Deer hunting with your Fox

[ROMAC]

As I was sitting in my treestand Saturday, 3 doe were under my tree and I kepy getting glimpses of a huge buck that was strutting around about 150 yards away. I could not bring myself to blow the chance at that buck so the does just faded away. I just kept thinking how easy it would have been to double lung any one of them with my Mathews bow but it just was not going to be any fun.

It got me thinking about coming back later during doe season and what I could do to make getting meat a little more interesting. So I came up with the idea of giving it a go and using my HE with vintage 00 Buck 2 3/4 inch paper shells.

Anybody else used a Fox gun for deer lately?

[Stan Hillis]

I took my HE on a deer drive, Southern style with hounds, last winter on a plantation adjacent to me. It was a bitter cold morning, and I was miserable on my stand, until two bucks came by me, turned on the run, and went to my left. I took my only shot, at one of them, but missed. Will probably try it again next January.

SRH

[ROMAC]

I've actually done a lot of deer hunting with buckshot over the years mostly on days that we were putting on drives, just never with a Fox.

This was a few years ago. I was using a Browning semi 10 gauge with 3.5 inch, 18 pellet 00 Buck. I shot this 9 point 200 lb dressed tank 3 times on the run and put a lot of pellets into him. My taxidermist gave me a big WTF? after he skinned him out.

[Woody]

I took my HE on a deer drive, Southern style with hounds, last winter on a plantation adjacent to me. It was a bitter cold morning, and I was miserable on my stand, until two bucks came by me, turned on the run, and went to my left. I took my only shot, at one of them, but missed. Will probably try it again next January.

SRH

That is one hunt I want to do once. Deer with hounds.

[Stan Hillis]

Woody, in the meantime read Archibald Rutledge. He wrote at length about dog drives in the South. A good starter book of his is Hunting and Home in the Southern Heartland.

It's definitely a unique experience that can run the gamut from sheer boredom to heart pounding excitement.

Best, SRH

[Stan Hillis]

That's a nice one, Roger.

Weren't you a lot younger then?

SRH

[Woody]

Woody, in the meantime read Archibald Rutledge. He wrote at length about dog drives in the South. A good starter book of his is Hunting and Home in the Southern Heartland.

It's definitely a unique experience that can run the gamut from sheer boredom to heart pounding excitement.

Best, SRH

I will Have to get a copy and read it.

One of my favorite things to do was deer drives. Nobody in our area does them anymore. Used to be a lot of fun to get 6-8 guys together and put on small drives. Killed a ton of deer with a shotgun and slugs. Now we are rifle legal in my county. But I still love having a slug gun in my hands!!! NYS has slowly changed from a shotgun only state in most areas except the mountains to rifle state wide.

Now days everyone is obsessed with sitting in a tree, hunting over food plots and only shooting 150 class bucks now!!!. I spend my share of time in a tree between bow and gun seasons but did enjoy drives after the season progressed. Now if you do drives people in my area look down on you.

[ROMAC]

I still do a fair amount of drives in my area with my hunting buddies.

BTW, That picture is 7 years old. The funny thing about that picture is that my face started to blow up after gutting the deer. You see it in the closeup.

About that time I developed any allergy to deer fur. I now have to carry gutting gloves that go up to my armpits, a surgeon's mask, and pop two Benadryl before even getting started. If I so much as touch my face with a gloved hand after moving the deer I will get a terrible reaction.

[Woody]

Woody, in the meantime read Archibald Rutledge. He wrote at length about dog drives in the South. A good starter book of his is Hunting and Home in the Southern Heartland.

It's definitely a unique experience that can run the gamut from sheer boredom to heart pounding excitement.

Best, SRH

Stan I have a copy of the book on its way. I’ve read several of Rutledge books. Mostly about turkey hunting. Good reading.

[ROMAC]

Stan,

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll have to get a copy as well.

Roger

[Stan Hillis]

I don't want to overstate this, but IMO it is as good a book as Ruark's The Old Man and the Boy, though not so much about the relationship between a grandad and grandson. Rutledge wrote in a similar style as N. Buckingham. Beautiful prose.

Hope y'all enjoy it as much as I did.

SRH

[Stan Hillis]

BTW, That picture is 7 years old. The funny thing about that picture is that my face started to blow up after gutting the deer. You see it in the closeup.

About that time I developed any allergy to deer fur. I now have to carry gutting gloves that go up to my armpits, a surgeon's mask, and pop two Benadryl before even getting started. If I so much as touch my face with a gloved hand after moving the deer I will get a terrible reaction.

When I saw that picture I immediately noticed your face was much fuller than a previous pic you posted a couple years ago of yourself on a dove shoot. Funny how I remembered that. You've had a time with deer and mosquito related illnesses!

SRH

[Silvers]

There were a few years while a kid when I hunted deer with a Western Arms Long Range double gun and using Remington Foster-type slugs with the hollow base. Buckshot wasn't legal in PA. The Western was a cheaper variation of the Ithaca Nitro Special. I remember once, practice shooting both barrels at an empty Banner 2-gallon oil can while resting the gun. That was at about 50 yards and I hit with both shots. Good to go for whitetails until I was able to find some 7.7mm ammo for the Arisaka rifle sent home from Tinian by Dad. I still hunt with that Arisaka a day or two each season.

frank

[ROMAC]

This is me out for a stroll with my CSMC Professional SXS slug gun last year. No deer, no swelling, no joy!

[DarylC]

Not to hijack this thread Roger, but how do you like your CSMC slug gun and is it worth the money?