Western New York Buck

27 November 2007, 22:13

Aspen Hill Adventures

Here's my buck taken on the first morning of the firearm opener for Unit 8A. He's a farm land buck and weighed live somewhere in the 180 to 200 pound range.

I also took one doe, she is the first one on the left on the buck pole. My buck is also pictured.

Both were taken with my CVA muzzleloader at around 60 yards or so. The buck got a broken shoulder and the doe a broken neck. I used Hornady sabots (.45 cal) and 110 grains of loose T7FFG. I am very pleased with the muzzleloader, it is a very accurate firearm. The doe was facing me straight on for the neck shot.

The buck, while not huge, is the largest whitetail I have ever taken. I am having it mounted and was stunned at just how large bucks can get in that area. The taxidermy shop was loaded with fresh racks from 160 and up, over 200 inches.

Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my guns

Mike

Legistine actu quod scripsi?

Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.

What I have learned on AR, since 2001:
1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken.
2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps.
3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges.
4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down.
5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine.
6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle.
7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions.
8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA.
9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not.
10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact.
11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores.
12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence.
13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances.

On the plains of hesitation lie the bleached bones of ten thousand, who on the dawn of victory lay down their weary heads resting, and there resting, died.

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch...
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
- Rudyard Kipling

Life grows grim without senseless indulgence.

There is room for all of God's creatures....right next to the mashed potatoes.
http://texaspredatorposse.ipbhost.com/

28 November 2007, 20:12

Aspen Hill Adventures

Thanks for the comments guys, incidentally the buck is 2.5 years old. I killed a 6 point buck here in Vermont last year that was also 2.5 years old. The body and antler size was amazingly different with the mountain buck being much smaller than the farmland model.

The small deer on the end is a button buck shot by one of the youths out that day.

I think that muzzleloader cost me all of $60. All I did with it was a trigger job and added a Weaver. I've killed 7 deer with it now, naturally all one-shot kills!

29 November 2007, 02:45

Doc

Ann, I would certainly not want to overstep any bounds, but allow me to throw in my 2 cents on a pose for that nice colored buck.

I can see that deer on a McKenzie 9600 upright left turn, to show off that longer brow tine. Some deer have nicer hair than others and yours is a beaut. Upright manikins show more color in the neck, IMO. The left turn would be eye catching because as you look into the antlers, that longer brow tine will show better.

Just me thinkin out loud. It's your deer and you have to be happy with it. I'm diggin the color though.

Here's an example.

Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my guns

Tony Mandile - Author "How To Hunt Coues Deer"

29 November 2007, 19:17

Aspen Hill Adventures

LOL, Dean it's not stainless but it does have a plastic stock (yuck), I would like to put it on wood someday since it is such a good shooter. I leave the scope on 3 power too, just good enough to help my aging eyes!

Doc,

I like your suggestion, I was debating the height of the ceilings I have (8 foot) with the style of mount and think a lower head stance turned to the left would look better in the house.

What was neat about the buck is his 'red head' smelled of pine.