Who bagged their deer with a traditional muzzleloader this season?

[Adam Helmer]

I suspect some of our Longhunters on this site have filled their tags on deer this season. Today was our PA opener for rifle deer. I saw 4 bucks and 6 does in the big hayfield, but the bucks were less than 3-points on a side and the does were 265+ yards away and running off. I will try again tomorrow.

Who has filled their tags this season?

Adam

[Swift]

I'll be out late ML season with my newly acquired T/C Hawken!

Let a few doe walk the 1st and 3rd day in rifle season so far.

[Adam Helmer]

Swift,

I will be out after Christmas with my .54 Hawken flinter. Today I had the .50 Hawken caplock and saw two does at the far end of my Tractor Road in the uphill woods at about 40 yards. The does stood up, milled about and as I eased along to the hayfield, they laid back down. I have an antlerless tag, but I do not shoot uninjured does; I think we have far too few deer in this area.

My neighbor came by today and told me has not seen a deer yet this season and he has hunted hereabouts for 51 years!

Adam

[roundball]

TC Hawken Flintlock with GM .62cal 1" x 33" Flint drop-in smoothbore barrel & patched balls...managed to get medium sized 8 and 6 pointers so far, each about 30-35yds away.
Will be going each remaining Saturday through January 1st to try and fill the remaining tags (2 Bucks & 2 Does left)
Good luck to all!

[Mr. 16 gauge]

Muzzleloading season opens tommarrow where I hunt in MI, but I won't be going out until the last few days of the season....I will be chasing ducks for the last weekend of that season (this weekend) for a last hurrah. You can bet if I get anything, I will be posting (bragging) about it here!

[Swift]

Well Adam the PGC and the hunters who feel the need to fill multiple tags are puttin a hurtin on the herd in most areas.

Last year I opted not to fill my doe tag and I'll see how the rest of the season goes as to wether I'll fill my doe tag this year.

After 30+ yrs of huntin the need to harvest a deer isn't as high on the priority list as it was when I was a youngin.
Of course I don't see near the number of deer as when I was a kid either.

I just hope that my son who will actually accompany me next year during the rifle season will keep his interst peaked if we go without a deer sighting. I've been toting him afield since the age of 2 for various game and I hope he remains as interested as he matures as he seems to be right now. I fact he can't wait till late ML season as that is "our" time in the deer woods.

[54roundball]

Filled the first tag of three I have this year yesterday with a mature whitetail doe. It was an antlerless only tag. It was the first day of Iowa's second shotgun season But I chose to use my Lyman Great plains 54 instead of my trusty Remington model 870.THe load used was with a bullet I cast my self. Which I have deep satisfaction with. It was a Lyman #533476 minie paper patched out to .545 with two wraps of 20 lb paper lubed with wonder lube 1000. in front of 80 grs of Triple Seven with a CCI #11 magnum cap. The shot was at 80 yds the dropped where she stood. The sheer power of a big piece of lead traveling at moderate velocity is truly amazing. The doe weighed 115 lbs after field dressing.

[roundball]

Using the same TC Hawken Flintlock with GM .62cal 1" x 33" Flint drop-in smoothbore barrel & patched balls, I'm lucked out and filled 2 Doe tags since I last checked in...only a few chances left to get out there before the season ends sundown January 1st...

[Rustywreck]

Well, I didn't shoot a buck with my ML this year, but I did pass on a decent 9pt.
Honestly, when he came in I had the hammer back and was really thinking about taking the shot - he was 15 yards away. However, I was having a great deal of fun watching two spikes do a little fighting. The 9pt walked over and gave one of them a shot in the backside. He didn't hit him hard enough to cause an injury, but enough to let the spikes know who to fear.
Eventually legal shooting hours had passed and I had to drop my backpack to scare them away.
I actually had more fun watching then I would have shooting him. If I had shot, I would have missed out on some great entertainment. Since I had already shot a buck with my bow I was comfortable with not shooting.

[roundball]

Well, I used a buck tag with my .58cal Flintlock this afternoon...sitting down in a bottom overlooking a trail that goes up the slope to an Oat field that was combined back in early November...had noticed a few scattered deer in the field after dark last weekend so I changed my location today to watch that trail.

It was just about black dark and I was gathering myself together to stand up when I saw movement out of the corner of my eye...sure enough here comes some deer…a big doe with a couple smaller deer with her...I can’t even see the Flintlock’s open sights but had a sharp contrast on the deer’s silhouette…I brought the sights up behind her front leg and when they disappeared into the black of her body I touched the trigger...she piled up 25-35 yards away.

Cleaned the Flintlock, pulled the drag strap out, walked over to get her, and discovered it was a cowhorn...never saw the little curved beams...big bodied deer with a big head, long face, but had these little 7-8" curved beams.

I delivered him to a needy family I give them all to and chuckled when I saw that they’ve gotten a little automated...had a big 4x4 wooden tripod set up in the side yard waiting for their next delivery...said they hang them there to do their work...given them 5, have 1 tag left...hope to punch it late this afternoon so I can start squirrel hunting...got a terrific .54cal(.28ga) GM Flint smoothbore barrel I want to start still hunting small game with...

[Mr. 16 gauge]

No venison for me this year.....hunted 4 of the last 5 days of our muzzleloading season, and didn't even see one deer.