Deer season could have been better but still was productive
John Johnston

Well, another hunting season is gone. I cannot say it was spectacular, but I did manage to take three deer.

Every year folks ask me what rifle I use to hunt. Unfortunately, that answer is a little complicated. Since I do a lot of writing for newspapers and magazines, much depends on what I am researching at the time.

This year I took a doe at 75 yards with a 1947 Savage 99E in .300 Savage caliber. This fine, old rifle had just as old a Weaver 2.5 power scope and did the job with a well-placed shot.

Next up was a rather ordinary eight-point buck. For this task, I chose my "go to" rifle for longdistance shots, a Steyr Pro Hunter in .26-06. It was a 225-yard shot. My first shot did not seem to affect the buck. He ran about another 100 yards, and I shot again.

I found the buck in tall grass about another 50 yards away. A quick examination showed two bullet entries about 2 inches apart in the area right behind the shoulder. This proves how tough deer can be.

The last deer was a doe I took on New Year's Eve with a Ruger #1 in .22-250 and an old Weaver 3x9 scope.

Oh, I forgot a miss I had during the season. Yes, I do miss, and the older I get the more misses seem to happen. I was using a custom-made rifle in 6mm BR. The distance was over 200 yards. This caliber is primarily for bench-rest shooting and is very accurate.

That morning it was not accurate enough for me. I am sure it was me, because the rifle could and still does shoot .25-inch groups at 100 yards. Some may think the 6mm BR is a little light for deer, but I can assure you the ballistics prove it is very capable of taking a whitetail.

Another question folks normally ask is what caliber is best for deer hunting. For the deer in Texas, I think the following calibers -- in order -- are best: 6mm Remington, .260 Remington and the .243 Winchester.

Even though I did not use one this year, my alltime favorite is the 6mm Remington. Unfortunately, Remington is dropping this caliber from its line. It appears the .243 has taken all the demand in that area.

Whatever you do, do not put up your rifle till next October. Shoot it a lot during the off-time. A good hunter knows his/her rifle and ammunition. Build that confidence in the rifle so you know when you touch off a round, it will go exactly where you aimed.

John Johnston is a retired sergeant detective who served with the Austin Police Department for 25 years. He also was a licensed gun dealer for 25 years who now lives in Lampasas County. He can be contacted via e-mail at olsingleshot@gmail.com