Post by: Dansk on December 17, 2007, 11:50:11 PM
Thought some of you might like the story.....(?)
My most memorable big game hunt- tracking elk in the snow, with 32 inch snowshoes and a muzzleloader. I've never hunted in the snow- it was awesome. Maybe it's my pasty white genes, but i'd take hunting in the snow over a nice day in Sept or Oct. What an experience.
Last day of late muzzle. Nov 30th. Hunting for 4 days with not much to show for it. No sightings and lots of snowshoeing. I was deep in some old growth and came accross a bed- new snow, prints going out, none going in, so I knew the critter was close. Figured I spooked it out of it's bed. So I calmed down, let things settle, and when I looked up to follow the tracks I saw the thing standing out of some brush just looking at me. This first shot was close (maybe 30 yds?)- It was low and I blew out the leg just below the body. Elky took off, I reloaded (very VERY calmly.. why you ask? We ran into some dude a few days earlier who put the ramrod THROUGH his hand as he was reloading after a botched first shot! Buck fever 1, holy hand man 0) . Anyway, started tracking the 1400 pound fanged elk beast through the snow... and it went into some T-H-I-C-K reprod. You could see a whole 15 feet. I stood there wondering... "ok Master Hunter, so I'm not POSITIVE I hit it, and there were other elk tracks I could follow... it's only 8am and I really don't want to sludge through the reprod in deep powder all day chasing an elk that I would probably never see and might be accross the columbia by now." Then the ethic bug hit me and so I decided to continue tracking my elk that by now was (in my mind) a world record monster that would take a month to pack out. I started into the reprod... and stood there for a minute taking in the new lanes that opened up- and wouldn't you know it- the durn thing was snuggled up under the drooping bows of a 20' silver fir. The next few seconds were textbook: slowly shouldered my TC, exhaled, squeezed off the 400 grain sabot and put one through both lungs and enough of the spine to finish the job. I've taken deer, but this was my first kill with no buck fever whatsoever. My buddy came up and said I was acting kinda funny. No hi fives, no "yeah man!!", only a little smile on my face. I told him I was happy. I told him I've reached a level of hunting only few reach, and that I was having a Zen moment. Zen moment my a$$- turns out, I didn't know it, but my California Cool episode was really because I was $#it out of energy and sicker than a dog. I realized this later that night as I blew lattes out the other end from the stomach flu. (so yeah- hi fives and some whooping/hollering DID occur about a week later when I finally got my sick a$$ out of bed.)
Anyhoos- the best part of the story was that this little guy had the decency to wander all that way just to hide and get shot in some reprod which was exactly 100' from the stinkin' road. Lucky twice, I guess.
Only 140# at the butcher (fully dressed), but I'm told calf meat beats it all. (?)
Hope y'all enjoyed the story.
Great site!
-Dansk
Post by: boneaddict on December 17, 2007, 11:59:09 PM
Post by: Dansk on December 18, 2007, 12:11:11 AM
And yeah- that ethics moment sure resonates with me now. The little guy would have died slowly only having the use of 3 legs. I started being more conciensious after reading 'fair chase'- a book I got from the AHE program. Didn't have the luxury of learning hunting ethics from a parent at a young age, so that AHE course taught me a lot. Never too late I guess.
Post by: boneaddict on December 18, 2007, 12:17:58 AM
Congrats on harvesting your elk. Thats about the perfect eating age.
Post by: GoldTip on December 18, 2007, 06:48:05 AM
Post by: DBake on December 18, 2007, 08:29:44 AM
Congrats!!!
If you do not mind, I am wondering what bullet/powder combination you used?
I am hoping to get my first hunting rifle this christmas, a Knight BigHorn or T/C Black Diamond.
Post by: Slider on December 18, 2007, 08:56:56 AM
Post by: addicted on December 18, 2007, 09:02:23 AM
Post by: Amsdad on December 18, 2007, 09:15:51 AM
Post by: Muleyslyr on December 18, 2007, 09:41:52 AM
Post by: WAcoueshunter on December 18, 2007, 10:14:26 AM
Post by: M_ray on December 18, 2007, 10:46:24 AM
Post by: Little Fish on December 18, 2007, 11:04:14 AM
Post by: MADMAX on December 18, 2007, 12:10:20 PM
Post by: Chesapeake on December 18, 2007, 03:43:35 PM
Congrats on the kill. Them little buggers eat great. An old man I ran into in the woods once said "Cows and calves baby, cows and calves". I had watched him kill his first bull, and went to talk to him and during the conversation asked what he had killed in the past.
