.
You’ve moved on from being a keyboard hunter

Forget americas zombie deer, watch out for that dog.

Awesome Max, I was like you and took years to bag my first deer so I know the feeling.
For me it was something ticked off and achieved but a little anti climactic also, I never really got a kick out of shooting Deer, on the up side they taste good.

The dog made me grin also, firstly the tongue hanging out it's mouth is half way to the ground and then after the other tread on Zombie Deer it looks like a Zombie dog. Say hi to Larry next time your chewing him

Congrats on popping your cherry
I was similar in shooting my first deer, also a spiker. The hard yards before make the moment so much more memorable.
As far as trophy heads go, you have one right there