Guys,

I just want to say thanks for all your help this year and for answering my questions about muzzlerloaders. I am relatively new to this and trying to learn all I could.

I purchased a new 870 w/scope this year and was all excited about it. After 7 trips to the woods and never raising it, I decided it was time to bring back my "good luck gun"....my CVA Optima Pro Magnum aka "The Black Pearl". Blued barrel, black stock.

My first trip to the woods with it I double lunged a small 8 pointer at 30 yards and he was bang-flop down. The next trip out with this gun, I had to pass on another buck as we only get 1 buck tag here, but the black pearl had him dead nuts in the scope....just couldn't pull that trigger.

Last night in the drizzle a decent deer was coming in quartering to me. I got him stopped and took the shot...about 75 yards. I was very lucky to recover him (a button buck) as he ran about 40 yards through some thick stuff before he laid down. I learned a valuable lesson on him. I aimed on the entry side where I wanted to hit him and did...I should have aimed on the EXIT side where I wanted to hit him. Entry was fine, the exit side was pretty far back.

The "Black Pearl" has fired many times at paper...only pulled the trigger 4 times with a deer in the scope. Killed 4 deer with those 4 shots!

Again, thanks for all the help and suggestions!

Sounds like you are off to a great start. Hope the good fortune continues.

Congratulations on the deer. I know what rifle I would be taking next time it was deer season..

Cayugad,

I think I do too! The Black Pearl is a deadly killing machine...although I hunted alot last year with it and didn't raise it to a deer. I just like shooting it. I do think I will swap the scope on the 870 with the one on the black pearl......it's alot better.

Last nights deer was special to me because it's the first one I killed out of the portable wooden ground blind I made this fall and because I killed this deer to give to my in-laws!

I honestly got the 870 ready for my middle son who is 12, but I don't think he's got the heart yet to pull the trigger on one. Which is fine by me. My oldest was 13 before he wanted to hit it hard.

I changed my load this year to 2-50 grain Pyrodex Pellets behind a 250 gr. Super Glide Shockwave and it shot GREAT on paper. On the first buck I took at 30 yards, it was a double lung complete pass thru and not much blood at all. He piled up on the spot. The one I took last night was hit slightly back of where I wanted it and got a lung and the liver I believe, but still hardly ANY blood trail. Is this normal for lung shots? Although he went only 30-40 yards, I like bang-flop ALOT better.

Do I need to move my shots up closer to the running gears in the boilerroom?

Anyone else got any nicknames for their guns?

Hoosier,
I call mine Prude. The barrel's too tight for anything but powerbelts and conicals. Congrats on the deer though. Sounds like you're off to a good season.
-- B