Punching Paper Vs. Hide and Hair

By Horace Gore

American consumers are a strange bunch. Whether it’s vehicles, housing, guns or beer, the success goes to the one advertised best. Today, we have 75 million young consumers who are in a league of their own.

The key to what makes young folks tick is the magic of social media. They were born in a time of plenty and instant communication, which appears to give them a different look at the world. Rest assured, many Democratic presidential hopefuls will be courting young voters in 2024.

“Politics makes strange bedfellows” is a spinoff from Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” where a shipwrecked soul facing a monster cries out, “Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows.” If you look at the Democratic lineup, the truth in Shakespeare’s quote is quite evident.

But where does all of this fit with punching holes in paper targets? Or punching holes in hide and hair? I mentioned guns, because with today’s shooters and hunters, you can also lead them around as willing consumers with media hype. All you have to do is advertise a new gun caliber that’s said to be better than anything before, with a case capacity that saves money, a bullet that defies gravity, and a short shell for a short action that’s suitable for emu or elk. Just pick your bullet and carry a sharp knife.

I speak of the current trend toward the mild, but accurate 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge. The way it’s advertised, and the number of 6.5 Creedmoors sold or custom-made these days, would make you think it has some kind of kinetic magic—and that it can defy the laws of physics. That’s not true for both, but there’s something else, something that has gradually turned a lot of hunters and target shooters off for the last 60 years—the Magnum craze. Hunters are simply tired of being kicked around—no pun intended—for no good reason.

At least four characteristics in a cartridge draw the shooter to the cash register: accuracy, recoil, killing power, and ammo availability. Magnum killing power has been the big draw since 1958 when Winchester brought out the .264

Magnum, followed by Remington’s 7mm Magnum. Hunters jumped on the bandwagon, and have been on a Magnum craze that continues today. A few years before, Roy Weatherby had brought out his line of high-dollar Magnums, but they were out of the price range for most hunters. Then, Winchester and Remington brought out rifles priced right, and the Magnum craze shot up like a rocket.

For at least 40 years, hunters went belted Magnum, regardless of the hunt—whitetails at 100 yards to elk and pronghorn at long range—affluent hunters had to have a Magnum. Above all, they wanted velocity and killing power. Not to go unnoticed was the upswing in African safaris, where big Magnums were popular and often necessary.

A few years later, cartridge companies went short Magnum—same power and bullets—just a short, fat case without a belt suitable for short actions and lighter rifles. It was all in advertising, but it worked. Only one full-length belted Magnum still comes out of the gate today—the .300 Win. Mag., but it’s still winning races. However, today the general line of belted Magnum cartridges is waning.

The cartridge-popularity plot thickened after the turn of the century when folks at Hornady tinkered with a short case, a long neck, and a long 143-grain 6.5mm bullet. They dubbed the cartridge the 6.5 Creedmoor. Velocity was a mere 2,700 feet per second, but accuracy was superb.

Hornady thought of the cartridge as a long-range target load for short-action rifles. It fulfilled all expectations, but laid around like a mangy dog for about 10 years. When short actions became popular in bolt rifles, and AR-type rifles became more popular—thanks, Obama—the 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge suddenly jumped to the top in popularity. Strangely enough, the Creedmoor craze seems to be following the Millennial age.

No surprise it’s one of the most accurate long-range target loads ever developed as a commercial cartridge. The big surprise in Texas was its popularity as a deer cartridge. Accuracy, yes; low recoil, yes; killing power at 2,700 fps with the 140-grain bullet, yes; ammo availability, yes. Then, you have to look at what’s actually needed to kill 90 percent of the 700,000 whitetails loaded into pickups each season in Texas.

Texas whitetails are commonly shot at close range from a comfortable blind, aided by a corn feeder where an accurate 140-grain bullet at 2,700 fps will consistently cause the demise of all deer. Enter the mild-mannered, pleasant-to-shoot, accurate 6.5 Creedmoor. Actually, most deer in Texas won’t know whether you’re shooting a 6.5, a .243, a .270 or .30-06. They will all succumb to the shot.

