Yesterday I got my first deer with a ML. I've been hunting for several years here in Ohio and have gotten a few bucks and does with shotgun and bow, but this is my first with a ML.

This yearI went out and bought a Cascade Magnum (CVA) .45 bolt-action. I had posted an earlier thread title "accuracy problems" because I wasnt' getting the best accuracy out of it. I had planned on switching to loose powder and maybe a different bullet, but ended up not having the time before going hunting yesterday, so I went with my original load, which was grouping about 3" at 50 yards and 6-7" at 100 yards.

I got out to my "stand" (I ended up just leaning against a tree at the top of a hill overlooking a grassy field) at about 7:15. At about 7:20, I saw a deer moving across the field. I quick got down in the prone position, bracing my rifle against a tree. It was far enough away and still dark enough (though legal shooting time) that I couldn't tell if it was a buck or a doe, but I saw it had a decent-sized body. I could see that the deer was moving towards a low area, and probably wasn't going to get any closer. I estimated the range at about 100 yards, and when it paused, I shot. The deer dropped in its tracks, kicked a few times and stopped moving. I quick reloaded, went up to it and saw that it was dead.

It ended up being a large-bodied forkhorn buck- something I might normally pass up, but this was one of my last days hunting this year, and I just wanted something for the freezer. I'm very happy at how it all turned out - I had been having bad luck all year and thought I might go without.

I'm also hooking on muzzleloading- it's a lot of fun, and a much better way to go hunting than using a shotgun, in my opinion. I don't have any pictures, unfortunately, but I'll try to get some of my next ML deer.

By the way, I paced off the shot at 108 yards. I was using 2 - 50 grain pellets of 777 and a .40 caliber 200 grain XTP. The bullet entered just under the spine at a downward angle and exited low in the rib cage. There was a golf ball-sized hole through the back of the lungs and the liver. Upon field-dressing, I found what appeared to be at least a gallon of blood sloshing around in the chest cavity. I was pretty impressed by the bullet performance to say the least. After this, I want to stick with the XTP's, but will maybe try different amounts of loose powder to get better groups. My hunting buddies all use .44 cal. 240 grain XTP's and swear by them- I don't think any have ever lost a deer with them.

Sorry for the long post, but I'm just really happy and grateful that I could get a nice deer with the ML. Thanks for all the advice you guys have given!