First LR-308 hunt

[DustBuster]

Okay boys, I’ve been away from this site for a long time… I recognize all the Famous ones here, but I doubt you guys remember me…

I built a LR-308 couple years ago… had some problems or perceived problems with a lot of components, but in the end got a decent satisfactory build completed… I learned a lot from the building experience and never will regret it.  I took the rifle on an elk hunt last year but never saw an animal.  Too Bad, cause I’d would have needed the Larger Target.   
I spent two years reloading, practicing shooting, and thought I was ready… not even close.

This year I went with my bros to MT to antelope hunt.  I drew a Doe Speed Goat tag.  
My older bro dropped me off the road ( he had no tag), and was to wait for me.  This road went straight up from the flats into a gully of the foothills.  My plan was to parallel the base of the foothills about 1/2 to 1 mile away and then descend back down to the flats where we had spotted the quarry.  The plan worked PERFECTLY, almost.  I made my way over about 1/2 mile then started gently down a finger “ridge”.  I got to where I could see them about 3/4 mile away.  I had to get off the higher rise and walk downhill out of sight.  I peeked back over and they looked like they were actually going to intersect with the little gully to my right.  I ended up scurrying down to that gully where I could more quickly advance.  Then right about where the gully petered out to the flat, I had to hit the dirt.  It was time.  The lead bunch of about 7 animals were at 375 and coming right towards me…. I put my carefully procured magpul lightweight bipods down to the ground, and looked through my 4x scope ( mistake number 1)  Mistake number 2) sagebrush was too tall for my bipods.  I crawled closer about 4 yards to try to get my gun up and my chest on the ground lower,,,Chest too low now…. They were closer now and had to range find… shitt, my Fanny pack and rangefinder were behind me that 4 yards… I had an emergency radio with a Mic coord, clipped to my Binos swung on my back, and the radio was on the ground tangled with the rangefinder, attached to the fannypack… I tugged on the mic coord and dragged my fannypack, radio and rangefinder bumping along till I could reach back and get it…  Now the antelope were in the 250 range… I tried to prop my chest on my Fanny pack, but now the sagebrush was in the way again… By now I was sweating bad.  I snaked forward again trying to get the low gun high enough for those stupid Low bipods… I could not find the optimum spot!  I finally had to sit up with antelope looking at me… they didn’t spook.  I finally picked my animal to shoot at and shot.  I was so unsteady there is no way I was going to get it except by sheer luck.  I missed of course…. The antelope spooked, ran up hill of me… and I could have shot another easily… I had to go look for blood.  No sign of antelope down, no sound of a thud, no blood at all… totally missed.  By then the antelop were 500 hundred yards uphill of me in the same dang gully I snuck down in… I went back up as fast as I could,,, but couldn’t quite get close enough… the entire herd of about 50 all ran right by where my brother was parked… and to another land access area… I totally bombed out… I hiked back and reunited with my bro.  We then drove to the other adjacent area were I grabbed my 30-06 with the 2ft+ bipods.  I had sorrily lost confidence with my prized lr-308, and myself.  I did end up getting a doe with that gun, but not without a couple of bad ranging misses.  Gone are the days for me where I could shoot a deer through the heart with open sights at 150 yards… I need to either quite hunting or practice my ass off with Both Guns and be able to be accurate in the unexpected conditions… Im ethical enough to not want to be Not-Confident anymore.  Luckily I didn’t wound any other creature that day.  Back to the range for me.  Have a good one dudes, I’m gonna catch up and read some old posts…

Edited December 8, 2023 by DustBuster

[98Z5V]

2 hours ago, DustBuster said:

but I doubt you guys remember me…

You are definitely remembered, man - keep sticking around.  That was a damn good writeup!     Didn't get the critter, but you came away better, too.  That's the important stuff - don't waste an opportunity to learn something, every single time you go out.  If you come away, and didn't learn anything - then you wasted your time.  Truth in that.