Well, I don't get on here much anymore and even when I do it's mostly lurking.
Anyways, last Saturday was the muzzleloader opener for NY's "Northern Zone," and I got a pretty late start. Our camp/land is only about 25 minutes or so north of my home. Even so, I never got up there until 11:00, then helped my sister and b-i-l for a couple of hours or so and finally started hunting at about 1:50 in the afternoon. It was a gorgeous autumn day, not so good for hunting on account of the dry leaves everywhere. I walked quite slowly, and decided to head over to a part of the thick woods along the northern edge of the plateau that makes up the southern top of the creek bank. When I got over there (almost a half-hour), I could see and hear a couple of kayakers heading back downstream and out to the lake about 3/4 mile away to the west. I waited until well after they were out of sight before I started off along the edge again because I didn't want to spook them and give them any negative stuff against hunting. As I turned to the east, even before I took a step, there stood a large doe about 75 yards away in one of the few small, open patches in the woods. The greenish, filtered sunlight was shining behind her. She was broadside to me, facing to my right. I raised the gun, sighted and fired all in one motion. She took off at a fast walk and fell down after completing a short semi-cricle of less than 10 yards.
CVA .50 percussion Bobcat, Speer lead PRB (.490), 90 gr. Goex fffg. Each and every time that L'il Kitty has been fired at a deer, she's taken one down.
There was no exit hole, but the ball hit where I aimed right at the heart. Upon field dressing the deer, I could see that the ball had struck a rib upon entry, took out the right lung, spun down and toward the rear taking out part of the liver on the way. I did not find the ball until I got the deer home and skinned her, and the ball fell out when I peeled the hide down to the hips. The ball was under the hide of the far side, right where the loin meets the ham. Very very little meat loss to speak of; less than half a handful.
All in all, less than an hour of hunting. More like 45 minutes. It's nice to actually have the deer home, skinned and quartered, all before sunset. That isn't usually the way it goes for me. No regrets, but I do enjoy the hunt far more than the kill. Or anything else that comes after the kill and before the eating...
Anyways, I just had a few free minutes and wanted to crow about it. Thanks.
Anyways, last Saturday was the muzzleloader opener for NY's "Northern Zone," and I got a pretty late start. Our camp/land is only about 25 minutes or so north of my home. Even so, I never got up there until 11:00, then helped my sister and b-i-l for a couple of hours or so and finally started hunting at about 1:50 in the afternoon. It was a gorgeous autumn day, not so good for hunting on account of the dry leaves everywhere. I walked quite slowly, and decided to head over to a part of the thick woods along the northern edge of the plateau that makes up the southern top of the creek bank. When I got over there (almost a half-hour), I could see and hear a couple of kayakers heading back downstream and out to the lake about 3/4 mile away to the west. I waited until well after they were out of sight before I started off along the edge again because I didn't want to spook them and give them any negative stuff against hunting. As I turned to the east, even before I took a step, there stood a large doe about 75 yards away in one of the few small, open patches in the woods. The greenish, filtered sunlight was shining behind her. She was broadside to me, facing to my right. I raised the gun, sighted and fired all in one motion. She took off at a fast walk and fell down after completing a short semi-cricle of less than 10 yards.
CVA .50 percussion Bobcat, Speer lead PRB (.490), 90 gr. Goex fffg. Each and every time that L'il Kitty has been fired at a deer, she's taken one down.
There was no exit hole, but the ball hit where I aimed right at the heart. Upon field dressing the deer, I could see that the ball had struck a rib upon entry, took out the right lung, spun down and toward the rear taking out part of the liver on the way. I did not find the ball until I got the deer home and skinned her, and the ball fell out when I peeled the hide down to the hips. The ball was under the hide of the far side, right where the loin meets the ham. Very very little meat loss to speak of; less than half a handful.
All in all, less than an hour of hunting. More like 45 minutes. It's nice to actually have the deer home, skinned and quartered, all before sunset. That isn't usually the way it goes for me. No regrets, but I do enjoy the hunt far more than the kill. Or anything else that comes after the kill and before the eating...
Anyways, I just had a few free minutes and wanted to crow about it. Thanks.
