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NM Desert Mule Deer
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Picture of DesertRam
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Last weekend I hit the deserts of southern NM to hunt deer with a muzzleloader. After two fruitless days of hiking and glassing (and seeing nothing except a rattler and a coyote), my hunting partner and I bumped into small bachelor herd. After a hurried stalk to beat the setting sun, we found ourselves about 170 yards from the deer. I was able to connect on this old guy with a 260 grain Dead Center from my T/C Encore .50 cal muzzleloader.

Considering that I really didn't expect to even see deer, I was very pleased with the results.



Right after this guy tipped over, my buddy took a smaller buck from the same group.

We were well off the beaten path, so we snapped a few pictures and boned the two deer out. We packed them out to the road in one load each (nice heavy packs!), hitting the truck just after midnight. It was an evening well spent.


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Posts: 3301 | Location: Southern NM USA | Registered: 01 October 2002Reply With Quote
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Congrats,

I cant see anything wrong with that Mule Deer.

Awesome trophy with a muzzel loader.


Gerhard
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Posts: 1659 | Location: Dullstroom- Mpumalanga - South Africa | Registered: 14 May 2005Reply With Quote
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that's awesome! Congratulations!
 
Posts: 2093 | Location: Windsor, CO | Registered: 06 December 2005Reply With Quote
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Very happy for you!


Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my guns
 
Posts: 7906 | Registered: 05 July 2004Reply With Quote
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Nice deer, southern NM is beautiful country. You're lucky!!!
 
Posts: 206 | Location: nicholasville, KY | Registered: 31 March 2006Reply With Quote
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Awesome buck Troy! Congrats!
 
Posts: 350 | Location: Austin, TX | Registered: 30 September 2004Reply With Quote
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Beautiful buck. I drew on a mule deer hunt in the Sierra Diablo mountains of Texas, which ain't too far from southern NM. I hope I can get the scope on one even close to that size. Congrats.
 
Posts: 1278 | Location: Texas Hill Country | Registered: 31 May 2007Reply With Quote
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That is an awesome buck!

Great success with a front loader to be sure. I would be happy with that deer no matter what I used to shoot it.

I went to northern New Mexico this month and shot a big old 6x6 bull elk. I had no deer tag, and that is too bad. I saw some great bucks and surely would have pulled the trigger.

Congratulations !!


R Flowers
 
Posts: 1220 | Location: Hanford, CA, USA | Registered: 12 November 2000Reply With Quote
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That is a sweet! looking mule deer...luv them long tines


Mike

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.
 
Posts: 10136 | Location: Loving retirement in Boise, ID | Registered: 16 December 2003Reply With Quote
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Troy,

That's great! Congratulatiopns!

Next time you hunt in South Africa are you bringing a frontloader?

In good hunting.

Andrew McLaren
 
Posts: 1799 | Location: Soutpan, Free State, South Africa | Registered: 19 January 2004Reply With Quote
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That is a very nice Mule Deer! Congratulations.
 
Posts: 6265 | Location: Dallas, TX | Registered: 13 July 2001Reply With Quote
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Real nice buck, congrats!

Reloader
 
Posts: 4146 | Location: North Louisiana | Registered: 18 February 2004Reply With Quote
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Thanks guys.

Cazador - Good luck on your hunt. Be prepared to spend some quality time behind a spotting scope and/or binocular.

R - Too bad on the deer, but good going on the bull. I've hunted elk quite a bit, but have only been lucky enough to take a smallish 5-point raghorn. I focus on cows now, as the tags are easier to draw and the meat's plentiful. I'll be chasing cow elk over Thanksgiving with this same muzzleloader.

Andrew - I'd love to bring the muzzleloader to RSA, but powder and primer availability is spotty I understand. Point me in the direction of 777 pellets and we'd be off to a good start.


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Posts: 3301 | Location: Southern NM USA | Registered: 01 October 2002Reply With Quote
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Great jobbie, and handsome buck, Troy!

KG


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Posts: 2897 | Location: Boston, MA | Registered: 04 January 2005Reply With Quote
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Nice buck! What unit? I'm off to unit 20 tomorrow for the rifle deer hunt.


John Farner

If you haven't, please join the NRA!
 
Posts: 2946 | Location: Corrales, NM, USA | Registered: 07 February 2001Reply With Quote
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Nice high mature buck, great job!
Those after dark pack out trips will make you appreciate every ounce of that meat you carried on your back.
Good eating.
 
Posts: 5604 | Location: Eastern plains of Colorado | Registered: 31 October 2005Reply With Quote
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That's a pretty good poke with a muzzleloader! He's a beauty. Congratulations; you did a great job DesertRam! thumb
 
Posts: 867 | Location: Georgia | Registered: 10 October 2002Reply With Quote
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very nice deer.Congratulations.


mario
 
Posts: 1421 | Location: northern italy | Registered: 01 June 2002Reply With Quote
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Cool, just very cool!

Congrats on a fine buck and a good shot with your ML'er
 
Posts: 3563 | Location: GA, USA | Registered: 02 August 2004Reply With Quote
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Great trophy !!!!
Thanks for shearing thumb

L
 
Posts: 3085 | Location: Uruguay - South America | Registered: 10 December 2001Reply With Quote
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