I thought I would share my success from this year's muzzeloader season in WV. This buck was spotted backed during bow season, but I could never dedicate enough time to pursue him. I hunted the area a couple times during rifle season but he never appeared. Our season came in on monday and I went out with my T/C triumph after work for a few minutes to scout out the area. I spotted him out in a cut soybean field, but he was angled towards some houses, and out of my comfortable range even if I had a safe shot so I backed out. I took off work a few hours early Tuesday, so I could get in position before the deer came out to feed. About 4:00 the deer started rolling out into the field, and this guy came right behind a group of 8 does. I made a ~120 yard shot on him, putting the 245 grain aerotip powerbelt through both lungs. He ran about 70 yards before collapsing at the edge of a briar patch. This is the best buck I have taken with my muzzleloader, and I couldn't be happier.


This is the field the buck was taken in.


My fiancee now has the triumph and we are on the trail of an eight point that is quite larger than this buck. If she could put it down, it would be a great cap to our season.

Congrats finley, that is a very nice WV buck. good luck to your fiancee!!!!

Nice job.

You even did it with a bullet that most will say doesn't work.

Man, he's a brute Finley. Congratulations.

deleted : no longer want to be on the forum

Very nice deer. A real buck to remember. How much powder were you shooting, pushing that POWERBELT that far and taking out both lungs? Also did you get a complete pass through? And what if any did the blood trail look like?

Congratulations on a fine deer. I hope your girlfriend shoots a bigger one and never lets you live it down...

I didn't think to mention it when I was posting, but this was the first deer I have shot with a powerbelt, and to be quite honest the results were not spectacular. I had two 50 grain pyrodex pellets behind it. I did acheive a complete pass through, I didn't have to track the deer since I seen it go down at the edge of the field, but I did backtrack his trail just out of curiousity and there was ZERO blood from the time he was hit until he went down. This would have made for a hard tracking job if it would have been needed. Maybe he ran so fast after he was hit he didn't have enough time to fill up and drop any blood? I don't know the answer but there wasn't any blood.

While inspecting the lungs and entry/exit wounds, it looked like there was zero expansion of the powerbelt, it was straight a straight small hole in and out. I know poking a hole in the right spot is what matters the most, but I really wasn't satisfied. I will probably finish the season here and in ohio with the same load, but I think I'm going to experiment and change it up before next season.

Oh and by the way, last season she skunked me during archery season and whacked two ten points during rifle season, so I'm getting used to it.

edit: also just realized I typed "muzzeloader" in the thread title

That is one nice deer!!! Congrats!!! Doc

Very nice finley! What part of WV are you in?

I'll be out Saturday for sure for the last day....hoping to put a decent buck down. I know there are at least 3 good ones that we saw that haven't been shot.

Congrats finley31! That's a good buck! I hope your girlfriend has similar sucess.

As for your results from the Powerbelt. I can't say I'm too surprised. That's the normal results that come from them in my experience. You're right though, finish out the year and then do some experimentation this summer.