With mule deer and possibly elk, the medium-powered 6.5 Creedmoor will continue to do wonders when used with a tactical scope that will match the bullet and velocity. When shooting at game animals up to 400 yards with this setup, wind is the only problem. But, let’s face it—the 6.5 Creedmoor was designed for punching paper at long range, not punching hide, hair, or breaking bone at 300 to 400 yards.

Hunters who prefer the 6.5 bullets have some excellent choices not built for accuracy, but tried and proven on big game. The .264 diameter bullets weighing 120 to 140 grains have a high ballistic coefficient, making them superior for long- range shooting—especially the sharp pointed spitzer 140-grain bullets. The definition of ballistic coefficient is a measure of a bullet’s ability to overcome air resistance in flight.

My choice of 6.5 caliber for hunting, using 140-grain bullets, would be more like the .264 Winchester or the 6.5-284 Norma. A third choice would be the 6.5x55 Swede. I have used both the .264 and 6.5x55 very successfully on Texas whitetails, and other game including Rocky Mountain mule deer and elk.

Hunting does not require the extreme accuracy the 6.5 Creedmoor will provide, but you need tolerable recoil and killing power, hence the long popularity of the .30-06 and the .270 Winchester on soft-skinned game like whitetails and pronghorns. I know hunters who regularly use .300 Win. Mags and .300 Weatherby Mags on Texas whitetails. I guess it follows the adage, “Shoot the cartridge that you can shoot well.” My daughter shoots a Winchester rifle and .243 100-grain bullets. She has taken 14 Texas whitetails with one-shot kills. Who’s to argue?

In general, the 6.5 Creedmoor is new to Texas hunting. A few of my friends use the 6.5 and swear by it. However, a long shot for most Texas hunters and their Creedmoors would be 150 yards, and more often, 75 yards at a whitetail deer eating corn. A better test for the Creedmoor would be mule deer in Wyoming at over 400 yards. The 6.5 Creedmoor will do it all, according to our field editor, Jason Shipman.

Regardless of the hype and advertising, hunters like the 6.5 Creedmoor because it’s accurate and has mild recoil. With the proper scope and bullet, it will easily kill a deer or pronghorn from here to yonder. But more so, they like it because it will put four holes the size of a quarter in a paper target at deer-killing distance. It’s pure confidence, Waldo!

At 18 years old, with a vast array of hunting behind her, Ella Hawk has experience beyond her youthful years. Ella began her hunting career at the tender age of three, going along with her hunting parents. Her first kill at age 8 was a whitetail deer with a .243 rifle. Shortly after she switched to a crossbow because she was too small to pull a compound bow.

“I enjoy the challenge of bowhunting.” Ella said. “My parents inspired me and my love for hunting has grown so much over the years.”

Her dad, Tony Hawk said, “It’s been pointed out by quite a few hunting buddies and ranch owners that Ella has more hunting experience than a lot of grown men. To me that says a lot!”

Tony owns an insulation company and is on Bowtech’s Pro Staff. Her mom, Cindy, a hairdresser, and Tony are both accomplished bowhunters. They were thrilled Ella wanted to follow their footsteps shortly after taking several animals with a rifle. Despite what’s going on outside of hunting, those moments together are the best days of their lives.

“Her mother is a natural at bowhunting, so Ella inherited her ability,” Tony said. “I’ve always sat with Ella hunting, and our time together is what I cherish. It’s created a bond that will last a lifetime.

In her pre-teen years, Ella requested hunting trips for birthdays and Christmas. Her parents gladly obliged. Draw- ing on a mature whitetail at close range takes skill. Tony said, “I’ve watched this kid do it over and over, and it makes me so proud.”

Currently, Ella uses a Bowtech Eva Shockey compound bow and Easton FMJ arrows with G5 Striker broadheads. “I may eventually change if I start shooting bigger game,” she said.

