It was Monday, August 19, and I was going to help a good friend practice shooting for her hunter's exam in the afternoon and if there was some time left, we would go out and look for a buck. My goal for this year's buck hunt was to succeed in shooting a buck with callhunting, because I had never succeeded before!
So after an hour at the shooting range, I noticed that time was starting to run away from us a bit, time goes fast when you have fun, so we got ready and sneaked out to a small grove in the middle of a field where I had seen a couple of bucks the days before when I was out hunting pigeons. Once in place, I waited a little while before I started attracting with my newly purchased Clausen Ultimate, I had trained a lot in the truck at work and got really good sounds but with very little experience in attracting bucks, it had to be a test simply.
After I had called for a while, I realized that no buck would come running at full speed so I decided to change the barrel and lure fox instead. And in the same second as I put the barrel in my mouth, I see how 2 deer come out about 200m away! So up with the hand binoculars and sure enough it is a young buck and a small animal.
Now I had to test the buck whistle! The deer just went and grazed in peace and quiet so they had not come up with my previous decoys iafl. I started blowing some different sounds but there was no reaction other than the buck lifting his head and looking at our direction. Now I was quite frustrated and thought that this pipe was nothing to have! But I blew a contact call and right as it is, the buck starts walking towards us!
And slowly but surely it came closer and closer, and as soon as it stopped, I blew another contact sound and then started walking again. I got ready with the shooting rest and when the buck came in at 80m, I whispered to my friend that as soon as the buck has the broadside towards us and stands still, I will shoot! And just a few seconds later, the situation is right and I let the CPX bullet leave the barrel of my Blaser R8 Monza in 308w caliber.
The buck makes the classic shot straight up in the air and I see in the binoculars how blood is pumped out in the right place so even if it starts to run away, I know, that no more shots is needed. Already after about 60m it run out of energy and the buck lies dead in the field. So I got my buck on call! It was also my first food game with a copper bullet. And it was the first time my friend was hunting when something was shot!
So it was a really successful day and evening. Now I can't wait for next year's buck hunt and then I will be out with the barrel again...
Regards Erik Bertilsson