Finally managed to nail my first Red deer.

[AZZA'S HJ47]

First deer hunt for me on the weekend in the killcoy region was somewhat reserved as to how we would go. Thankfully bout a hour into the hunt came across a group of 6 and managed to seal the deal. My god the meat recovered unbelievably good. Already planning for the next trip.

[Bill]

Well done Azza, enjoy the cuts but let it age a week for even more tenderness. Dont mind a bit of red esp if its off clover.

[Oldbloke]

Well done 2.gif (221.35 KiB) Viewed 6165 times

[bigrich]

good stuff azza . i got a mate who does deer jerky and it comes up a treat . been hearing deer and pigs are moving in closer to the outskirts of civilisation around south east queensland cause of the drought . saw pig rippings in a paddock down near mount cotton this afternoon. never heard of them in the area before. not somewhere you can fire a rifle either

[Ricochet]

Nice one.

[AZZA'S HJ47]

good stuff azza . i got a mate who does deer jerky and it comes up a treat . been hearing deer and pigs are moving in closer to the outskirts of civilisation around south east queensland cause of the drought . saw pig rippings in a paddock down near mount cotton this afternoon. never heard of them in the area before. not somewhere you can fire a rifle either

Head shot with the 222 mate

[marksman]

well done
there are a lot of reds around kilcoy, some good long shots are needed at times
another area l have tried close by is mt binga

[bigfellascott]

Well done Azza, always good to get the first of anything, I like making Schnitzels out of the backstraps, bloody beautiful they are and I turn the legs etc into stews and stroganoffs.

[AJB]

Well done azza I got a nice young fallow for the freezer Sat nite very tasty and backstrap snittys are the go big fella

[bigfellascott]

Well done azza I got a nice young fallow for the freezer Sat nite very tasty and backstrap snittys are the go big fella

Nice one mate and bloody oath Back Strap Schnitties are great, super tender you can eat em with a spoon usually.

[bigrich]

Head shot with the 222 mate

nah mate , not down there what rifle/caliber did you nail your deer with ?

[bigrich]

well done
there are a lot of reds around kilcoy, some good long shots are needed at times
another area l have tried close by is mt binga

that's about a hour and a half north of me , nice country . gotta watch out for yowies up there but . true , people reckon they've seen them

there's a big fibreglass one in town as a tourist attraction . people keep stealing it's pecker though

[PaddyT]

well done, i keep getting into positions where i cant get a shot in but it will come!

[Stix]

Good stuff Azza...congratulations..

Did you do a little dance... ...

Enjoy the feed...

Are you going to tan the skin...?...
Id love to give it a crack...

[AZZA'S HJ47]

BigRich with the 222. Hit the ground not knowing what happened.

[bigrich]

BigRich with the 222. Hit the ground not knowing what happened.

professional cullers in kiwi land used to use the 222 exclusively on deer cause of it's mild recoil ,mild noise and accuracy . gotta love the 222

what projectile were you using ? i've used 55 vmax on roos , i'm thinking it's probably too explosive on deer ,even with head shots

[AZZA'S HJ47]

Using hornady 50g soft points with a average load of 8208 yes i did blow the back of the head out however given the angle i was shooting at, damage to the other parts of the animal wasn't even a consideration. I have fallen for the 222 and its quietness not the same crack as compared to the 223. I was a big fan of 243 308 cals however the noise and spooking everything in the next valley I find somewhat a killer. The ability i have with my 222 and being able to precisely place a shot within 200m makes it a hard rifle to go past.

[Blr243]

Azz. When U say finally. Is it something you have been wanting to do for a while ? And only just now got access. I also shot a hind as my first red deer widgee mountain. And as I shot it in the bottom of a valley I was able to carry the whole thing back to my Ute in one go without haveing to stop for a rest. I cringe at the thought of that weight these days. Lately a small fallow is the only thing I want on my back ......so I butchered it with the grazier and gave him all the meat to say thanks for allowing me to hunt there. Funny thing is later I found out that while I was hunting that morning the grazier hit my girlfriend up for some lovin

[bigrich]

