Opening morning in north central MN was clear and warm. We saw some deer but nothing within range of her Handi 30-30. We got into the ground blind about 1:30 for the afternoon hunt. It was set up in the middle of a hayfield near a large oak tree. About 4pm and average size deer ran into the field about 50yds away. She was facing the opposite way and tried to turn slowly around, but she got excited and spun around to face the deer. It saw the movement and bounded off. I bleated twice as loud as I could, and it stopped in some tall grass at the edge of the field. I told her she could make that shot, and she got her rifle readied on the bi-pod. The deer then turned and started to walk back towards us. It was now quarting at us and she whispered that she could make that shot. I told her to put the crosshairs where the leg meets the shoulder, and she fired. The deer lurched and ran off. Thinking she hit it too far back we waited about 20 minutes before taking up the track. We found the spot where it stood, and found a good amount of bright red blood. I was going to show her how to track a wounded animal, but the blood trail was pretty easy to follow. Some 50-60yds found the deer piled up under a willow thicket. It was bigger than I first thought. When I pulled it out, I saw it was a spike buck that went about 120lbs on the hoof. She hit the deer dead center just above the breast plate taking out the entire right lung and clipping an artery. She told me later that was right where she had aimed. My handloaded Winchester 150gr PP put the smack down on this guy. We later lasered the shot and found it was 88yds.
