Deer Hunting

Shotgun here is a long weekend prior to Thanksgiving and a long weekend after Thanksgiving weekend. Muzzle loader is the next two long weekends. You can also use muzzle loader during shotgun if you want. One of my buddies likes his muzzle loader better than his shotgun, so sometimes he'll use it during shotgun.
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Most of the guys that I know who have them have fairly reasonably priced ones, in the $250-500 range. For them, 125-175 yards is about the furthest they are accurate enough to ethically hunt with. Since most guys are shooting off hand in a tree stand, I doubt they'd go much beyond 100 yards in reality. And with the ravines and woods around where we hunt, you usually don't have a clear shot out beyond that anyway. I've personally never needed to take a deer beyond about 65-70 yards.

That being said, long range muzzle loaders do exist that would probably rival the Sharps.

See this hunting video of taking an antelope from 715 yards:




However, that particular gun is over $5000, and that isn't including the glass. Needless to say, IF this guy gets a muzzle loader, it'll be much closer to the $250-500 type than the $5000+ type.

 

That's a long shot, no matter how accurate the gun. I honestly don't think I've ever even shot a gun that far.

 

I've done a little bow hunting this year, but haven't gotten anything yet. I've seen a few things, but nothing to get a shot off over yet. All of that hunting has been local, in a spot about half an hour from my house. In IL there are only two firearm seasons, one for three days (F-Sun) this weekend, and one for four days (Thurs-Sun) the first weekend of Dec. I usually do my firearm hunting up on prime property in NW IL. So this weekend I'll be bow hunting up there Thurs and doing shotgun, then returning for the second shotgun season assuming I still have tags to fill. Hopefully I see a big brute Thursday about 20 yards away, and another Friday about 50 yards away so I don't have to risk sitting in the freezing cold come Dec.

 

Got up to the cabin in time to sit in the stand for a few minutes before dark. Not 10 minutes later a doe walks by about 50 yards away. Half an hour after that a medium sized 10pter walks about 70 yards in front of me and hangs out for about 40 minutes. I tried calling him but he completely ignored me. I got down from the stand about ten minutes before legal shooting was over to see if he was still in there, but he was gone. When I walked out of the woods (50-60 yards from where I was) there were 4-5 deer in the field, including one really big 10 or 12pt buck. They were too far away and it was just at the end of legal shooting, so nothing doing there. Drove into town for dinner, on the way back, on the road about 300yards from where my stand is, stood one of the biggest bucks I've ever seen in my life. He walked to the tree line, at which point I stopped, backed up, and angled so he was in my headlights (deserted rural road). He stood there for 15-20 seconds then slowly strutted into the woods.

I'm hoping he meets me at my stand tomorrow morning for breakfast.

 

Yeah, I was happy to see that much activity, and to know there are at least a couple brutes cruising around nearby. Last weekend my buddies saw 7-8 bucks on the property, including one of the big guys I saw today. I could fill a total of five tags (that's what I have, I could get more for bow if I wanted). I have an antlerless only for bow and for shotgun in this county. I have an either sex for shotgun in two different counties and for bow. But realistically I probably won't shoot a doe this weekend. I haven't decided yet for sure, but I'm leaning that way. But if it gets to be another two weeks or so and I don't have any meat in the freezer, all bets are off for second shotgun season.

 

IIRC, my brother's deer gun is a Savage 111, though I think he has it in .306 or .308. He likes it. It is probably what I'd consider a budget buy, but really what do you need? Something that is accurate and reliable. It doesn't have to be fancy.


Depending on your budget, if you want to spend a few more pennies, but not break the bank, check out the Tikka T3s or Howa Gameking.