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My first Henry and first Deer with it

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fergy
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Location: Burnet TX
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My first Henry and first Deer with it

Post by fergy » Wed Nov 17, 2021 11:17 am

Howdy hunters,
I posted this pic in the new member intro since I just joined a few days ago. I got the Henry Big Boy in .44 mag back at the end of December last year and didn't get any hunting time with it so this was my first hunt of this season and first shot at an animal with the Big Boy. I had been watching a 2x3 young buck chasing a couple of yearling does all evening and as it got darker I kept looking through the scope to see how it gathered light, and it was impressive. The darker it got the more impressed I was with the scope. It's a Leupold VX 3i 3.5-10. I checked my watch and I had about 2 minutes of legal shooting time left. I saw the buck reappear in the shadows about 50 yards from my stand, or so I thought. When I looked through the scope and he lifted his head a little I saw a handful of long tines and realized it was a different buck and I cocked the hammer back and got the cross hairs on him and fired. I knew if I waited to get a better look at his head that time was running out so I chanced it and shot quick. He jumped to the left of my sight picture and disappeared in the brush.

I sat for about 10 minutes and never saw any movement in the area so I climbed down to go look. The blood trail was massive and the blood was bright red and bubbly. I was pretty confident he hadn't gone far and that I had managed to get a lung shot. In the 10 minutes sitting in my stand I had been remembering things like check parallax, check breathing, etc. All the things you know to do and practice at the range but about half the time you are in the moment where you have to shoot quick, you forget. I'm probably lucky I didn't have any time to study him or I might have gotten the shakes. I've killed a lot of deer in my 40+ years and gotten buck fever staring too long even at a doe I was going to shoot, much less a good buck. I think that excitement and the fact I love deer meat is what keeps me hunting at my age.

About two more steps over cactus and I could see him laying still just around the bush in my way. I just said Whoa, under my breath. I went around the bush and there he lay with his head right in my quad runner trail. He had gone 20 yards. I counted his points 3 times and was stunned at his size. His neck was huge and he was Mr Tubby. I grabbed his antlers to pull him out into the trail and could barely move him. Usually a central Texas buck from a non-high-fenced ranch doesn't manage to get this big. A lot of hunting pressure in the areas I've hunted keeps the big bucks pretty deep in the woods and only coming out during the night. We have several on the game cameras after dark.

He is the best buck I've ever shot and my first shot with the Henry. It's like something you dream when you're a kid and getting ready for your first deer hunt!

Image
9 x
Fergy, Burnet TX
Big Boy .44 mag

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JEBar
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Re: My first Henry and first Deer with it

Post by JEBar » Wed Nov 17, 2021 11:52 am

outstanding .... truly outstanding .... a 44 out of a Henry is a very capable round .... thanks for taking us along on your hunt .... be sure to increase you post count and once you cross 25, enter the drawing
0 x

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Cofisher
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Re: My first Henry and first Deer with it

Post by Cofisher » Wed Nov 17, 2021 12:24 pm

Nice buck Fergy. Great outcome with your new Henry.
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GunnyGene
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Re: My first Henry and first Deer with it

Post by GunnyGene » Wed Nov 17, 2021 3:09 pm

Are you gonna get the trophy mounted? I would. Much too nice to just trash it.
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zara_puppy
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Re: My first Henry and first Deer with it

Post by zara_puppy » Wed Nov 17, 2021 6:31 pm

Beautiful buck! And you’re right - sometimes not having time to think about it is helpful in making that good shot. Big fan of that particular scope as well - I have that one on my .243 single shot.

Anyway - good job! Great shot and again, beautiful buck.
0 x

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fergy
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Re: My first Henry and first Deer with it

Post by fergy » Mon Nov 22, 2021 11:20 am

GunnyGene wrote:
Wed Nov 17, 2021 3:09 pm
Are you gonna get the trophy mounted? I would. Much too nice to just trash it.
I would but I have no room for such things in my budget or our small house or the wife. (I have room for the wife, but she doesn't like looking at dead animals or parts) All my better racks and my one mounted deer from 1988 are all hanging in my office at work. It helps filter out the kind of people I want in my office! :) I'll add this one on a plaque in a spot I can keep an eye on.
3 x
Fergy, Burnet TX
Big Boy .44 mag

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Vaquero
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Re: My first Henry and first Deer with it

Post by Vaquero » Mon Nov 22, 2021 12:41 pm

Very impressive buck Fergy, congrats sir.
I'm assuming it was a 240 gr bullet as it is the most popular round for the 44's, could I ask what you used?

RP
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Re: My first Henry and first Deer with it

Post by JVogler » Wed Nov 24, 2021 7:19 pm

Congratulations on a successful hunt.
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fergy
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Re: My first Henry and first Deer with it

Post by fergy » Mon Dec 06, 2021 5:52 pm

Vaquero wrote:
Mon Nov 22, 2021 12:41 pm
Very impressive buck Fergy, congrats sir.
I'm assuming it was a 240 gr bullet as it is the most popular round for the 44's, could I ask what you used?

RP
Yessir, it was a Rem 240 soft point HTP.
1 x
Fergy, Burnet TX
Big Boy .44 mag

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DsGrouse
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Re: My first Henry and first Deer with it

Post by DsGrouse » Mon Dec 06, 2021 7:58 pm

Nicely done, congrats
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