- Joined
- May 12, 2020
- Messages
- 6
- Reaction score
- 35
I was finally able to get my first deer with my Lyman GPR .50 after having taken a bobcat with it last year, and missing a deer last week during muzzleloader season.
It was about 30° this morning so I bundled up and went to sit in a makeshift blind on a green field. For the first few hours there was no activity. So I spent the time scrolling on here and writing some lyrics that came to me.
Around 9 o'clock, I heard a rustle and figured it was a squirrel I'd seen earlier across the field. But then I saw an ear flick through the trees. There was 4 deer making their way on a trail across the field from me. Cautiously they entered the field one by one, but there was a few shrubs and saplings between us. I didn't want to risk the shot going astray so I waited for a better shot.
They began slowly feeding across the field, and then one trotted all the way across and began feeding out in front of me. It continued feeding and eventually turned broadside at around 40 yards. I cocked my hammer and set the trigger which gave away my position, but I had too much cover for it to make out where exactly it came from.
I put my sights right on the front right shoulder as it had quartered towards me looking for the noise. I squeezed my trigger and through the smoke, I saw it running. It ran to the edge of the field where it smacked a tree and went into the treeline. I heard a crash and then silence.
After reloading my rifle and waiting about 15 minutes, I made my way to where it had been standing. The ground was kicked up but no blood or hair. So I followed the tracks to where they went into the trees and still no blood. As I stepped past the first few trees, I saw it laying not five yards away. She had not ran more than 30 yards from where I shot and piled up. My ball had entered the front shoulder and stopped just under the skin midway down the ribs.
After dragging it into the trail, I commenced to gutting it. Gutting went smoothly except for getting the rectum out which is always a pain. I saved the liver and heart, which had a hole from the ball in the very top of it. I got it back to the house and hung it up to wash out the blood. I went ahead and cut out the tenderloins to cook over a fire tonight. Then I took the deer to a friends house who has a walk-in cooler just for deer. I'll let it hang for a week then finish the butchering.
Rifle details: Lyman GPR .50, L&R lock, Davis Deerslayer triggers, silver blade front sight, semi-buckhorn rear sight, refinished stock, inlayed silver moon into cheek piece
Load: .490 round ball, .015 patch, 80 grains FFF
Accoutrements: Powder horn was a gift from my father, Bag was made from a deer I took last year and tanned and dyed
Happy Thanksgiving everyone
It was about 30° this morning so I bundled up and went to sit in a makeshift blind on a green field. For the first few hours there was no activity. So I spent the time scrolling on here and writing some lyrics that came to me.
Around 9 o'clock, I heard a rustle and figured it was a squirrel I'd seen earlier across the field. But then I saw an ear flick through the trees. There was 4 deer making their way on a trail across the field from me. Cautiously they entered the field one by one, but there was a few shrubs and saplings between us. I didn't want to risk the shot going astray so I waited for a better shot.
They began slowly feeding across the field, and then one trotted all the way across and began feeding out in front of me. It continued feeding and eventually turned broadside at around 40 yards. I cocked my hammer and set the trigger which gave away my position, but I had too much cover for it to make out where exactly it came from.
I put my sights right on the front right shoulder as it had quartered towards me looking for the noise. I squeezed my trigger and through the smoke, I saw it running. It ran to the edge of the field where it smacked a tree and went into the treeline. I heard a crash and then silence.
After reloading my rifle and waiting about 15 minutes, I made my way to where it had been standing. The ground was kicked up but no blood or hair. So I followed the tracks to where they went into the trees and still no blood. As I stepped past the first few trees, I saw it laying not five yards away. She had not ran more than 30 yards from where I shot and piled up. My ball had entered the front shoulder and stopped just under the skin midway down the ribs.
After dragging it into the trail, I commenced to gutting it. Gutting went smoothly except for getting the rectum out which is always a pain. I saved the liver and heart, which had a hole from the ball in the very top of it. I got it back to the house and hung it up to wash out the blood. I went ahead and cut out the tenderloins to cook over a fire tonight. Then I took the deer to a friends house who has a walk-in cooler just for deer. I'll let it hang for a week then finish the butchering.
Rifle details: Lyman GPR .50, L&R lock, Davis Deerslayer triggers, silver blade front sight, semi-buckhorn rear sight, refinished stock, inlayed silver moon into cheek piece
Load: .490 round ball, .015 patch, 80 grains FFF
Accoutrements: Powder horn was a gift from my father, Bag was made from a deer I took last year and tanned and dyed
Happy Thanksgiving everyone
