Well from the beginning this adventure began when my grandfather began taking me hunting with him before I was able to get my license. One of my first and fondest memories hunting with my grandfather was when he killed two big does with his T/C Renegade in .54 caliber when I was about 8 years old. Since that date I fell in love with muzzleloaders although it was not until I was 22 years old that I obtained my rifle permit to hunt with a muzzleloader here in New Jersey and began building my knowledge of muzzleloading. My first muzzleloader was a .50 caliber T/C Hawken that I bought from a gentleman who never built it from a kit. My grandfather and I built the rifle and it became a great looking rifle and I killed my first muzzleloader deer using a maxi hunter with it. However, my real dream/goal was to kill a deer with a patch and roundball, which began approximately 6 years ago.
I began practicing with my Lyman GPR .54 months before the season here in NJ. I was feeling pretty confident in my ability out to 50 yards and was doing well up to 75 yards with a .530 Hornady Roundball and .20 Wonderlube Patch with 70 grains of Swiss 2F. I was looking forward to opening day of muzzleloader season for a year. Well, muzzleloader season opened November 26, 2012, and I found myself in my treestand with 30 degree temps. At around 7am I saw my first deer, a lone doe about 80 yards away and no shot. Come 9am and I hear some footsteps behind me and look to my right and there stands a coyote at 40 yards. I grab my rifle and the coyote catches me moving. I am able to shoulder my rifle, but miss the shot. I sit a few more hours without any movement until around noon when I catch 2 does sneaking behind at about 100 yards. Time passes until 3pm when a small spike buck comes from my right and walks past me at 20 yards. I was tempted to take the shot because I wanted to get a deer under my belt using a PRB, but I let him walk. As the small buck walks off to my left I watch him stop about 65 yards away and urinates. Shooting light is dwindling and I contemplate getting down but force back the urge. At the time the small spike buck walked by I grabbed my rifle and kept it on my lap. At about 4:30pm I happened to look up the hill and I could see a large bodied deer walking down to the bottom of the hill. As he got closer I could see the left antler, and saw that he had at least 3 points on that side. He was heading toward the direction the small spike disappeared which I estimated to be about 50 yards. I prepared myself for a shot in that opening and shouldered my rifle. As the deer crossed where the spike walked, I whistled to try and stop the buck without any results. I had the front sight where I wanted and a clear opening and squeezed the trigger. The cloud of smoke appears and all I can see is the white of the buck’s tail as it ran away and I lost sight of him. I immediately begin to reload, and I hear something crash in the direction the buck ran. I call my buddy who was hunting below me in a swamp and tell him that I think I hit a deer. I got down from my treestand and walked over to where the deer was standing when I shot. I began to look for blood with my headlamp, and found a few small spots on the ground. I marked it and walked back to my stand and waited for my buddy to help me in fear of pushing the buck. About 15 minutes later my buddy gets to my location and we walk to where I marked first blood. We planned as most probably do, he would stay with the last blood we found and I would continue to look for more ahead. Less than 10 feet from first blood I began to find more, and heavy blood. As I walked further the blood continued and my confidence grew. Well at most 50 yards, I find the deer lying motionless. As I approached the buck I could see it was better than I thought. He turned out to be a big bodied 8 point. I could see that I made a perfect lung shot. The round ball did not pass through, which I was surprised about considering the amount of blood he left. I yelled to my buddy and we began to celebrate. Unfortunately did not have a camera at the time of recovery. We began the long drag down the hill to the field below where we dressed the big buck and took pictures. This deer was my most gratifying kill so far in my hunting life and I am looking forward to more in the future, God willing. Good Luck to the rest of you. I am hooked for life. Picture is of me, my buddy and my son.
I began practicing with my Lyman GPR .54 months before the season here in NJ. I was feeling pretty confident in my ability out to 50 yards and was doing well up to 75 yards with a .530 Hornady Roundball and .20 Wonderlube Patch with 70 grains of Swiss 2F. I was looking forward to opening day of muzzleloader season for a year. Well, muzzleloader season opened November 26, 2012, and I found myself in my treestand with 30 degree temps. At around 7am I saw my first deer, a lone doe about 80 yards away and no shot. Come 9am and I hear some footsteps behind me and look to my right and there stands a coyote at 40 yards. I grab my rifle and the coyote catches me moving. I am able to shoulder my rifle, but miss the shot. I sit a few more hours without any movement until around noon when I catch 2 does sneaking behind at about 100 yards. Time passes until 3pm when a small spike buck comes from my right and walks past me at 20 yards. I was tempted to take the shot because I wanted to get a deer under my belt using a PRB, but I let him walk. As the small buck walks off to my left I watch him stop about 65 yards away and urinates. Shooting light is dwindling and I contemplate getting down but force back the urge. At the time the small spike buck walked by I grabbed my rifle and kept it on my lap. At about 4:30pm I happened to look up the hill and I could see a large bodied deer walking down to the bottom of the hill. As he got closer I could see the left antler, and saw that he had at least 3 points on that side. He was heading toward the direction the small spike disappeared which I estimated to be about 50 yards. I prepared myself for a shot in that opening and shouldered my rifle. As the deer crossed where the spike walked, I whistled to try and stop the buck without any results. I had the front sight where I wanted and a clear opening and squeezed the trigger. The cloud of smoke appears and all I can see is the white of the buck’s tail as it ran away and I lost sight of him. I immediately begin to reload, and I hear something crash in the direction the buck ran. I call my buddy who was hunting below me in a swamp and tell him that I think I hit a deer. I got down from my treestand and walked over to where the deer was standing when I shot. I began to look for blood with my headlamp, and found a few small spots on the ground. I marked it and walked back to my stand and waited for my buddy to help me in fear of pushing the buck. About 15 minutes later my buddy gets to my location and we walk to where I marked first blood. We planned as most probably do, he would stay with the last blood we found and I would continue to look for more ahead. Less than 10 feet from first blood I began to find more, and heavy blood. As I walked further the blood continued and my confidence grew. Well at most 50 yards, I find the deer lying motionless. As I approached the buck I could see it was better than I thought. He turned out to be a big bodied 8 point. I could see that I made a perfect lung shot. The round ball did not pass through, which I was surprised about considering the amount of blood he left. I yelled to my buddy and we began to celebrate. Unfortunately did not have a camera at the time of recovery. We began the long drag down the hill to the field below where we dressed the big buck and took pictures. This deer was my most gratifying kill so far in my hunting life and I am looking forward to more in the future, God willing. Good Luck to the rest of you. I am hooked for life. Picture is of me, my buddy and my son.