Using hornady 50g soft points with a average load of 8208 yes i did blow the back of the head out however given the angle i was shooting at, damage to the other parts of the animal wasn't even a consideration. I have fallen for the 222 and its quietness not the same crack as compared to the 223. I was a big fan of 243 308 cals however the noise and spooking everything in the next valley I find somewhat a killer. The ability i have with my 222 and being able to precisely place a shot within 200m makes it a hard rifle to go past.

along with my 6.5x55 , 222 is definately the most practical usable caliber in my safe . they're two rifles i won't ever part with as they are flexable and do everything well . i recently got a 243 with a 6-18 scope for zapping stuff at more distance, but as you mention the noise is considerably louder than a 222 . the hornady 50 gn soft points are cheap and fly well in my 222 , but the 55 vmax are more accurate . 60 vmax fly like a 69 gn in a 223 tikka , amazing accuracy but to curved a trajectory . 1-12 swan barrel makes it work well with that weight . the natural accuracy ability when working up loads with the 222 is amazing . check the specs, but a 40 vmax with 18 gn of 2205 was a rediculously accurate load with a 1-14 twist barrel . i'm talking one hole at 100 very ,very easy dunno if a 40 vmax is much use in qld , wouldn't be a bad cat,rabbit and fox round i guess

[YoungBuck]

What calibre do you need (as far as laws go) to knock over a Red in QLD? Need minimum .270 here in Vic :/

[bigrich]

What calibre do you need (as far as laws go) to knock over a Red in QLD? Need minimum .270 here in Vic :/

i'm not sure in QLD , in NSW it's 243, which i think is sound choice given we don't have sambar in QLD. in a perfect world common sense should prevail , azza's head shot in the right conditions is perfectly sound . my own rifle for deer is my trusty 6.5x55 . even though i own a 243 i would feel more comfortable with the 6.5 . 30-30 is known as the traditional deer rifle in the US , but i think it lacks downrange energy at distance compared to other choices . it's a very debatable topic ,

[AZZA'S HJ47]

Queensland dont have minimum requirements they have recommendations. As rich said I was only going to go for a head shot and to be honest was chasing fallow not reds.

[AZZA'S HJ47]

Azz. When U say finally. Is it something you have been wanting to do for a while ? And only just now got access. I also shot a hind as my first red deer widgee mountain. And as I shot it in the bottom of a valley I was able to carry the whole thing back to my Ute in one go without haveing to stop for a rest. I cringe at the thought of that weight these days. Lately a small fallow is the only thing I want on my back ......so I butchered it with the grazier and gave him all the meat to say thanks for allowing me to hunt there. Funny thing is later I found out that while I was hunting that morning the grazier hit my girlfriend up for some lovin

Yes something i have been trying for all year not so much due to failed trips more so lack of property access and dry conditions that hasn't helped me.

[Stix]

Azz. When U say finally. Is it something you have been wanting to do for a while ? And only just now got access. I also shot a hind as my first red deer widgee mountain. And as I shot it in the bottom of a valley I was able to carry the whole thing back to my Ute in one go without haveing to stop for a rest. I cringe at the thought of that weight these days. Lately a small fallow is the only thing I want on my back ......so I butchered it with the grazier and gave him all the meat to say thanks for allowing me to hunt there. Funny thing is later I found out that while I was hunting that morning the grazier hit my girlfriend up for some lovin

Bloody hell BLR that kind I f thing gives ya the irrets eh... ...you csn only laugh about that kind of thing later i guess...

But hell, id be dreaming about giving him a wormy one next time & tell him that one is best eaten very rare & cooked at very low temp...
&/or invite him eat st xamp & bathe his in wormy blood gravy with mushies...

[Stix]

[
i'm not sure in QLD , in NSW it's 243, which i think is sound choice given we don't have sambar in QLD. in a perfect world common sense should prevail , azza's head shot in the right conditions is perfectly sound . my own rifle for deer is my trusty 6.5x55 . even though i own a 243 i would feel more comfortable with the 6.5 . 30-30 is known as the traditional deer rifle in the US , but i think it lacks downrange energy at distance compared to other choices . it's a very debatable topic ,

Whats all this 243, 6.5 & 30-30 jabber...
Ah kaffooie...
Got my first with a 32gr Zmax out of a sporter barreled 204...
Yeauw beeyauwtee...!!... ...

Was only 120 odd yds so pretty close & under light, so i whacked it in the brain & it shut down like someone pulled the power on a bot....

