Predator Call

Last Thursday I drove to Polar, Texas and picked up my hunting buddy J. Martin Bassinger and drove to Dumas, Texas approximately 40 miles north of Amarillo.  We were looking at a large ranch to see what hunting opportunities it might produce.

Though I have hunted several ranches in the Texas Panhandle, I have never seen a ranch with such a wide variety of game.  We saw pronghorn antelope, mule deer, whitetails, Rio Grande turkey, waterfowl, blue or scaled quail, bobwhites and coyotes.  The ranch was traversed by two spring fed creeks and a nice lake with approximately 5 surface acres, 10 when full.  Though this ranch appeared to be open, there was adequate cover with the best stand of wild plum thickets I have ever seen.  The only large trees were huge cottonwoods that lined the drainage areas.

Some folks think that the windy plains don’t offer many hunting opportunities but this ranch sure proves that wrong. 

See you outdoors,

Gary Roberson   

Miss Deb and I flew to Charlotte, North Carolina to attend the NRA Convention last Thursday.  I would be helping in the SAVAGE ARMS booth.  Promoting SAVAGE rifles is an easy task for me as they are without a doubt the most accurate rifle “out of the box”.  I would even go a step further, SAVAGE rifles are the most accurate, period.  

While most of my hunting involves predator hunting with the Model 10 Predator Hunter which I helped to design, I am also a huge fan of the centerfire big game rifles as well.  My latest purchase was the Model 14 American Classic in .270 WSM.  My first hunting season with this rifle was a huge success as I killed a whitetail buck at over 350 yards, one shot and he fell in his tracks. 

The newest feature that is being offered on the centerfire rifles that has the competition scratching their heads is the ACCUSTOCK, a three dimensional bedding system that should improve accuracy.  Improving the accuracy on my Model 10 will be a tall order as I have achieved a .3″ group with three different factory ammos.

While visiting with my friends at BROWNING, I had the opportunity to meet Marcus Luttrell, author of LONE SURVIVOR and a true American hero.

Ron Coburn, Chairman, CEO of SAVAGE ARMS treated myself, Deb, Keith Warren and his daughter, Mattie to an evening at the NRA Freedom Celebration.  I was privileged to hear speeches by Newt Gingrich, Glenn Beck and Oliver North.  Charlie Daniels was the entertainment to end up the evening.  It was a great time.

See you outdoors,

Gary Roberson

2010 is one of the most beautiful springs that I can remember.  It seems that when we have needed a rain, we have been blessed with one.  Wildflowers are blooming and trees and brush are putting on new vegetation.  Wildlife and livestock are in excellent body condition and should raise a bumper crop of young ones. 

I drove to Terrell County last weekend to put out mineral for the deer.  Terrell County and most of the Edwards Plateau  is deficient in Phosphorus and Ph is most important for bone and antler growth.  I do not worry much about protein as most of the browse on the ranch is high in protein.   I began this practice to improve deer hunting over 10 years ago and have seen the average gross B&C score improve by over 10 inches. 

See you outdoors,

Gary Roberson

I purchased my first and last deer rifle when I was thirteen years old, a Savage Model 110 left-hand in .270 Winchester.  I cannot tell you how many deer I have killed with “Old Nasty” but the total would no doubt be in the hundreds. 

This last spring, I had the honor to work with Savage Arms at the National Rifle Convention in Phoenix.  While I was there to help more with the Predator/Varmint rifles, I found myself straying over to the big game models.  I have a new Model 10 Predator Hunter that in my opinion is the perfect rifle for calling coyotes but I could feel an itch for a new deer rifle.  A Model 14 had caught my eye and the more I handled it, the more I liked it. 

The Model 14 has the features that I feel are important to a deer rifle.  The rifle is the proper weight, 7.25 pounds, overall length of 44 inches and a 24″ barrel in the .270 WSM and .300 WSM calibers and it is well balanced.  A straight stock helps the rifle to shoulder quickly while reducing felt recoil.  The Model 14 features a detachable box magazine, walnut stock with checkering on the forearm and pistol grip and jeweled bolt.  The bolt release has been tucked away in front of the trigger guard for added convenience and a more streamlined appearance.  In the interest of dressing up all of their new products, Savage has also cleaned up the lug nut that secures the barrel to the receiver.  To help achieve the accuracy that Savage is known for, the rifle is pillar bedded and features the ACCUTRIGGER. 

The itch finally grew too great.  I got in touch with Savage and ordered a Model 14 left-hand in .270 WSM.  The reason that I chose the .270 WSM is because I had the opportunity to visit with some of the outdoor writers who carried this caliber to the King Ranch to test on Nilgai cows.  Shooting 140 grain Fail Safe ammo, 21 cows were shot in the shoulder and 17 fell in their tracks. 

