Hey Guys, just want to share the great experience I had last week in Florida.
Drove 15 hours straight and met up with @Bullfrog / Travis. Bullfrog was instrumental in Florida’s decision to allow the taking of whitetail with .30 cal or larger pcp air rifles. I wanted to witness / take part in airgun hunting history! Plus, I desperately needed of change of scene after hunting MI exclusively for 35+ years.
We spent a lot of our time dodging heavy rainstorms, but made the most of every available minute. When we weren’t hunting, we were shooting and experimenting with his collection, and the few guns I brought along. That in itself was a great time and truly memorable!
Day 1, I was able to take a small buck on a depredation permit at 58 yards. The .30 cal, 99 grain NSA was devastating.
Day 2, I passed up on an almost identical buck, hoping a more mature buck would slip up and allow me a shot. I was hunting with the actual .308 Slayer that won big-bore at EBR and my data was dead on. Anything under 150 yards was toast if a broadside shot presented itself. We spent much of the day shooting and testing
Day 3 got off to a somewhat panicked start upon realizing it was daylight savings. Whoops! Barely made into the blind before shooting light and feared that I might have spooked everything on my way out there. As the sun came up, I heard a group of turkey in the distance and they were getting closer. I decided that if I had a shot on any male bird, I was taking it, since I already had a deer in the cooler.
As luck would have it, a group moved in and their were 2 jakes in the bunch. I followed the larger of the two in my scope for a few minutes as they moved closer. When a perfect shot presented itself at 55 yards, I sent it. THUMP!! The bullet entered just above the breast meat and exited right above the tail feathers. I’ve never seen a turkey dead so instantly. The 99 grain HP took off the top of his heart and turned the lungs into jello without wasting an ounce of meat anywhere!!
That was the FIRST turkey to ever be harvested legally with an airgun in Florida. Such a privilege!!
Spent the afternoon shooting airguns (pinch me) and preparing for the evening hunt. Travis said if I saw a fat doe to go right ahead with another depredation permit if a mature buck didn’t show. Well, right at dusk that’s exactly what happened.
48 yard headshot dropped her like lightening, and boy was she fat! I am forever grateful to Bullfrog for so much, not the least of which is the time we spent in the rain, covered in mosquitoes butchering that doe in the dark with flashlights!
Another pic or two from this amazing hunt. Thanks again for the opportunity, Travis!
Drove 15 hours straight and met up with @Bullfrog / Travis. Bullfrog was instrumental in Florida’s decision to allow the taking of whitetail with .30 cal or larger pcp air rifles. I wanted to witness / take part in airgun hunting history! Plus, I desperately needed of change of scene after hunting MI exclusively for 35+ years.
We spent a lot of our time dodging heavy rainstorms, but made the most of every available minute. When we weren’t hunting, we were shooting and experimenting with his collection, and the few guns I brought along. That in itself was a great time and truly memorable!
Day 1, I was able to take a small buck on a depredation permit at 58 yards. The .30 cal, 99 grain NSA was devastating.
Day 2, I passed up on an almost identical buck, hoping a more mature buck would slip up and allow me a shot. I was hunting with the actual .308 Slayer that won big-bore at EBR and my data was dead on. Anything under 150 yards was toast if a broadside shot presented itself. We spent much of the day shooting and testing
Day 3 got off to a somewhat panicked start upon realizing it was daylight savings. Whoops! Barely made into the blind before shooting light and feared that I might have spooked everything on my way out there. As the sun came up, I heard a group of turkey in the distance and they were getting closer. I decided that if I had a shot on any male bird, I was taking it, since I already had a deer in the cooler.
As luck would have it, a group moved in and their were 2 jakes in the bunch. I followed the larger of the two in my scope for a few minutes as they moved closer. When a perfect shot presented itself at 55 yards, I sent it. THUMP!! The bullet entered just above the breast meat and exited right above the tail feathers. I’ve never seen a turkey dead so instantly. The 99 grain HP took off the top of his heart and turned the lungs into jello without wasting an ounce of meat anywhere!!
That was the FIRST turkey to ever be harvested legally with an airgun in Florida. Such a privilege!!
Spent the afternoon shooting airguns (pinch me) and preparing for the evening hunt. Travis said if I saw a fat doe to go right ahead with another depredation permit if a mature buck didn’t show. Well, right at dusk that’s exactly what happened.
48 yard headshot dropped her like lightening, and boy was she fat! I am forever grateful to Bullfrog for so much, not the least of which is the time we spent in the rain, covered in mosquitoes butchering that doe in the dark with flashlights!
Another pic or two from this amazing hunt. Thanks again for the opportunity, Travis!
