Bocajnala

Ohio's late gun season is one of my favorite hunts. It's typically cold, snowy, and nasty. It also usually falls near my birthday.

I was really hoping for a birthday deer on Saturday, but that didn't happen.

Sunday afternoon found me back in the woods. I watched this average sized doe work it's way through the brush towards an open shooting lane. I was watching behind her looking for a buck, but none ever showed up. After several minutes I finally decided to take her.

It was the first deer I've taken with the new .45-70. I saw the deer jump, and charge into the thick brush and it dropped within sight. After watching to make sure it was down I called the wife and told her to get the kids dressed. We all loaded up onto a fourwheeler and headed out to let my 5 year old boy follow his first blood trail. He did a good job following the easy tracking job and followed it right up to the doe. Both kids were pretty excited.

Allot of my hunting is away from home. So I was happy to hit one that I could put the boy on and he helped with the full recovery. He'll help me cut it up sometime this week as well. I've attached some photos.

Here they are starting out on the trail.



Here he is getting a closer look.





The .45-70 did a number on the shoulder. Obliterated the heart as well.


Getting it loaded up to head back to the house. It's nice to be able to hunt out your backdoor, even if it is only on a few acres. I don't hunt there much cause it's just a couple acres, but it's nice to have that option. I've taken one from that spot the last two years.

-Jake

Champlain Islander

Way to go Jake. Looks like a nice tender doe. Should be a good eater. Nice trail to put your boy on. No problem finding that one. It is always nice to take one near the house. Retrieval is normally much easier.

mrbb

its great to see kids in the sport and wanting to be there
best of luck he sticks to enjoying this great sport!

Oldtimr

Nice going, venison for dinner. Nice job taking the boy to school as well. How did you like the way Thor's hammer knocks em down? What ammo were you using? I use the lever evolution 325 grn, they pretty much make soup in the chest cavity. I had a couple that the heart was pretty much gone and not connected.

Bocajnala

I used Winchester Super X 300 Grain Jacketed Hollow Point.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/29...oint-box-of-20

When I bought it the action was pretty rough, so I ran several boxes of different brands through it to smooth out that action. Including the leverevolution. I still have a box of those and their point of impact at 100 yards is the same as these 300grains so I could use either load. These shot the best groups consistently so that's what I stuck with. Next year it'll be all handloads but I didn't have time to work up a load for it this year.

My dad shot a cow elk with this rifle as well back in October. It hammered the cow, spun it around and dropped in it's tracks. However, as is often the case.... I'm amazed at how tough a whitetail can be. This entered right behind the shoulder bone, and exited through the other side. The heart was torn up, and only the bottom quarter of the heart was recognizable. Left a very good blood trail as well. When the deer took off running it's leg was flopping, so I knew I had taken out the shoulder. When I skinned it the shoulder pulled off with the skin. Allot of damage. My fault for hitting so tight onto the shoulder. But still, a good shot as it put the doe down quickly.

The boy has been doing well in the woods. He sat with me a few times during archery season(He can only last about an hour for now) and we went squirrel hunting a few times this fall. We'll be doing some squirrel hunting later this week again if the weather holds as he's asking to go and I found a spot with some nice fox squirrel. I figured this was a great first trail to put him on. I kept him going slow, watching ahead, and staying on the blood. Was able to show him hair at the impact sight, blood smeared on trees, and some other little tricks. Obviously it was an easy trail that didn't require tracking skills. But as a five year old he was pretty proud of himself for tracking it and finding it.

-Jake

Hatfield Hunter

Kids will remember this all their lives !!!!!

Oldtimr

When I bought my 45-70 the guy I bought it from threw in a box of the 300 grn hollow point Winchester ammo and half a box of Remington and it was the first ammo I shot because I couldn't wait to shoot it. After I got the lever evolution ammo it printed the same as the Winchester as well. So long as kids that age see interesting things they will sit, they get bored easily at that young age, the older he gets the longer his attention span will be. You are doing it right. When he is ready to quit, you quit instead of making him sit there bored. That is a good way to get the opposite result you are trying to foster.

mackesr

Congratulations on some good eats and for educating a young hunter! Sounds like you are doing it the right way. I am sure the time and patience invested will pay great dividends in the future for you both!