Deer Season 2026 and the WWSD Hunter 300 Blackout - A Hunting Story

 Opening Day for the 2026 deer hunting season was successful and I am grateful to the Lord above for a generous harvest. As always, it was educational and I will provide you with what I learned or didn't learn.

This year's test rifle was the re-barreled AR-15 based on the "What-Would-Stoner-Do" concept. This rifle is several years old having been initially completed in 2021. Using a KP-15 lower receiver, I implemented a piecemealed upper receiver setup with mostly inexpensive, budget-friendly parts. The most expensive part (other than the suppressor) is the Lancer carbon fiber handguard. The original build was meant to replace my 1970's era Winchester 94 with a platform that was ballistically similar while being able to accommodate modern accessories such as a suppressor and scope. The semi-auto function is merely a bonus. The system's intrusive sound pollution is substantially reduced by a Dead Air Primal .46 caliber suppressor with Keymo quick detach features. At the time, all I had was a Primary Arms Classic 3-9x scope in a lightweight Monstrum mount from Amazon. Not what I call premium but it works for now.

Completed zeroing just a few days before season opening.

Initially, the rifle was configured for 350 Legend but due to what were likely ammunition or magazine induced issues, the rifle was not mechanically reliable. I chose to bail on the 350 Legend barrel and switch to an Anderson Manufacturing .300 Blackout barrel. Eventually zeroed with the Barnes VOR-TX 120 grain solid copper factory loading at 50 yards, this configuration proved to be useful for providing food for my growing family. 

The day of the hunt was very much a gift. The new 10 ft stand had been in the budget and on sale. The installation had been sweaty but worth the effort in the 94 degree F heat. The view is commanding.

The weather had swung from mid-80's to the 60's during the days with the evenings dropping into the 40's. A cold front had rolled in from the North just the evening before opening day. A great blessing.

With that front came higher winds; 14 to 15 mph gusts. Thankfully, the wind was blowing from Northwest to Southeast. That created a wonderful condition where I wouldn't be winded until the deer were well into the field I was hunting. While high 40's is not what I call cold, the wind will take warmth from you. Having heavy bibs and a warm Ridgecut jacket from Tractor Supply was very welcome. That, a neck gaiter and good gloves made my morning comfortable.

The morning started well too, having managed to be somewhat fed, appropriately caffeinated and read a chapter of Romans. I was in place around 6:30 AM and enjoying the first of this year's Deer Season Audiobook Club; The Hobbit.

Before the light had filled the open space, around the top of the hour, I noticed a dark blob moving silently. They had snuck in right in front of me. Right where the wind was blowing my scent. My elevation was a huge benefit but they could still see me. While I didn't move, what turned out to be 3 deer, opted to move along down the driveway heading into the wind. That never gets old and is always good fun.

I needed to keep an eye on the time as I had agreed to assist with a volunteer group called Square Foot Ministries. We were to assemble interior framing being laid out in our church's parking lot. Those frames were for a new house they were constructing for a family in Cordele. They were to get started around 09:00 AM.

As the sun crept up and my view becoming more illuminated, I was treated to the sound of another hunter's loud signature. Hopefully, they were doing better. At least I was enjoying Bilbo trying to ward off three trolls.

At just around 08:15 AM, I heard a crunch down to my left. I slowly panned to look. A doe was walking in. I waited until she was behind a bush to maneuver my rifle into position.

I took a moment to observe her and the two trailers coming in behind her. The lead doe was the largest. I began lining up my shot but she was warry of me having spotted me. Seems like I need a blind or to move my stand back into the tree line. She started to turn away toward the property line just some 60 yards away. That wouldn't do.

I opted to take a quartering-away shot. When I pressed the trigger, she took to a trot heading away. Remembering that I have an auto-loader, I opted to break a second shot. I was very grateful for the low recoil impulse and being able to stay in the glass to track. Thankfully, she dropped before making it to the property line.

I wouldn't call either shot exceptional. The placement of the first round entered too far left at the right rear leg. When I walked up, I found that she had not expired. I wasn't willing to force her to be patient for her end, so I placed an 200 grain Gold Dot loaded by Underwood from my 1911 into the vital zone to end her suffering. Not something I am happy about but was relieved to know that it was very effective. I did recover the Gold Dot (it expanded amazingly) but did not recover the Barne's bullets. I would have needed to process the critter down to do that.

