Wasted one of two buck tags yesterday...

[roundball]

Went to my ditch crossing stand yesterday afternoon...when the light got so gone I'd have to get a fix on the north star to find my Flintlock's front sight, I started to stand up when I saw a doe approaching the ditch trail crossing 40yards away on the opposite bank.

I've gone so much this year and seen so little I decided right then there was no point in waiting and passing any more Does and I'd take her...when she got to the edge she lowered her head like they usually do I guess to see better what they're about to step down into...exposes the neck vertebrate...I lined up the dim sights as best I could where the top of the neck joined the body and touched the trigger...the smoke cleared and I saw a lot of white belly laying still in the dark so I knew she was down.

Took my time and cleaned the Flintlock up real good, then got out my drag strap and walked over to the ditch...but..."she" had handles...it was a spike...62 year old eyes in bad light and I never saw them.

The Eddie May cast .600 ball went through the spine right between the shoulder blades, got flattened by the spine and traveled the full body length stopping under the hide of the right rear ham.
REMAINING BALL SIDE

FLATTENED SIDE

 

[BrownBear]

Whew!

I've smacked my share of neck vertebrae, and your report says more than anything I've ever heard about large balls. Last year I whacked a 3-pointer (Western count, 8-pointer Eastern count) in the white throat patch at 60-65 yards with a .535 swaged ball and recovered it under the hide on the far side looking much the same as yours. This year I whacked a doe the same way at 20 yards and got a complete pass-through.

Darn it all. Now I gotta push a bigger bore way up the project list.

This site is more expensive than shopping with my daughter!!!!

 

[roundball]

"...a 3-pointer (Western count, 8-pointer Eastern count)..."

OK...I know the Westerners only count one side or half the points...but how do they get from 3 to 8 :grin: :grin:

I started with a .45cal and progressed up through .50/.54/.58/.62cals over the years...the big bores can get addictive :wink: .

I was only using a mild charge of 100grns Goex 2F in the .62cal rifle...if I'd been using a heavy 120-140grn powder charge I suspect the ball would be a few inches into a tree somewhere right now

 

[rabjr]

They must not count the brow tines RB. :haha:

Yep some those spikehorns will fool ya especially when they are no longer that the ears. They can hide em well.

Grats on the deer though. :thumbsup:

 

[BrownBear]

We only count the points on one side and ignore the eye guards. Interesting enough, in my experience with both Columbia blacktails and Sitka blacktails, it's more common for really mature bucks to have 3 on one side and 4 on the other (we call them 3x4's) than four on each side (4x4)- both ignoring the eyeguards.

Even more interesting, most Sitka blacktails have racks with all the points originating off a single beam much like whitetails, while the Columbias run more toward mule deer with branched beams.

And I'm with you on bigger always tuggin at the back of the mind. I was thinkin my 54 was great till I saw results with a friend's 58. Fortunately for my budget, another friend came along with a 62 before I could dive on the 58. That makes me wonder if I shouldn't just skip on up to 72 or 75 and be done with it once and for all.

BTW- in a Hawken style gun that 36" 62 cal barrel tapered from 1 1/4" to 1" is really heavy. I don't recall the style details on your 62, but how is it for weight and balance? I like "Hawkens," but I sold our horses a long time ago, and I wouldn't want to lug that 62 cal Hawken into the places I hunt.

 

[roundball]

"...I don't recall the style details on your 62, but how is it for weight and balance?..."

Mine is a 1" x 33" GM Flint barrel on the large size TC Hawken stock...bought it as a smoothbore and sent it to Ed Rayl to add rifling (.012" x 1:72")...extremely accurate rifle.

With the 3/8" x 33" solid brass ramrod it weighs
10.5 lbs even with the big bore, but I'm big at 6'4"/220 so it's fine for me.

I really like my .58 & .62cal rifles...

 

[tg]

"We only count the points on one side and ignore the eye guards"

Yeah, the only time we count the brow tines is when measuring for book points.Then a 3pt becomes a 4pt.

 

[jethro224]

Hey Roundball, The way I figger it, if you go by the Western count, that makes your spike a 0 pointer. :hmm: You coulda used an antlerless/doe tag... western count. :rotf:

Grats on another well shot deer! :hatsoff: And Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[roundball]

Hey Roundball, The way I figger it, if you go by the Western count, that makes your spike a 0 pointer. :hmm: You coulda used an antlerless/doe tag... western count. :rotf:

Grats on another well shot deer! :hatsoff: And Happy Thanksgiving!

:rotf:

 

[rabjr]

Don't know about there but here under 3" it would be considered antlerless and an antlerless tag could be used.

 

[Halftail]

Grats Roundball,
That Deer will be good eating for someone! :thumbsup:

 

[roundball]

Don't know about there but here under 3" it would be considered antlerless and an antlerless tag could be used.

Skin covered "buttons" can use a doe tag, but any bony protrusion is a buck

 

[BrownBear]

Top or bottom? :hatsoff:

 

[roundball]

Top or bottom? :hatsoff:

Top you rascal! :grin:

 

[xxgrampa]

nice goin rb.. :thumbsup:

tt.g..

 

[bigbore442001]

I know that you title your post as wasting a buck tag but in all honesty a good deer is never a waste. You shot a nice deer for the table and many who go out get nothing.

 

[Halftail]

I know that you title your post as wasting a buck tag but in all honesty a good deer is never a waste. You shot a nice deer for the table and many who go out get nothing.

Yeah,
Like up here in the North there are many that go many years without killing even a Spikebuck.I got to say there have been many nice ones killed in places around here this year.

 

[roundball]

Just to be clear, I understand that and was not making that comment with respect to anyone elses fortunes or misfortunes. We do indeed enjoy a large deer herd here in NC and usually have very generous, and appreciated 4 buck tags per year, but this year they were reduced to 2.

In this case I thought I was dropping the hammer on a doe as I also had doe tags but as I said it turned out to be a spike, and it was in that context that I was disappointed. From my perspective I had already dropped from 4 to 2 buck tags, and now accidently burning one I went from 4 to 1 buck tags and haven't had a good shooter (in our deer herd) in my sights yet!
:grin:

 

[Protrucker]

A buddy of mine just shot a spike on opening day. He called it, "the big 11 pointer".
:hmm: eleven.......1 on each side = 11. :grin:

By the way, a filled tag is not a wasted tag, but I know how you feel.

 

[pa woods roamer]

Up here in Pa. with the Antler Restrictions, 3 points per side in some parts of the State and 4 in other parts, ya` gotta be sure before you pull the Trigger! Cripes, the G.C fines the heck out of you, yanks your License and you have to give up your first Born!! Kinda envy you Guys down there. Take care and good shootin`.....