I didn't go out for the muzzleloader season. Im not too big a fan of the early season gun hunt. Wouldn't have been so bad if they hadn't put a restriction on bowhunters. But not allowing a bow hunter to take a buck because of adding a gun season doesn't sit well with every bow hunter I have talked to so far.
I shot the hornady as well 300 grain and 120gr powder 777 with a 777 primer. I have a old knight 93m open sites at 100yds is dead on.
I used to bow hunt until mine got stolen out of my garage two years ago and I have not replaced it yet. Like I said above, I was not even aware of the new antlerless season, let alone the particulars of it. Off the top of my head though, giving up two days of antlered bow hunting, so muzzle loading hunters can have more fun does not seem like a big deal to me when you get 4 months of bow hunting. I accept the fact that bow hunters might see it differently though.
I like those Hornady FTX/SST so much I even worked up a load for my 44 mag revolver, 225g Hornady FTX with 24.6g 296, CCI 350. They are real hot loads but patterned nice out of my ported revolver (they were designed originally for 44 lever actions.) Had to seat them a little longer than specs but that works fine for the revolver.
I really think they got something special there. First two shots at 100 yds was on top of each other. Thought I missed from the spotting scope but a close up showed it was the same whole. May put my shotgun leopold scope on it.
I had the same thought for my open sighted Encore ............... accuracy is so nice it has me thinking long range now. I have a 1,000' long straight dirt "road" up the one side of my woods they cross. I've been looking at this Nikon model with their BDC 300 reticule to put on mine: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00BD59NQ8/ref=nosim/7240462-rg2403-00-20?s=merchant
All modern ml need optics in my opinion. ..way too accurate not to be wearing an adjustable zoom quality piece of glass.. All my slug gun does is collect dust and guard the home. I shoot the barnes mz and 100yds isnt even a challenge to put em in the same hole.
I have a nikon 3-9x40 on the tc. My knight has a fixed 4x32. Its currently loaned out to my hunting buddy. A man needs dragging help and thats the only way I could get him out to help lol
Yea I do the same. I have a really kick @ss grunt. Carried a doe last year for a mile and a half in 18 inchs of snow. Never set it down once. (He Said going back for the sled would take to long) Unreal That was at Brookville to you know the hills there.
Got out yesterday evenin and passed on a nice 6 or 8 (if he had brow tines they were tiny). Also saw a small 3pt and a few does in the brush that never came into good view. Getting ready to get out of the stand i heard a crash then had a doe come runnin mach 10 through the woods and directly below my stand. She did a few laps and disappeared. I was crackin up the whole time as she blazed through the brush. Oh and did i mention i smoked one with my truck on the way to work! Tweaked my bumper, broke a fog light and dented my driver door.
Brookville, as in PA? My buddy used to have a place just a little northeast of there where I'd go rifle hunting each year. I've humped those hills around there many a time, beautiful hunting country! Haven't been rifle hunting in PA for about 10 years now that he sold his place. Just been slinging lead around NE Ohio "flatlands". I do miss those beautiful Hemlock forests.
I don't mind the muzzleloader season, mainly the fact that it restricts bow hunters. They should have opened muzzleloader for doe only and not stopped bow hunters from hunting. I believe they did it to stop the muzzleloader hunters from shooting a buck then tagging it as a bow kill. But anyone that will do that won't stop from shooting a buck and tagging it in later or not at all. Just think it was a very poorly considered change in the laws.
Here you can do a bundle. 2 does and one buck. Plus late season bonus antlerless and comes down to the county you hut in. That would put me able to get one buck and 6 does. Bow is good all season and 2 weeks for shotgun and 2 for muzzleloader. 3 months for bow. (Crossbow is ok to use) Shotgun is buck only!
I highly recommend hunting from a pop-up/tent blind with a child. They keep scent down well, hide movement, are safe, roomy and you have complete access to anything you haul in. kids can bring books/games to help offset the downtime, or wrap themselves in a sleeping bag to stay warm. Some kids may blow a hole in the window frame when they shoot their first buck with your slug gun, but that is another story.
Are you guys talking about Brookville Lake, Southeast Indiana? My grandparents live around there, that's the area I grew up. Haven't been back in so long, I'm in Georgia now and sure do miss those hunts up there.
Yep...thats the place! Good hunting for state ground in Indiana! One of the few places that actually has ag land that you can hunt instead of just big woods.
I never hunted the state land, always had family land around there. Good luck, hope you bag some good ones. It was funny when I moved down here I saw tons of deer but never brought any home. My wife, being from the south, asked me what the heck the problem was. Took a while to get used to the different stature of the deer down here, but i must say i must say it's nice to get to hunt in long johns, and a sweatshirt