I pulled up Winchester’s new site that gives all of their ammo’s ballistics and the ability to compare various calibers and bullet weights.  I pulled up the .270 WSM Ballistic Silvertip 150 grain bullet and found that if the rifle is zeroed at 200 yards, I would be shooting 1.1″ high at 100 and 5.5″ low at 300 yards.  The down range energy and excellent ballistics should make the .270 WSM an excellent long range mule deer and elk rifle…a new long ranger.

See you outdoors,

Gary Roberson        

I purchased my first deer rifle when I was thirteen years old.  Being a southpaw and wanting a bolt gun, my options were somewhat limited.  Savage Arms was making the Model 110 in a left-handed model and Remington was beginning to build a few as well.  After comparing the two rifles and pricing, I chose the Savage in .270 caliber.  Over the last 40+ years, “Old Nasty” has served me well.  I have no idea how many deer, whitetail and mule deer have fallen to this sweet shooting rifle, but no doubt in the hundreds. 

While working the Savage Arms booth at the NRA Convention in Phoenix this last season, I found myself handling the recently introduced Model 14.  The smooth action, straight stock and 24 inch barrel in the magnum calibers were most appealing.  The Model 14 features a new bolt release, cleaner lug that locks the receiver to the action, hinged floor plate and Accutrigger.  Another feature that I am a huge fan of is the three positon safety.  The first position locks the bolt and prevents firing.  The second position unlocks the bolt but does not allow firing.  The third position (full forward) is the “fire” position.  When walking through the brush which I seem to do quite often, I have had a problem of the bolt on my rifle hanging on brush and coming open, ejecting the round.  The locking position prevents this accidential ejection from occurring. 

A few years ago, I hosted a predator hunt along with Winchester/Olin in South Texas.  The writers and the folks from Winchester/Olin had hunted Nilgai on the King Ranch before arriving in Tilden to hunt predators.  The .270 WSM had been recently introduced and the group was testing it’s killing power on the tough gray ghost of the Texas plains.  The group of hunters had orders to shoot all Nilgai cows in the shoulder region with 140 grain Fail Safe ammo.  The results were amazing as 17 of the 21 cows dropped in their tracks.  The guides on the King Ranch had never seen a rifle of any caliber perform as the .270 WSM.  After hearing this report, I had to have one.

I mounted a Nikon Monarch 2.5-10×42 BDC on the Savage 14 with a DNZ mounting system.  I have not found a system that is so easy to install as this new one piece system.  If you have not seen this new mounting system, I strongly recommend that you do so.

After zeroing the rifle 1 1/4″ high at 100 yards (zero at 200 yards) while shooting 150 grain Winchester Ballistic Silvertip ammo, I was ready to take it on it’s inaugural voyage.

I decided to deer hunt at the head of a rough canyon for a period of time and if nothing showed, to move west with the sun at my back to another huge bowl where I had seen deer in the past.  After sitting for about an hour and freezing until I was shaking like a leaf, I decided that it was time to make a move.  As I stood up, something caused me to look over my shoulder to the northwest.  There on the crest of a low ridge was one of the largest whitetails I had ever seen in West Texas.

The buck was standing broadside looking straight at me no doubt somewhat blinded by the intense early morning sun.  Approximately half of his side was shielded by extremely thick catclaw brush, making my favorite shot to the pocket behind his front shoulder impossible.  I estimated the distance to be approximately 200 yards and held at the top line of the dense brush.

After recovering from the recoil I saw the monster whirl, make a couple of jumps and disappear over the low ridge.  I was sure that I had made a killing shot and fully expected to find the buck just over the hill.  Topping the hill, I scanned the low brush for the shine of a heavy dark antler.  When the deer was not readily visible, I unsuccessfully began to look for any sign of blood.  I decided that I should step the distance back to where I had taken the shot to ensure that it was indeed 200 yards.  To my suprise, I had misjudged the distance as I stopped counting when I reached 250 steps.  The extra 50-60 yards would have caused my bullet to drop approximately 2 inches which would have caused my bullet to impact deeper into the brush.  Boy, I can really come up with excuses. 

What a way to break in a new rifle, miss the biggest whitetail that I have shot at in many years. 

See you outdoors.

Gary Roberson  

Last Saturday morning, I was deer hunting in the open desert country of Southwest Texas.  Daylight found me glassing the head of a canyon and surrounding hills looking for a mature whitetail buck.  Without success, I decided to walk westerly, taking advantage of the sun and glass a huge bowl where I have found bucks in years past.

I found a couple of does browsing over half a mile away and concentrated my glassing efforts around them as there was still a little rutting activity.  About a hundred yards past the does, I found the head and ears of a deer staring back at the does but it was too far to see antlers in my 8x glasses until the buck moved his head.   Finally the deer moved from left to right, revealing a tall, dark horns.  Based on what I had seen, the buck no doubt deserved a better look so I commenced to cut the distance. 

At a distance of approximately 400 yards from the buck, the terrain started to roll off into a small canyon.  If I moved any closer, I would loose elevation which would make it more difficult to see the buck and get a bullet to him.  Though it was a long shot, I began to look for a place to sit my butt without getting on a dog pear or other sticky vegetation. 