I drug the deer to the edge of the field so that I could put her into the cargo carrier I use for our current small SUV. I had paused thinking over that I should at least gut the deer and see if I can locate either of the rifle bullets. Running out of time and wishing to keep my commitment, I left. Shortly after, I delivered her to a well-respected processor. This meat will now feed my wife, toddler and soon-to-be-born baby girl (via nursing of course).

I would love to spend more time trying for another deer, preferably with a broadside shot this time. However, our newborn should be here very soon and we have been meal prepping for a while now. Our freezers are packed.

Ultimately disheartened by the shot placement, my experience with this rifle and ammunition has so far been positive. I look forward to continued testing and a long term evaluation. I already have a few ideas on what can be improved during the off-season. Stay tuned for the post-season wrap up.

Deer Season 2026 Prep Work Plus Tractor Update

 In my journey as a hunter, it looks like I will finally be able to establish a more permanent hunting setup starting in the 2026 to 2027 season. In previous seasons, I had to rely on portable ground blinds or just not having anything at all such as taking a folding chair or sitting at the base of a tree (I actually like this option). A few stands exist on the Little Farm but they were there from previous hunters with at least one having been there so long the tree is swallowing up the blind. My previous setups worked well enough but I have been wanting to put up a stand that isn't tied to a tree. 

The stand I chose is the Game Winner 10 foot tripod. At the time of purchase, they were on sale for $199. I've used just a handful of stands and towers before. During the 2025 deer season, I used one of these and found it to be decent. I am very uncomfortable with heights and many stands and towers haven't been great. This one was just fine; enough so that I scooped up one once the sale started.

The kit was very well packaged and weighed about 100 pounds. It was small enough to fit in the back of our little SUV.  The box fit along with all the tools I needed for the day with plenty of room to spare for gas cans, a tractor wheel and a target stand. If you have at least a mid-sized truck with a 5ft bed, you'll be fine. Small trucks like the Maverick and Santa Cruz will need to angle the kit or lay down the tailgate. Larger SUV's like a Tahoe will eat up the box without issues as long as one rear seat is out and you have the captain's chairs for the middle row. That's how I did it when we picked it up from Academy.

I laid all the parts out then put all the hardware into one of the halves. As it were, they have all the nuts, bolts and washers individually packaged into bags with the Step number printed on it. Those bags correspond to the steps in the instructions book. Generally, the instructions were easy to follow but after baking in the 92 degree heat of mid-September, I started getting a little tired. 

Ultimately, it took about 3 hours to get the stand vertical. I ended up building the seat part later on which took about 30 minutes. While not terrible, I do wish that I had brought a drill with a socket adapter which would have saved some time. That and a canopy for shade plus WAY more water than I did.

I was able to climb up and prune a tree branch back to clear out the view and take a good panoramic image. All in all, I'm very excited to use this stand. It'll be nice to not have to worry about the wind blowing over my blind or other issues I've run into before but the most exciting thing will be not getting winded. It happens every year. I have become very familiar with the sound of a doe snorting at me. The typical shots are expected to be around 50 yards.

Once the stand was up, I turned my focus to maintenance. Weeds are a, literally, huge problem. I have a lot to learn about agriculture, especially weed management. It's amazing how much knowledge you lose in a generation or two. Thankfully, I was able to mow the worse half of the field the day I put up the stand. We have Bradford pears that have huge spikes when they are saplings that destroy my front tubes. The 2026 year alone we ate through 3 inner tubes on the fronts. It cost a lot more than just a days efforts to mow.

 

That same day, I took a recently foam-filled wheel out. The process was completed by a local shop who did it while we were on vacation. About $154 later and we had a solid tire that now weighs 122 pounds. I only did the one wheel as the tire is fairly new on it and it was the one that got a puncture. I left the opposite side alone for now but I suspect that I will find a flat tire next time I go out. 

The amount of Bradford pears in the wildflower field was terrible. I know the opposite side took a hit but I don't know if it will have survived. We've also had punctures on the rear which ended up being a $300+ repair. If the opposite side did take a hit, I will try to order a new tire and have that same shop do the same thing.

Once done, we will have added about 200 pounds to the front of the tractor but that's just ballast. That's a good thing as now I don't have to add a bracket to the front to add weight to counter the brush hog.

This is about as done as I can be for this year. Between the new job and a toddler, I just haven't been able to easily dedicate time to driving out like I used to when we first got the property. The best thing is to move out there. We have a floor plan and are sorting out the cost and logistics of building it but these interest rates are brutal.

