Hi all,
This is my first attempt at uploading pictures. Hope everyone can see them.
Thanksgiving day I got this guy:
Was walking toward my treestand about 3PM and saw antlers sticking up from a depression out in a hilltop hayfield. Got down on my hands and knees and stalked as close as I could. Even left the possible bag behind to keep it from dragging and making noise.
While stalking, I stopped for a moment and looked through my aperture sights. To my surprise I could hardly make out the front sight. With the sun behind me, the reflection from the back of the rear sight washed out the image through the rather small aperture. So I unscrewed the aperture to use the sight as a 'ghost ring' and hoped for the best.
Got within about 50 yards and noticed from antler movement that he was getting nervous. Got into a rather unsteady position on my knees about the time he got up. As I suspected he stood for a moment facing me trying to identify what I was. My wobbly ghost ring sight picture was just ahead of his right front shoulder when everything went white.
Hit him in the bottom of the neck (shooting uphill) about 6 inches behind his right jaw. The 350 gr. Maxi Hunter angled up and back exiting the top of the neck ahead of the left front shoulder. He dropped in his tracks and bled out internally. The carcass was full of blood when I gutted him.
If you check closely, you'll see that his left front foot is badly swollen and oozing pus just above the hoof. He was probably in a lot of pain and off his game...otherwise I don't think he would've left himself so vulnerable. I had seen him a few days prior and he looked and acted fine, so the wound was recent...might've been nicked by a slug.
The gun is a .50 T/C Greyhawk with aperture sights. It's not much for looks, but a joy to hunt with. The load was a 350 gr. Maxi Hunter over two bore buttons and 90 gr. RS.
By the day before Thanksgiving, I was getting a little nervous as I had shot nothing yet and my hunting was essentially over on Friday (though I may get out a couple of afternoons in ML season). This little doe started a great "Do I or Don't I?" debate when she stopped by my blind to graze. After watching her for about 15 minutes, she lost the debate:
Passed through both shoulderblades with a .54 PRB at 42 paces. She dropped in her tracks.
The gun is a T/C Hawken with the 15/16" GM .54 PRB barrel and aperture sights. The load was a .535 Speer RB patched with T/C .018 lubed Pillow Ticking over two bore buttons and 90 gr. RS.
Being ignorant of the GM Helicoil issue, I wasn't afraid to pull the trigger. Luckily, the nipple and helicoil stayed in the gun and I survived :grin: .
I took a large doe with the same gun last year...with the .54 barrel it's one of my favorites.
Bob
This is my first attempt at uploading pictures. Hope everyone can see them.
Thanksgiving day I got this guy:
Was walking toward my treestand about 3PM and saw antlers sticking up from a depression out in a hilltop hayfield. Got down on my hands and knees and stalked as close as I could. Even left the possible bag behind to keep it from dragging and making noise.
While stalking, I stopped for a moment and looked through my aperture sights. To my surprise I could hardly make out the front sight. With the sun behind me, the reflection from the back of the rear sight washed out the image through the rather small aperture. So I unscrewed the aperture to use the sight as a 'ghost ring' and hoped for the best.
Got within about 50 yards and noticed from antler movement that he was getting nervous. Got into a rather unsteady position on my knees about the time he got up. As I suspected he stood for a moment facing me trying to identify what I was. My wobbly ghost ring sight picture was just ahead of his right front shoulder when everything went white.
Hit him in the bottom of the neck (shooting uphill) about 6 inches behind his right jaw. The 350 gr. Maxi Hunter angled up and back exiting the top of the neck ahead of the left front shoulder. He dropped in his tracks and bled out internally. The carcass was full of blood when I gutted him.
If you check closely, you'll see that his left front foot is badly swollen and oozing pus just above the hoof. He was probably in a lot of pain and off his game...otherwise I don't think he would've left himself so vulnerable. I had seen him a few days prior and he looked and acted fine, so the wound was recent...might've been nicked by a slug.
The gun is a .50 T/C Greyhawk with aperture sights. It's not much for looks, but a joy to hunt with. The load was a 350 gr. Maxi Hunter over two bore buttons and 90 gr. RS.
By the day before Thanksgiving, I was getting a little nervous as I had shot nothing yet and my hunting was essentially over on Friday (though I may get out a couple of afternoons in ML season). This little doe started a great "Do I or Don't I?" debate when she stopped by my blind to graze. After watching her for about 15 minutes, she lost the debate:
Passed through both shoulderblades with a .54 PRB at 42 paces. She dropped in her tracks.
The gun is a T/C Hawken with the 15/16" GM .54 PRB barrel and aperture sights. The load was a .535 Speer RB patched with T/C .018 lubed Pillow Ticking over two bore buttons and 90 gr. RS.
Being ignorant of the GM Helicoil issue, I wasn't afraid to pull the trigger. Luckily, the nipple and helicoil stayed in the gun and I survived :grin: .
I took a large doe with the same gun last year...with the .54 barrel it's one of my favorites.
Bob