Ella’s accomplishments and accolades are numerous, as this young lady has three times been named Trophy Game Records of the World (TGR) Youth Huntress of the Year. In 2019 she won TGR’s Crossbow Hunter of the Year, an adult division.

At age 10, she killed a 13-foot, 800-pound alligator on the Guadalupe River near Victoria, Texas, and set a new TGR crossbow alligator record. Her guide, Ryan Longer, said he had more confidence in her ability than most men he guided. This prompted Ella and her dad being featured on Fox and Friends.

Ella also holds TGR crossbow records for Transcaspian Urial, Rio Grande turkey, and South Texas whitetail, plus many top 10 animals of various species. Last year her Duval County buck with 25 points captured recognition as a TGR Youth Diamond Buck.

No stranger to big buck contests, including the TTHA Hunter Extravaganza Annual Deer Competition, she’s garnered awards. Ella has won various categories in the Muy Grande and Freer Deer Camp competitions. This season her 61⁄2 -year-old whitetail scored 2014⁄8 B&C at Muy Grande.

“I strive for the love and happiness that comes with hunting as a family. Getting that shot on the game you’re hunting wouldn’t be the same without celebrating with your favorite people.”

Ella added, “Feeling connected to nature is an amazing part of hunting.”

A couple years ago, an Oklahoma buck jumped her string, causing Ella’s arrow to hit the buck high. Ella was devastated, searching two days for the buck without success. A few days later it appeared on camera with a non-fatal wound, which made her feel better. In the Hawk family, no practice means no hunting, so Ella, Tony and Cindy are vigilant about practicing all year.

This beautiful young huntress envisions hunting forever. While she strives for a bigger buck or the next game species, things are always planned. Ella stated, “I can’t wait to pass the tradition and sport down to my children and family, to spend genuine time with them one day.”

Ella has a boyfriend named Carson but said, “I intimidate some of the boys at school with my skills and experience, while others aspire to know and do the things I’ve done already.”

Although she’s hunted mainly with her parents, Ella cites landowner Pete Guerra as a close friend, as well as ranch manager John Huber. They are two of the most important people in her life. “They’ve always made us feel welcome, like family. I couldn’t be more thankful for them.”

One of Ella’s most memorable and favorite hunts was an African safari family trip the summer of 2018. “I was able to take wildebeest, warthog, blesbok, and two impalas. We stayed with a warm, welcoming family. I can’t wait to go back!”

Ella also has a desire to hunt Alaska. “My dad has been several times, taking brown bear with a bow,” she said. “It’s the true wilderness. From what he tells me and photos he’s taken, it’s very beautiful. I’ve got my fingers crossed to go sometime!”

Ella’s undecided on what college to attend, but Texas State University is her top choice. “I want a career in property management while I also hope to continue hunting throughout college, and the rest of my life.”

Luis and his grandfather were supposed to go hunting together, but his granddad took ill and unfortunately passed away. But before he died, Luis promised he would hunt for the big buck they had their eyes on, a buck nicknamed “Gulfstream.”

Iwill never forget the first time my granddad—Juan Martinez—and I visited Rancho Rio Escondido and laid eyes on a big beautiful Mexican whitetail by the nickname of “Gulfstream.” Together, we had browsed through many trail camera pictures and had seen a wide variety of different bucks. But this one stood out the most. I remember thinking to myself, “I can’t wait to bring him back once the season starts and gift him a hunt he will never forget.”

The day before we left, as we sat in the deer blind, we were speechless as we saw Gulfstream walking through the brush. We both sat in silence. We looked at one another and smiled, knowing very soon we would come back once the season started. Little did we know that the unexpected would happen.