Regardless, I am very excited to get our for deer season 2026. Rifle season opens 17 OCT and runs until 10 JAN. That should be enough time for me to confirm and adjust zero on the What Would Stoner Do AR-15 300 Blackout Hunter build and the Barnes VOR-TX 120 grain load I am trying this year.

In other news, our second baby is expected to arrive early NOV so those first two weeks will need to be the main times I get out. I might be able to run out in DEC and JAN.

You can find the Game Winner XLR Tripod at Academy Sports. No, I don't get any kickbacks and I'm not sponsored.

https://www.academy.com/p/game-winner-xlr-tripod

101 Days to go for Deer Season 2024 - Gun Goals

October 21 is the opening day for the deer rifle season here in Georgia. I've been going over what build I want to try out this year. Last year was the Marlin 1894 CST in 357 Magnum which went great but I only got one doe with it. Part of the limiting factors for last year were surgery and other IVF related things. This year will be different. We will have a baby to take care of. I still have builds and ammunition choices I want to test out but I'm not sure if I will have time so I'm trying to sort out where to start.

Last year, I got three setups finished and zeroed in preparation of the baby girl getting here and not having the money to spend on the projects. First was the updated load selection for the Remington 700 .300 Blackout build. In 2022, I made a successful hunt using the Hornady 190 grain SUB-X loads. I changed to a custom ordered solid copper, hollow point subsonic load from Discreet Ballistics. I want to know if they will be effective on the whitetail here in GA. Sadly, they are running just a little too fast to be truly subsonic from my setup. I can still test the effectiveness of those wild, Machined Expander hollow points. I had actually made some changes to the stock by replacing it with an AR pistol buffer tube and adapter for my niece so she should go out with the rifle. She's a little small for the JMAC Customs stock but the buffer tube with a foam cheek rest let her get behind the scope with the rifle mounted in a tripod. She didn't get anything so I put the stock back on.

I like the idea of confirming if these bullets work well or not so that puts the Remington 700 in .300 BLK as our first option.

Next is the WWSD Hunter .300 Blackout build with the SIG 120 grain copper hollow points. The WWSD was originally chambered for .350 Legend but I ran into several issues at the same time and chose to rebarrel for .300 Blackout. The replacement SIG Romeo5 red dot and the Juliet 3X magnifier would more or less, make the WWSD AR-15 build a General Purpose rifle than a hunting rifle. However, given the lightweight construction and materials used in the WWSD concept, having a rifle this light can be very handy.

After finishing the build, I zeroed the rifle for 50 yards and confirmed velocities around 2400 fps. That should put the bullet around three inches down at 200 yards. That said, I don't know for sure what the minimum velocity is for those bullets to expand is and the lowest number I had been able to locate was around 2000 fps. The chart shows that I should expect around 150 yards to hit that 2000 fps mark. If all of that is accurate, the WWSD Hunter 300 Blackout should be a 150 yard hunting rifle. 

That said, should is a big word and the only way to know for sure is to get out there a bag deer. Seeing as I have already taken deer with the Remington 700, I'm inclined to take out the AR-15 this time to get in-field time with the rifle.

With the silencer attached, the WWSD AR-15 is under 9 lbs

Finally, the Taurus 66 with the Burris Fastfire 3 and the Hornady Custom XTP 158 grain loads. Last year, I was able to get the Fastfire to mount up with a cheap mount I found on the internet. I zeroed it for around 25 yards and should still be good for around 75 yards based on metrics gathered from various sources on the internet from gel testing. The game plan for the Model 66 is to carry it around with me during the deer season while I'm doing chores. If a deer shows up then I will take the opportunity to bag it.

The 66 is my first foray into the world of handgun hunting. It was originally meant for bear defense while hiking trails around Appalachia. I don't hike anymore being on the South side of Atlanta since there just aren't that many good trails. None of the trails are likely to have bear down this far. Getting North of Atlanta takes at least an hour on it's own to get around I-285 so it's just not worth the headache to drive the 2 hours to Dahlonega and further. I sure do miss the mountains. 

Anyway, with the Model 66 setup and zeroed. It's no extra effort to carry the revolver in place of my P365XL. Because of it being easy to carry, I guarantee it will be out with me on the farm from 21 OCT to 14 JAN 2025.

