I bought my first smoke pole about a month ago for deer season. I went a "cheaper" (<- relative term) route and got a CVA Optima Pro Magnum with a CVA scope/mount etc. Shot it while sighting and was pretty confident with it.

Saturday morning was opening shotgun season here. By 7:55, I was done hunting as I took a buck at 7:35 at 40 yards. He went about 75 yards and piled up. At 7:50 from the same blind a big doe comes out and I bang-flopped her, "dead in her tracks"from about 110 yards.

This was the 1st deer I had ever shot and how exciting it was! Needless to say, I LOVE my new smoke-pole !!!

Congratulations on the deer hunting. Sounds like you have a good set up. What kind of load were you shooting out of the rifle?

Our modern season starts Saturday, I will be using a Knight Rifle, and I hope I have as good of luck as you had...

I was shooting 2-50 grain pyrodex pellets with a Powerbelt 243 aero-tip bullet. I couldn't believe the accurancy with them at 100 yards when I was practising with it. I could put a 3 shot group inside 1 1/2 inches....and then it was because I was moving..not the bullets. I didn't have a gun rest.

The damage done with this load was alot more than I expected.

WOW is all I can say.

That's good to hear, I have a CVA Staghorn Magnum that shoots 100 grains of Goex 2f and a 245 Aero Tip Powerbelt with amazing accuracy. I have a RED DOT mounted on it since scopes are illegal during our muzzleloading season. I might give that a chance this year also...

thanks for the wound information...

Nice shooting there captain .The excitment must have been helter skelter 4 a while huh?
Diaedy

Congrats on the hunt. Sounds like you had a great time.

I have a CVA Kodiak and it is a nice shooter. Here in CO. we can only use open sights and conical bullets. No sabots. Powerbelts are ok. I have been out twice for deer and elk, nothing to show yet. Maybe next year. Anyway congrats again and welcome to the sport of muzzleloading.

Thanks Guys,

I am a coon hunter by trade, but have really gotten hooked on this deer hunting stuff.

Yes, I was excited but I also felt kinda bad. You see I had my 14 year old son in the woods with me. I was in a blind, he was on the tree stand. This is his first full deer season. He went a few times last year, but didn't get anything.

I let him pick where he wanted to be. He had his Remmy 870/slug barrell ready to rock-n-roll, but of course he didn't see a deer. After he heard my 2 shots, he couldn't take it and came into my blind. He was at the other end of the woods. I wished the entire time that HE would see/get the deer, I didn't really care if I did or not.

We will get him at least a doe pretty soon. He's even warming up to the idea of using "The Black Pearl"....my smoke pole.

Usually it is the other way around.. I haul a young man out in the woods for a day of hunting and they see and shoot everything while I sit there and watch the blue jays all afternoon... I am sure he will get his chance. Good luck to him. As for him shooting one with a smoke pole, that will just add more to the excitement and bragging rights...

Cayugad,

He hasn't wanted much to do with it yet...but after Saturday, he's already claimed stake to it for Muzzle-Loader season. LOL He was impressed by the groups I had at 100 yards at the targets.

He doesn't do bad himself, he canput shots togetherat 50 yards with his 870.

We have planned on him skipping school 1 day this week and going hunting all day with me, but many things haven't cooperated. I plan on sitting in the blind with him now, then he can pick if he wants to shoot his 870 or the "Black-Pearl". If they are over 75 yards, he'll probably choose the smoke pole.

CONGRATS ON THE HARVEST; I SHOOT A CHEAPER
VERSION THAN YOU DO. I SHOOT A NEW FRONTIER
BEARTOOTH MAG. IN 45CAL. I USE 2-50GR. 777
PELLETS, 225GR. POWERBELT AERO-TIP WITH THE
NEW REM KLEENBORE PRIMERS. IT'S HARD TO
EXPLAIN JUST HOW ACCURATE & DEVASTING THIS
COMBINATION IS. OH YES IT'S A CVA OPTIMA
JUST UNDER ANOTHER NAME.