Gotcher Deer?

[Little Wattsy]

I know that I have seen some here but for my amusement and education, I would love to hear some deer hunting stories. Take your time and put all the detail in that you can. I am interested in technique lke treestand VS ground blind VS spot and stalk VS still hunt, etc. Loads, bullets, time of year, etc. Any mistakes to look for like wet powder? And of course the animal ie: juicy doe or knarley buck.
See I wont have a hunting story of my own (muzzleloader that is) untill November '08 so I need to live vicariously through yours :grin:

And no you wont be graded on spelling :haha:

 

[BrownBear]

First day of our primitive weapon season I was hunting with Smokehouseman. He spotted a nice little buck about 100 yards away and graciously offered me the shot. I had plenty of time and took a good rest cuzz the buck was just standing there. I was shooting my GPR 54 at 100 yards the day before, so it was a dead easy certain shot.

Kinda painful to admit, but since there was a witness I'll go on with the tale. I missed! The smoke cleared and the buck was still standing as peaceful as could be. Even while I was flapping my elbows and cussing through a reload, Smokehouseman refused to take a shot. It occurred to me that I failed to take into account the steep downhill angle to the buck.

Watching all the action, that buck did a slow turn to show me his other side. He stood and waited till I was dragging the ramrod up out of the barrel, then stepped into the spruce and disappeared for good.

We had a bad winter kill last year, so hunting was slow. After 8 or 10 more days of steady hunting, we tried a different area.

This time we split up and I got to following tracks in new snow. Before long I jumped a fat doe at 10-12 feet in the brush, then dumped her when she paused at about 20 yards.

Pretty quick Ole Smoke showed up and helped with the chores and dragging her out, then hiked off to retrieve his truck. We loaded her up, and rather than going back out to hunt, he stuck around to help with the skinning and hanging.

Long story short, the hunting gods frowned and Ole Smoke didn't get to punch his tag, even after all his prior generosity.

But you can bet when steaks are on the grill or a roast is coming off our rotissary he's a cherished guest at the table.

Hard to top that kind of hunting partner, but I hope I'm not the only one so well blessed.

 

[tg]

I hunted the Turkey day long weekend and could not connect with a nice buck in the bottom land I was working so took a spikehorn Blacktail the Sunday after Thanksgiving, replica circa 1730 French Fusil smoothbore hunting gun with a .562 ball .012 patch with over powdercard and 80-90 gr 3f,not much of a story he trotted by me and I hit him in the side of the chest, reloaded with a .535 ball, waited a spell then followed him and found him laying next to a poplar tree and finished him with a shot to the head, I saw few deer the two weekends before in the Trask unit, things are getting bad with the deer population up in the Mts. but they seem to be doing better in the Willamette units down in the valley,hopefully this will turn around but the DFG person who called to check on my succes said that the hair loss syndrome and other problems are hitting the Blacktail hard, hopefully the spring count will show an improvement.


This guy isn't real big but very tasty

 

[Rancocas]

I didn't connect in '07, but I took a nice 7 pt. buck in '06.
I have a special little spot that requires a 2 mile hike over a ridge here in the southern Appalachians. I had seen two nice bucks in that isolated valley during the hog season. So, the day before Thanksgiving, 2006 I was there in my ground blind.
My blind is just a brush pile at the base of a big hemlock tree. I sit on the ground and lean back against the tree.
My rifle is a homemade .50 percussion with a 42 inch long barrel.
First thing that morning I spotted something black moving up the hill toward me. Turkey. The hen came within 20 yards of me and then passed on over the ridge.
A few minutes after the turkey had gone I caught a movement at the corner of my vision. I slowly turned my head, and there stood one of the bucks I had seen earlier. He was only 30 yards away, and he had seen my movement. He turned and trotted back up the ridge while I lined my rifle sights on his rump.
But, then he did a strange thing. He turned around and headed down toward a mountain bench below me, the original way he had been going. Now, he was about 60 yards out from me. As he trotted through my shooting lane I lined the sights just ahead of his shoulder and squeezed the trigger.
He showed no indication of a hit. I watched as he ran down to the bench, and then suddenly he fell, kicked a few times, and lay still.
My round ball had passed through both of his lungs, and on out the other side.
My problem in '07 was that the forest service had done a controlled burn of my hunting area. There was no underbrush left, and the ground and tree trunks were all black with soot.
It is growing back nicely, though. I went back in there last week to scout for turkey. I flushed a flock of 10-12 birds and found plenty of deer sign too.

 

[Little Wattsy]

THANX Guys!!! :applause: :bow: :applause: and to others please keep em comming!

