Early this morning, just as the sun was coming up, I was sitting on a pair of buckets with Tyler Kee in his brand new deer blind when a beautiful love-struck buck wandered into our field following a doe that had run through a few seconds earlier. And as I lined up my scope for what would be the fourth headshot on wildlife in a row, the biggest thing that was running through my mind was “I might be about to make history…”

The state of Texas has always made hunting with silencers illegal for game animals. Something about poaching being harder to detect for the game wardens. Anyway, this year they changed the rules, and for the first time silencers would be legal to use on deer and other such “game” animals. The older generation isn’t very happy about the change, but its now 100% legal starting this hunting season.

A hunting season which, by the way, opened for modern rifles this morning.

Considering the number of people that actually own a can (small), and then the subset that hunts (even smaller) and the subset of that subset that was out this morning for the opening shots of the season (infinitesimal) its a good chance that my 7:50 AM shot may have been the quietest kill ever made in the state. Which, quite frankly, is pretty cool. Add on the fact that it was a 300 AAC Blackout rifle and it gets even better.

For those interested, here’s a quick rundown of the equipment:

  • AR-15 in 300 AAC Blackout
  • AAC 762-SDN-6 Silencer
  • Millet DMS Scope
  • PNW Arms Hunting Ammo (110gr Ballistic Tip)

Stay tuned for more from opening day in Texas.

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37 COMMENTS

  3. A couple things.
    First, I love that silencer. I plan on getting one in the upcoming months.
    Second, I like how you’re actually using the Millet DMS-1 after you’ve reviewed it. I don’t know why that surprises me, but it makes me proud that I have one on the way, just because I read the review, which brought the scope to my attention.

  4. We can’t own them in CA, but way to go Nick!
    Personally I would think a silencer would be nicer to the game too. Less shock to others standing near by, and certainly easier on your ears.

    • You’ll meet some old, deaf deer hunters in the Midwest. Totally a avoidable, and cans would certainly help. Alas, I live in CA, so I’m an evil person for wanting a silencer.

  5. All I can thing of is that the gov’t demands I have a muffler on my car, but makes it as difficult as possible for me to put one on my firearms.

    Congratz, btw!

  6. Well done, sir.

    Is that a Coues Whitetail or an eastern whitetail?

    One of these days, I might want to hunt with a can myself. My tinnitus needs no further encouragement to worsen.

  7. Nice. But you broke up a happy couple in Bambi and Rudolph…. Oh well. Your bagging that buck with with the 300 Blackout is forcing me to open my wallet to buy one.

    • Using an AR for hunting is *the* way to go. They’re fairly light, shorter than most bolt actions and offer the ever-popular quick follow-up shot. I bagged my buck on the second day of WA hunting season using an AR-15 chambered in 6×45 (a necked up 5.56).

  9. We are limited to 5rd magazines here in SC. What’s the limit in TX? Grats on the possible making of TX history.

    • I’m sorry, I’ve lived in texas all my life, and I’ve never heard that word before. What was it? Lih-met? You sure that’s English? In all seriousness though, all we have are plugs for shotguns that limit us to 3 shells, no full-auto, and no .22s or air rifles for larger game.

    • It’s a popular euphemism for “taken cleanly with a single fatal shot and not allowed to suffer”. Nice try at the liberal spin, partisan stooge.

      • I don’t think the misleading term “harvested” is limited to those efficient one-shot, no-suffering kills. It just means slaughtered, like I said.

    • Are you a vegetarian mikeyb? If not, STFU. I am a vegetarian and I say good on him. He took part in a lawful activity that benefits him and the animals.

    • Try watching animals being put down at modern “factory farms”, then come back and talk about how hunters “slaughter” their game.

    • With few predators left to control the population, it is up the hunters to thin the herd and the kill is processed into meat for the table. A lot of families live on the deer meat from one season to another. Would you prefer the deer over populate, then stave to death, abandon their fawns, mangled by getting hit by a car and left to die a horrible death. I have seen more dead deer on the side of the road than I could count over the years. Most I’m sure most had a “just shoot me now” moment to escape the pain.

      With all due respect you are the one who is spinning it, grow up!

      • Oh, so people go hunting for the good of the animals? is that your contention? That’s crap and you know it. Perhaps there is some truth to the humanitarian aspect of hunting, but it’s a SIDE EFFECT. People hunt because the like hunting, not to save the animals from unnecessary suffering.

        • Get off your soap box. People hunt because they enjoy it, it’s inside of us, it’s a pass time. We are able to rationalize it and justify it because it does have a positive impact on properly managing the wildlife.

          Hunters are being true to their nature in a legal and socially conscious way. We generally hold ourselves to extremely high ethical standard when HARVESTING game. Our licenses and fees along with our harvests are what have allowed the white tailed deer population and other game animals to flourish in a nearly impossible environment (due to other human influence, like your prius.) What have you done to warrant such an elitist point of view?

    • No, “slaughtered” is what happens when deer are hit by cars and trucks because of overpopulation. “Harvesting” is sanctioned and encouraged by conservation groups to keep the numbers at a manageable level.

  11. I live in MA, where mere possession of a can is a felony punishable by up to 5 years in the Graybar Hotel, all expenses paid. Man, that’s some crazy sh!t right there.

    • Mainly because that’s what I would want. A painless, quick death that they never see coming and aren’t conscious enough to experience. I’d switch to a heart/lung point of aim if it were anything more than 100 yards, but seeing as this was 40 yards tops and I had a solid 50 yard zero on this gun I was happy to take the shot.

  13. hmmm, think this one was heart/lung shot, cattle/hogs are shot in the head. Livestock is easier to manage shot placement. Wildlife, not so much.

    Hunters where I grew up always went for the heart. My grandfather went so far as to say “if you do not have a clean heart shot, don’t take it” BTW: rattle snakes always got their heads shot off by my grandfather

  14. I hope you shot that buck in a non AR county because that buck looks like its a AR buck. How many inches was the main beam? I don’t know if its a good idea to be posting that pic if you are in a AR county.

    • Is it small? Yes it is. But it meets the legal requirements set forth in the annual.

      I’d appreciate it if you refrain from accusing me of crimes I didn’t commit.

  16. My husband shot one opening day in the morning also with a supresser 300 blackout and 2 more the next week with one buck over 14+ inches.

  17. To be completely fair…. We all believe you that you measured it and you shot a legal buck, but it certainly doesn’t look like a 13 inch spread. I have yet to see a six point in Texas that makes the AR.

    I understand why you’re offended, but give the guy some slack, I think at best you know the picture makes the deer look very marginal.

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