I started hunting with my cabelas 50 cal hawken in 2007 and killed a small doe that year. Since then I have hunted with it a couple times a year but always ended up filling my tags with my rifle. During elk season this year I killed my elk and a deer with my rifle so the pressure was off and I decided that I would either fill my "antlerless" tag with the muzzleloader or not fill it at all.
I finished elk hunting on october 22nd and I had until Dec 31 to fill the deer tag. I didn't hunt much until the second week of November, and on November 18 a friend invited me to hunt with him on some property he has access to. I rarely hunt private land but I decided to go with him. He was holding out for a buck so any does would be mine.
At last light 2 does walked out about 80 yds away. We had to wait to see if a buck would follow before I could take the shot. In the meantime they moved into some brush and out of sight. Then one of them ran off too fast for me to get a shot and we strained to see the second deer. Finally I spotted him and estimated the range at 100 yds or maybe a little further. I set the trigger took very careful aim and pulled the trigger. All i saw was smoke but my friend told me that the deer jumped up and pulled all its legs up to its belly and dropped to the ground.
We were surprised to find that the doe was actually a small spike but still legal under the "antlerless" designation. The ball had broken the back directly above the shoulders completely severing the spine and exiting the other side. The blood on his ear is from my hands grabbing him after gutting him.
He is a small deer but I was excited to get him. .490 ball 0.10" pillow ticking patch and 85 grains of FFg at 114 yds did the job.
I finished elk hunting on october 22nd and I had until Dec 31 to fill the deer tag. I didn't hunt much until the second week of November, and on November 18 a friend invited me to hunt with him on some property he has access to. I rarely hunt private land but I decided to go with him. He was holding out for a buck so any does would be mine.
At last light 2 does walked out about 80 yds away. We had to wait to see if a buck would follow before I could take the shot. In the meantime they moved into some brush and out of sight. Then one of them ran off too fast for me to get a shot and we strained to see the second deer. Finally I spotted him and estimated the range at 100 yds or maybe a little further. I set the trigger took very careful aim and pulled the trigger. All i saw was smoke but my friend told me that the deer jumped up and pulled all its legs up to its belly and dropped to the ground.
We were surprised to find that the doe was actually a small spike but still legal under the "antlerless" designation. The ball had broken the back directly above the shoulders completely severing the spine and exiting the other side. The blood on his ear is from my hands grabbing him after gutting him.
He is a small deer but I was excited to get him. .490 ball 0.10" pillow ticking patch and 85 grains of FFg at 114 yds did the job.