As we returned to San Antonio, Texas, a couple of weeks later, Granddad had to be taken into heart surgery. The first thing he asked the doctors as he woke up from the anesthesia was, “When am I able to go hunting again?” The doctors explained his recovery process would be slow and he would not be able to go hunting until the next year. As I heard the news, I called my friend, Texas Harper, who’s the ranch owner, and asked him if we could have that deer until the next year, and he said yes.

A few months later in January, the unexpected happened. Granddad got COVID-19 and unfortunately passed away. The last time I spoke with him, I told him not to worry. I would go back and hunt Gulfstream in his name.

The following year, Gulfstream grew even bigger, and my hunting buddies and I decided we would head to Rio Escondido on opening week of the 2021 hunting season. That first sit on the morning of the hunt, we saw many deer. It was easy to say buck fever was kicking in. I kept asking my friend Texas about this one buck at the feeder because I was ready to lay my gun on the window and take the shot. But he told me to be patient because it was only the first morning of the trip.

Throughout the remainder of the afternoon, we kept seeing many deer, but not Gulfstream. The following morning, we sat in the same deer blind from the previous morning, the same deer blind where we had seen Gulfstream the previous year. But around 7:45 a.m., we decided to switch up the game plan and jump into the side by side and rush over to another deer blind about a mile away. We quietly got into position in the blind and started seeing many deer coming and going to the feeder, but not Gulfstream.

At around 9 a.m. we decided it was time to head to the lodge for some coffee and breakfast. While we were climbing out of the deer stand, we heard something snort. We turned around and saw a monster buck walking out of the brush about 150 yards away. We climbed back into the deer stand and kept the windows closed to see if he would go to the feeder.

It took him about 10 minutes, and he finally did. He was an absolute beast. Texas was probably more excited than I was when he saw the deer in the open. We glassed him for several minutes, but the buck never took his eyes off us in the deer stand.

We finally were able to open the window to get a better view so I could stick my rifle out of it. Once I had put my rifle on him, he was at 200 yards standing broadside and staring right at me. I put my crosshairs on his shoulder and when I got ready to take the gun off safety, he decided he had enough and turned the other way and started walking back into the brush where he had come out. We grunted and he stopped for a split second, but I wasn’t able to get on him in time. Seconds later he was gone.

We went back to the lodge to have breakfast with the rest of the family. We began to share the stories about the deer we had seen and all the experiences we had just gone through. We were sitting by the fire in the living room and started to say to each other that we weren’t going to get lucky by just sitting inside. So, we decided to get to the deer blind a lot earlier than we had been. We took a 30-minute siesta and by 1 p.m. we were back at the deer stand waiting to get lucky. That afternoon seemed like an eternity. We didn’t see any activity until about 5:30 p.m. We saw a couple of does and some young deer. Nothing really exciting.

5:45 rolled around and it was getting dark fast. Texas said, “Let’s wait another 15 minutes. Let’s wait it out till the end.” And so we did.

Right after we made that decision, Texas picked up his binoculars, looked at me and said, “It’s Gulfstream.” It took him what seemed like 2 seconds to identify the buck and tell me to get my gun ready. He told me to wait for the buck because he was coming from the right, and headed towards the feeder. The buck had no idea that were even there.

Gulfstream finally made his way to the feeder, 150 yards away. By this time it was already getting even more dark, making it harder to identify the deer. Gulfstream was eating off the ground, facing away from me, and all I heard from Texas was, “Wait until he gets broadside.” Gulfstream stayed for what seemed an eternity in the same spot, which was only really 30 seconds.

He finally turned broadside and I got the green light from Texas. I gently applied pressure on the trigger then I saw a big blast from the end of the barrel. My brother Diego and Texas both began to scream and laugh out of joy. The deer had dropped in his tracks.

We were high fiving each other in the blind, but I wasn’t sure if the buck was truly the one Granddad was after. We got out of the deer stand and started our walk towards the deer. We finally approached him. The second I was able to lay my hands on Gulfstream, tears of joy started rolling down my cheeks. As I pointed and looked up to the sky, I said, “This one is for you, Granddad.”