Rob/PA Bowyer

<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> That's right, I'm 100% <img src=icon_smile_tongue.gif border=0 align=middle>

LOL, now hold on a minute. Let me first say I'm no wizard with it either, or at leasts I don't know if I am.....

I shot my first and only doe with my muzzleloader yesterday for PA's closing day of muzzleloader/late archery. I purchased this .50 cal Hawken 2 years ago and never fired a shot. Several weeks ago I sighted it in for the first time and after &quot;zeroing&quot; it, I shot many many shots to 1) practice, 2) get comfortable and 3) build confidence in where my maximum yardage should be. I guess I treated it as I would a new archer and a bow. I got to know my gun and what it and I could do.

Now for the fun part...lol....yesterday I met my hunting partner at a local resturaunt for breakfast...not too early mind you because brrrrr was it cold out. After breakfast we headed into the woods. He carried his shotgun for some late grouse action because he filled his tags previously and hoped to push some deer around while I still hunted several hundred yards away. We were not in the woods long when I spotted movement coming my way. Ah, yes a nice doe, I could tell it wasn't this years fawn so I pulled the hammer back, set the trigger and waited for the doe to close the distance. At about 50 yards I had to bleat several times to get her to stop. I centered the iron sights and sqqquuuueezzzeed. FFFSSSSSTTTT TTT BOOM and the smoke rolled as I saw her turn and bound out of sight...

I actually started laughing out loud at the joy of the moment that just passed. Up to that point I've only ever hunted with my bow this late season. I pondered on the doe coming through the woods and how beautiful she looked against the snow. It mattered not that I thought I missed my first opportunity because for me it is the hunt and not the kill that keeps my blood boiling, my adrenaline running and my love for the woods and the outdoors each year. I stood waiting for my Motorola radio to sing with my buddies voice saying.....WELL? But the woods stayed silent.

I slowly made my way down to where the doe stood knowing the disappointment of fresh escape tracks would reveal that I missed my quarry and as I approached the site, aaahhh wwwhhaatt's this? I see hair, but where's the blood? I spotted where the ball entered the snow behind the doe. I thought, no, I grazed her back and felt pitty for the doe and anger towards me. I then realized I needed to analize this more because this isn't a razor sharp broadhead or a shocking high power rifle. A round ball can act simply like a puncture. I studied the hair and determined it wasn't back hair and wasn't belly hair for obvious reason so I treked on. Yes....there it is, blood here, blood there at each of her bounds so I back off to give her time.

Once Doug (HenYelp on this site) caught up to me, he said he didn't hear me shoot and we took up the track. I laughed at him cause he's color blind to blood but was elated he could see and track the blood in snow. About 80 yards from where I left the track to wait for him, we spotted her laying about 50 yards out watching us. As we sat down to devise a plan for a second shot and analize the situation I could see blood coming out of her nose. I said she's hit very hard. At that she was up and running. We continued the trail knowing and found her laying about 80 yards down over the ridge.

Now PA/ Bowyer is one for one with his muzzleloader and I pick on Doug(HenYelp) that I am 100% and I've never missed with my muzzleloader....<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>


I'm surprised how different the hole is. I missed ribs on both sides and I double lunged this doe. I placed the shot right behind the shoulder and it exited centered on the lung area on the opposite side. With a broadhead, I would have seen this deer go down. With a rifle, I'm sure I'd seen some type of hit but with the muzzleloader, she never acted hit and it was perfect. The hole was a perfect puncture type wound and it reinforces that woodsmanship is just as important in hunting as marksmanship. Perhaps more.

Thanks for bearing with my long story. I'm just so happy...<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>



<font color=blue>Good Luck and Good Shooting</font id=blue>

<font color=red>Rob</font id=red>

jalvja

Congrats Rob,I hope it's only the first of many more to come.

mhogan

Congrats Rob. My son and I hunted hard yesterday and he also took a nice doe with a .50 cal. I have alsways said flintlock and bowhunters were blood brothers and should always stick together and support each other. You actually even have to follow through with a flinter, just like a bow.

cardeer

Congrate Rob,yes muzzleloaders can be fun.The do leave a different wound though with the round ball. I used a inline for the first time in my life in the early season and the way that thing put down the deer was unbelievable.I was using 150 Grains of powder and a 385 grain hollow point bullit .Almost looked like a shotgun slug hole.

BTBowhunter

Great story Rob. Congrats on your first smoke pole deer! They're deadly but us muzzlestuffers gotta take extra care to thoroughly follow up. especially when we dont have the benefit of the white stuff!

My son's first M/L deer last year seemed to hang there a second or two staring at us after the shot before running off. We followed for 40-50 yards with no sign other than my mental replay of her just not looking quite right as she ran off. About 60 yards out we found a little blood. It got stronger with each step and we found her around 110 yards out. He hit her dead center of a Mckenzie 10 ring as she quartered toward us. Got both lungs and a bit of liver along the way. The initial sign sure didn't look like he touched her but if we hadn't followed up she would have been fox food.

Member of NRA, BASS, Buckmasters and Life member of UBP.........Kill a big doe, Let the little bucks grow

wimp

Good story rob, congrats.

Pro-Line

Congrats...and GREAT STORY!!!

cableguy119

Darn that makes my 2 consecutive Muzzloading seasons with a deer no where near as prestigious. My group calls me Mr. December 26.
Well your percentage is only going to drop. Are you shooting patched ball, bullet or sabot? It is definetly a lot of fun experiencing the PFFFFTT Boom of the smoke stick.

I can't agree with you more about the strange things Muzzleloading with being a lot like archery sometimes. Lots of tracking and follow up needed on shots. My First one ran about a quarter mile bleeding tons and the other had no blood till it fell over 40 yards from my stand. And another one my brother in law hit hard through lungs ran over a mile. We were glad for snow that day. Congrats

Rob/PA Bowyer

Jalvja, thank you and I second that. I'm sure my &quot;100%&quot; success ratio will change with each season that comes, but then again...lol one never knows...weather permiting no slow burners.

Mhogan Your right my friend. Being a newcomer to flintlocks, I've found what you said to be true. You have to follow through with the shots or the shots are not there. We all as hunters should embrace one another but bowhunters and flintlockers have a lot to share in this second season.

Cardeer Thanks, yup, round balls are effecient but following up the shot is so very important. This doe never indicated she was hit from the visuals I saw. If someone bet me I'd hit her I wouldn't have taken the bet. It wasn't until I found the hair and then the blood on her escape route that the hit became evident. After that, the bowhunter in me took over.

BTBowhunter, thank you for liking my story. I enjoy writing as you probably can tell...lol. Something you said had me pondering on the situation long before I read your reply. What if the snow wouldn't have been there? That is when the follow up like you mentioned is so very very important. I know this instance would have been much different and harder but like I said above, the bowhunter in me took over and I would have treated it like a fall archery hit and took it slow analizing the hair, blood and pattern. I also found the importance of practice that I had very invaluable and was glad I had over 20 years of bowhunter in me to make the tracking and analizing familiar.

Wimp Thank you so much.

Proline Thank you too and I'm glad you enjoyed the tale of the hunt.

Cableguy119 Mr. December.....way to go, wait til next year, perhaps a replay...lol Thanks....That would be powder, patch and round ball...and a little 4f to help send it along...<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>



<font color=blue>Good Luck and Good Shooting</font id=blue>

<font color=red>Rob</font id=red>

Edited by - Rob/PA Bowyer on 01/13/2003 21:44:15