Its the way to go hey Azza...

[bigrich]

yeh , well , stix , i would prefer not to have a injured animal getting away by using a appropriate caliber . 22 mag would kill a deer up close , but i wouldn't take the shot with one .

JMHO

[marksman]

although l know the 222 can do the job it does have its limitations,
l dont see a problem with a well placed brain shot taken from someone capable at a reasonable distance
the new zealanders did use to use the 222 but it was fazed out because it was not enough gun for the shots they did, there favorite shot was the meat saver shot and too many deer ran away wounded never found but dead somewhere just a waste
the 30-30 is apparently one of the most used deer rifles in america but it too has its limitations, it is used at very close range where the need of an accurate rifle is not needed, l like the 30-30 its a great lite rifle for carrying around the bush for quick snap shooting and will take deer down with the right shot
in victoria we have a limit on caliber, 270win for red deer but IMHO its more about shot placement than how big a hole you can put in the animal
plenty of red deer get shot with big cal's fall down then get up and run off, l've had it happen to me, l was very lucky to find it

[bigrich]

although l know the 222 can do the job it does have its limitations,
l dont see a problem with a well placed brain shot taken from someone capable at a reasonable distance
the new zealanders did use to use the 222 but it was fazed out because it was not enough gun for the shots they did, there favorite shot was the meat saver shot and too many deer ran away wounded never found but dead somewhere just a waste
the 30-30 is apparently one of the most used deer rifles in america but it too has its limitations, it is used at very close range where the need of an accurate rifle is not needed, l like the 30-30 its a great lite rifle for carrying around the bush for quick snap shooting and will take deer down with the right shot
in victoria we have a limit on caliber, 270win for red deer but IMHO its more about shot placement than how big a hole you can put in the animal
plenty of red deer get shot with big cal's fall down then get up and run off, l've had it happen to me, l was very lucky to find it

thurty-thurty model 94 is slim, light weight and very quick to point . even though my eyes need a scope , i got a 1973 64A coming for my safe . i picked it up and fell in love with it . even with the 24" barrel it's still light cause of the half mag . no barrel band either , keen to see how it shoots . i'm still waiting to nail my deer ,my 6.5 is ready to go at a moments notice like someone else posted , it's dry and getting access atm is hard . lots of folks are working away at the mines and such on account of the dry . funny looking stew ya got cooking MM , might be a bit hard to swallow

[AZZA'S HJ47]

although l know the 222 can do the job it does have its limitations,
l dont see a problem with a well placed brain shot taken from someone capable at a reasonable distance
the new zealanders did use to use the 222 but it was fazed out because it was not enough gun for the shots they did, there favorite shot was the meat saver shot and too many deer ran away wounded never found but dead somewhere just a waste
the 30-30 is apparently one of the most used deer rifles in america but it too has its limitations, it is used at very close range where the need of an accurate rifle is not needed, l like the 30-30 its a great lite rifle for carrying around the bush for quick snap shooting and will take deer down with the right shot
in victoria we have a limit on caliber, 270win for red deer but IMHO its more about shot placement than how big a hole you can put in the animal
plenty of red deer get shot with big cal's fall down then get up and run off, l've had it happen to me, l was very lucky to find it

I hear you Mark Red deer was never the target species. Most of my preferred cals are a little bigger hence why I got the 7mm rem mag for the day i get to chase the big stuff. Love my Venison and dont like the thought of waste from say a sholder shot just my 2c

[Stix]

yeh , well , stix , i would prefer not to have a injured animal getting away by using a appropriate caliber . 22 mag would kill a deer up close , but i wouldn't take the shot with one .

JMHO

Did you miss the sarcasm sign mate...
Or you just used to me not usually using that emoji do you skip over it...

It was under spotlight in an completely open field without a breath of wind.at a smidge over 100 mate...just a cattle farm with grass for hundreds of metres...
I obviously dont hunt deer during the day with a 204 mate...

Here tis anyway...forgive the protein...its for demonstrative purposes...

2019-07-15 00.33.11.jpg (536.87 KiB) Viewed 6023 times

At just a smidge over 100 & with the scope wound up to 20X & shooting from a stationary car, id confidently do it every time,...
But i dont hunt deer with a 204 spitting 32's mate...but i think you'd know that..!!