The old buck was moving around a little more in his attempt to check all of the does.  Everytime he moved, I had to relocate in order clear my shooting lane.  After three moves, I finally had the buck in a fairly large clearing and I was still undetected.  As I reset my shooting sticks, the buck began walking from right to left.  I could see that he would disappear behind more brush if a shot was not taken in a matter of a couple of seconds. 

I found the shoulder and raised the crosshairs 6-8 inches above his topline and squeezed the trigger.  The recoil caused me to loose target but there was no mistake in the sound of a bullet smacking bone and flesh.  Working the bolt, I looked over the scope for a fleeing buck but the only movement was one of the does trotting to the left.  I looked through the Nikon scope for any sign of life where the buck was and there was none. 

I eased the rifle down and glassed for several minutes.  The does were not spooked and were back to browsing on the brush and weeds.  I found a couple of landmarks, one a cedar with an exposed root and a sotol that was light yellow around the base.  Crossing the small canyon that was choked with catclaw, I found the cedar and proceeded to the sotol.  There was my buck, lying where he was when I took the shot.  There was no sign of a struggle, not even the kick of his legs.

The 150 grain Ballistic Silvertip impacted the buck’s shoulder just under his spine and exited the off shoulder.  Upon field dressing the buck, I found that the bullet had barely cut the underside of the backbone which explained the clean kill.  It was as if lightning had struck him that cool, clear West Texas morning.

See you outdoors!  Gary

While predator hunting is my first love, I still enjoy chasing whitetails in Texas and mule deer in New Mexico.  My weapon of choice for deer has been a Savage Model 10 in .270 caliber that I purchased as a 13 year old.  I cannot tell you how many rounds have been fired through “Old Nasty” as I call her or how many deer it has hung on a meat pole.  This rifle has served me well and at age 56, would no doubt last the remainder of my lifetime and then some.  Sometimes, you get the hankering for something new even when it is not really needed.  Kinda like wanting a new pickup when your old one is running just fine.

While working with my good friends at Savage at the NRA Convention last spring, I fell in love with the new Model 14 American Classic.  The rifle features a straight walnut stock, shot action, accu-trigger and a 24 inch barrel in the .270 WSM that I chose.  The Model 14 is available in a left-hand model for us southpaws. 

I received the rifle last Friday and mounted a Nikon Monarch 2.5-10×42 BDC riflescope on it with the aid of a one piece DNZ mounting system.  This is the first time I have used the DNZ mounts and I can tell you that mounting a scope on a rifle has never been so easy.

I sighted my rifle at 1 1/4″ high at 100 yards which should zero me at 200 yards and approximately 5.5″ low at 300 yards.  I have not had the time to check at these various ranges but plan to do so in the next few days.  As soon as I find a mature buck, I plan to see how the rifle performs in on a West Texas whitetail.

See you outdoors,

Gary

I woke this morning to be greeted by an inch of snow and 27 degrees.  It is still snowing and we have at least two inches on the ground as I type.  This weather should help to get the deer moving which have been pretty tough to find as there are so many acorns.  The rut is in full swing but the full moon seems to be negating any advantage that the rut might offer.

My oldest son, Clint and good buddy, Brandon Burch just returned from a few days of bow hunting deer down in Terrell County.  The cold weather really had the mature bucks chasing does and deer activity around the feeders was high.  Though they saw at least half a dozen or more mature bucks, they were unable to get a shot.

Stay after ‘em and good luck, see you outdoors,

Gary Roberson

The archery hunters have invaded the Texas hillsides; the regular archery deer season opened on October 3rd across most of Texas.  In Menard County, we were blessed with a good spring with at least average rainfall.  When we have a good spring, we typically have a pretty good crop of acorns on the live oak trees that are prevalent across most to the county.  The abundance of natural food and the full moon on the 4th of October has slowed daytime deer movement  around corn feeders to almost nil. 

I can tell when deer hunting is slow because the hunters start hanging around town more.  They come by the store and act like they are interested in some camo, scent or calls but they are really just wanting someone to visit with.  They want to be assured that the deer are still out there and that conditions will improve and so will the hunting.

Hang tough and see you out of doors,

Gary Roberson   

There is a nip in the air, leaves are changing colors and time for me to get back to what I love to do…hunting.  While I have never stopped hunting my hounds for coons and bobcats, I have given the coyotes a break to raise their young and now the youngsters are hunting on their own. I will begin my fall hunting in Colorado with Fred Eichler, Host of PREDATOR NATION, a new TV show that will be aired on INTERMEDIA’s TV channel.  We will be attempting to call coyotes and any other predator known to roam in the Trinidad area.  On my return trip, I will stop in New Mexico and hunt mule deer with good friends and a couple of my boys.

I hope that all of you have your fall hunting plans in place and are ready to “Crank it up”.

See you out of doors,

Gary Roberson