First Day of Illinois Firearm Season

[luieb45]

Took the day off from school to go hunting today. Didn't see any deer until I had been sitting for 3 hours and here comes a button buck strolling through the woods at 30 yards. I put the sights on him behind the shoulder and fire. He trots off for about 15 yards. Stops. And goes over the fence and out of sight. It was windy today so I couldn't hear much besides the wind blowing so at this point I thought I missed. I wait 15 minutes then go look for sign and at where I shot him there was white and brown fur. To me that doesn't right for the area I thought I would have hit him in. I find a well used path with tracks on it and follow that for a couple of feet and every foot or so get a drop of blood. Then the drops increase and then some blood starts getting on the brush then I start getting pretty good areas of blood on the ground and where he went over the fence he bled all over the log that mashed down the fence years ago. Then there was just blood all over the ground, trees, and everything and what do you know it I find my deer. Hit him middle of the body 3 in. behind the shoulder. A little farther back than I tried for but you have to take the "button buck fever" into the account also. I pull the deer out of the woods to find out that my dad got his first muzzleloader kill. Not a deer though. He had a coyote come trotting by at 10 yards! He hit the coyote through both shoulders and dropped her immediately. I had an oppurtunity earlier this morning to shoot a coyote but couldn't get a good shot because it kept trotting. I killed the deer with my T/C Renegade .50 caplock using a .490 Hornady ball, .013 pillow ticking patch lubed with Track's mink oil tallow, and 75 grains of Graf's 3fffg black powder. BTW, the entrance and exit wounds on this deer were just as big as the hole the average 20 gauge deer slug makes. Totally obliterated the lungs. I will have pics up tomorrow night sometime.

 

[longrifle78]

Congrats Luie sounds like you had a better day than me , maybe my luck will be better tomorrow. :thumbsup:

 

[roundball]

Sounds like you've started the journey...congratulations on a clean kill !

 

[jethro224]

:hatsoff:

 

[paulvallandigham]

Congratulations, Louie. You did a fine job. :hatsoff:

 

[Skychief]

No turning back now Luie....Way to go and congratulations! :thumbsup:

 

[buttonbuck]

they eat good congrats!!!

 

[flyfisher76544]

Congrats to you and your dad! :thumbsup:

 

[GreyWhiskers]

Congrats to both of ya! :thumbsup:

GW

 

[shootemup]

Great job, and you always tell the story well. Congratulations! I'm looking forward to the pics -

:hatsoff:
Spot

 

[boar]

Good job. You done well. So did Dad. Like to get me a coyote some time. Youth season( Ohio) is on here this weekend. :thumbsup: Dilly

 

[hawk]

good job remember to breathe though the fever and you'll do fine :hatsoff:

...coyote makes a fine hat

 

[Britsmoothy]

:hatsoff:


Good follow up.

Brits.

 

[luieb45]

Here's that trophy button buck. :rotf: He was a big one for being that old though.

 

[luieb45]

Here's dad's coyote. Shot it at a trot 10 yards away. Dead right there. He shot at a group of does bedded when he walked to his blind last night but shot under the doe at 60 yards. He thought his sights were off but we shot off the bench and it was almost dead on. I guess that's what they call "doe fever."

 

[luieb45]

Oops! I forgot to tell you about each gun, load, etc. My deer was shot with a T/C Renegade .50 caplock shooting a .490 hornady ball, .013 pillow ticking patch lubed with mink oil tallow from TOW, with 75 grains of graf's 3fffg black powder.

The coyote shot by my dad was shot with a .50 Lyman Great Plains Rifle caplock. He used .490 hornady ball, .010 ox yoke patch(too thin if you ask me), with 80 grains of graf's 3fffg black powder.

 

[CaptainKirk]

Great job, Luie!
Your dad should be proud of you! Hell, we're proud of you! Keep up the good work! :thumbsup:

 

[rabjr]

Nice! Grats to you and Dad. :thumbsup:

 

[Haleh]

Good job. :thumbsup:

 

[wvbuckbuster]

:hatsoff: to both you and your dad. They are both trophys!