Originally, the 66 had an adjustable rear sight which should have been fine but I wanted to see if anyone made a red dot mount. Just for fun, I ordered one and it showed up. It took some doing but I was able to beat the mount and pins into submission and test fit the 8 MOA Burris FastFire 3 I had on my turkey Remington 870. Seeing as how I am rather familiar with red dots, I figured it would make getting into handgun hunting much easier. I have a very limited supply of .357 Magnum and practicing to make 75 yard shots with iron sights takes time and ammo. This helps mitigate training needs for now. I will likely switch the dot back to the 870 and put the irons back on. That 8 MOA dot is just huge for what I'm trying to do.

Ignore the butcher job I did on the holster to make the red dot fit. I'll clean it up some day.

Finally, I could continue on with the Marlin 1894 CST in .357 Magnum. I have come to enjoy that rifle and I like the idea behind continuing to prove that my setup and selection process do actually work. 

For the bonus option, if I feel like it, the Winchester 94 is back in action and ready for work. Mostly. I was able to get the rifle out to the range and zeroed with 170 grain JSPs. The open sights are good to go with the Turnbull Restoration red dot mount ready if I want to go that route. The only red dot I have available is on the Henry 22 for the moment but at 50 yards. The iron sights should be fine. That could be a fun option especially if I get to go out on an invited hunt with someone this year.

There you have it. The many options for hunting that I can choose. Depending on how aggressive I am this year and what opportunities present themselves, I can take all of these out over the season. 

A Late Start - Deer Season 2023

 Tomorrow is the start of the Georgia rifle season for deer. I had concerns that I wouldn't be able to make it at all due to IVF related activities. As it turns out, I will be able to go but just a little late. I will still be the one to provide my wife the twice daily injections but we won't be starting the retrieval process this week. That means I'm not bed-ridden.  Most likely, the retrieval will be next week. In fact, as I type this, we are waiting on the results for the most recent doctor's appointment my wife went to to see how she's progressing.

The whole process has been incredible. At the beginning of the week, we had only seen 5 uterus follicles doing their thing but on the Wednesday checkup, the number had grown to 8 with a few maturing nicely. We're pending the results of the Friday checkup now. 

This is all such a huge blessing and I would happily trade a whole season of hunting for a family of my own. If we do the retrieval next week, I will down for 3 days and prohibited from heavy lifting for a total of 2 weeks. That will make getting a deer onto the cargo carrier I use tricky. I'm hoping I can get something this weekend so I don't have to think about it while I'm down. 

I'm anxious to get out there. I'm taking my Marlin 1894 CST and the Taurus 66 both in .357 Magnum. I've got 3 spots on the Little Farm picked out for this year. I setup a stand overlooking the pond along with a natural blind next to it, a sitting spot tucked back into the woods where I know there's an active trail and finally my spot last year overlooking the bedding area where we see them. I forgot to set out my blind there along with corn and apples. I'm thinking this year, I want to work the back stretch but we'll see how this plays out. The weather is expected to be warm this weekend; in the mid 70's. Not exactly great but a least I won't be cold. 

On another note, I have a Springfield Armory 1911 TRP made back in 2002 that has Novak LoProfile tritium sights. I had bought it around 2009 used. I've been able to make accurate shots with it before but set it down on Monday. I was able to easily land 7 rounds in a 6 inch space around 25 paces from a bag. I've ordered a replacement adjustable rear sight after talking with Mike from Novak Sights. I had wanted to see what adjustable sights they had to push the distance from 25 yards point of impact to around 45 yards. I'm hoping to be able to use this 1911 as a target pistol along with something I can try to take a deer with. We shall see how that goes. The UMC Remington 230 JHP should do the job. 

Additionally, I got a new book. Elmer Keith's "Hell, I Was There" has been on my wish list for a while now. Knowing that I wouldn't be able to go do anything, my wonderful wife let me buy a copy to read while I'm stuck on the couch after my half of the IVF retrieval. I'm looking forward to reading it through. Mr. Keith's been gone since the 70's but he's doing a good job on selling me on both handgun hunting and .44 Magnum. 

I'll come back and edit this once we hear from the doctor's office about the wife's process. God is so great.

Update: We are holding at 8 follicles at this time with what looks like around 3 at or close to the mature level. I don't know anything about this subject but I took a guesstimation on projection. The nurse said we have another appointment on Monday and most likely will give the trigger shot to start the retrieval on Monday. We don't know for sure but that's the current estimate the doctor's office gave us. If that's the case, I'm praying that we have around 5 matured follicles ready to release an egg by next week with the current growth rate. It does appear that retrieval will be next week though a little later than expected.