TG as a member of OHA (Oregon Hunting Assoc) I got an invite to go count deer w/ a biologist in the Wilson and trask units....There arnt meny blacktails left compared to yster-year. Elk seem to be doing nicely though.
If you get a chance there are several generous landowners along old hwy 99 between Monmouth and Corvallis, also around Dalles...Some nice bucks in the brush piles around the fields. Also there is the old military base turned wildlife preserve (legally huntable) just north of Corvallis east side of the Hwy "Camp Adair"...VERY BUSY during regular rifle season but might be a peach for ML...... :thumbsup:

 

[rabjr]

http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/213432/
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/214830/

 

[tg]

"If you get a chance there are several generous landowners along old hwy 99 between Monmouth and Corvallis, also around Dalles"

yeah the valley and cover adjacent to the rivers hold as lot of deer I am fotunate to have permission to hunt on quite a few farms in this rea eclusive permission on a couple of them, I think one could fnd a nice buck if one wanted to put in the time and go into the thick stuff after them in the Trask unit,I may get ambitious next year and give it a serious shot, it is a lot easier to hunt the swales and river bottoms down low however, hopefully the Blacktails will return in the numbers they were sme years back, I can remember passin several shootable does in a day while waiting for a buck and usually got a nice buck, now if I saw a nice doe five minutes into the opening day I would probably take it to insure meat in the pot.

 

[lone hunter]

[/img]

Slipped up on this guy during a November snowstorm. Hunting the bottms along a creek at dusk. 54cal TC, 530gr maxi-ball, 65 yd.

 

[Little Wattsy]

[/img]

Slipped up on this guy during a November snowstorm. Hunting the bottms along a creek at dusk. 54cal TC, 530gr maxi-ball, 65 yd.

WOW :bow: I think I just wet meself! :thumbsup:

 

[Dan Leroy]

Back In '06' Drew A ML Tag For Elk NE Trask Unit.
I Shoot 50 cal PRB 90 Grains . Went And did The Early Season Scouting Thing Found All Kinds Of Sign
Things Looked Promising So Myself & two hunting partners Got Ready All summer & fall for this once in alife time hunt. Expectations were high Grub tents trailers and all matters of Supplys were loaded and ready to go.the day we set up camp day before season saw elk tracks 100 yards from camp :grin: . Opening Day Saw Lots Of sign
but no animals Days 3&4 The Same Just Good food freinds and afew Beers In the Evening. Took a break And Wint home to Play Santa claus For Xmas.
Upon my return The Camp Was all abuzz One Of the party had Shoot a Nice spike Xmas Day :applause:
They Took Me Out In the general area and droped me off for a Day hunt. it was snowing and Beatiful out i just knew it was going to be agreat day.
Anyway i start down this draw and cut fresh tracks
the hunt is on . about 75yds back up the draw on the other side i see movement up in the trees . so i sat and watched as 7-8 cows-calfs come across the draw and right towards me the wind is in my favor. 3 cows side hill up above me And stop while 1 cow comes to with in 30yrds stands broad side
I bring the 50cal to shoulder an when the smoke cleared I had my first SMOKEPOLE Elk :grin: . What A Great Xmas All 3 Brought Home Elk as Presents.

So Far my Best ML Hunt
------------------Dan-L
P.S. Sorry About Spelling----Dan-L

 

[Little Wattsy]

Back In '06' Drew A ML Tag For Elk NE Trask Unit.
I Shoot 50 cal PRB 90 Grains . Went And did The Early Season Scouting Thing Found All Kinds Of Sign
Things Looked Promising So Myself & two hunting partners Got Ready All summer & fall for this once in alife time hunt. Expectations were high Grub tents trailers and all matters of Supplys were loaded and ready to go.the day we set up camp day before season saw elk tracks 100 yards from camp :grin: . Opening Day Saw Lots Of sign
but no animals Days 3&4 The Same Just Good food freinds and afew Beers In the Evening. Took a break And Wint home to Play Santa claus For Xmas.
Upon my return The Camp Was all abuzz One Of the party had Shoot a Nice spike Xmas Day :applause:
They Took Me Out In the general area and droped me off for a Day hunt. it was snowing and Beatiful out i just knew it was going to be agreat day.
Anyway i start down this draw and cut fresh tracks
the hunt is on . about 75yds back up the draw on the other side i see movement up in the trees . so i sat and watched as 7-8 cows-calfs come across the draw and right towards me the wind is in my favor. 3 cows side hill up above me And stop while 1 cow comes to with in 30yrds stands broad side
I bring the 50cal to shoulder an when the smoke cleared I had my first SMOKEPOLE Elk :grin: . What A Great Xmas All 3 Brought Home Elk as Presents.

So Far my Best ML Hunt
------------------Dan-L
P.S. Sorry About Spelling----Dan-L

Gotta love it when a plan comes together!!!! :thumbsup:

 

[Stumpkiller]

Got two. Both before M/L in bow season so I was out of the game early this year.

Hunted with later, but did not shoot the m/l. (Just in case one like Lone Hunter's was having a bad day - NICE DEER!)