A few years back my father in law killed a little bull calf. While he was reloading I walked up to the animal and the conversation went as follows:
Me: "Hey you got a bull"
Dad: "I didnt see any horns"
Me: "There aint none"
Its was one of those hunting moments I will never forget.
Post by: Dansk on December 18, 2007, 07:24:42 PM
Dansk,
Congrats!!!
If you do not mind, I am wondering what bullet/powder combination you used?
I am hoping to get my first hunting rifle this christmas, a Knight BigHorn or T/C Black Diamond.
Dbake-
That's a TC .54 cal System 1. 90 grains Pyrodex loose, and a 360 grain all lead Precision Rifle bullet - not sure what kind of sabot. MMP maybe- it was supplied by PR. Check their website. I've tried more powder but more than 90 and I start loosing accuracy. BE CAREFUL buyin a new inlines- it's hard to find one with an exposed breech, which is required by Wa st law. Cabelas doesn't even sell one... and the TC Black Diamond is now a closed breech, unless you find an older model. You must also use "original style percussion caps", so no 209 primers, which have become a standard too. If i could redo my purchase I'd go with a Stainless hawken style shorty.
Also, your bullets must be 100% non-jacketed lead.
Post by: DBake on December 18, 2007, 10:27:46 PM
Dbake-
That's a TC .54 cal System 1. 90 grains Pyrodex loose, and a 360 grain all lead Precision Rifle bullet - not sure what kind of sabot. MMP maybe- it was supplied by PR. Check their website. I've tried more powder but more than 90 and I start loosing accuracy. BE CAREFUL buyin a new inlines- it's hard to find one with an exposed breech, which is required by Wa st law. Cabelas doesn't even sell one... and the TC Black Diamond is now a closed breech, unless you find an older model. You must also use "original style percussion caps", so no 209 primers, which have become a standard too. If i could redo my purchase I'd go with a Stainless hawken style shorty.
Also, your bullets must be 100% non-jacketed lead.
Thanks for the reminders. I will take a closer look at the T/C BD when I am at sportsmans again, I am pretty sure it is the open breach model.
I am interested in PR bullets, but where would one start? They have 30 plus.
Post by: addicted on December 18, 2007, 10:41:13 PM
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/board,9.0.html
its good info and all. im even hoping to hop into a muzzle loader eventually.
Post by: robb92 on December 19, 2007, 12:03:37 AM
Post by: saylean on December 19, 2007, 01:15:35 AM
Thanks for the story and pic...I love snow hunting too.. ;)
Cheers~
Post by: Bobm on December 21, 2007, 04:18:30 PM
Good job!
Post by: Thorny a$$ on December 24, 2007, 11:46:28 AM
Excellent persistence out there. You did well . Hat's off to a fine way to end the big game season!
but be careful firing those sabots out there during muzzle-loader season...
Post by: DJR on January 07, 2008, 05:58:03 AM
but be careful firing those sabots out there during muzzle-loader season...
Are Sabots not legal in Washington? Quick look at the game laws didn't resolve my confusion.
DJR
Post by: WDFW Hates ME!!! on January 07, 2008, 10:39:01 AM
Post by: 50CalJim on January 07, 2008, 11:03:04 AM
Post by: DJR on January 08, 2008, 06:32:45 AM
Whew! That's good news, particularly after my son and I just bought six boxes of the now discontinued 375 gr. Buffalo Bullets which our rifles seem to prefer. From the above comment I was wondering if things had changed.
Let me add congratulations to Dansk also. Enjoy the eating, it doesn't get any better than that.
DJR
-------------
As an aside and I don't want to derail this thread, here is a picture of a Buffalo Bullet retreived from a spike my son shot:
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2FDJR.smugmug.com%2Fphotos%2F41943163-M.jpg&hash=e062b3c1492f8cf63654036beea0196cc7f4f798)
Post by: Wahoo on January 08, 2008, 11:21:20 AM
(c) A muzzleloading firearm used for
all other big game must fire a single,
non-jacketed lead projectile of
nominal 50 caliber or larger, or fire a
single, non-jacketed lead projectile of
at least 170 grains. Lead bullets with
polymer tips are legal.
Wouldn't the bullet in the picture above be considered jacketed? Please correct me if I am wrong because I have always wanted to shoot those but thought they were illegal.
Thanks, Wahoo
Post by: Geno on January 08, 2008, 11:48:04 AM
Post by: 50CalJim on January 08, 2008, 12:15:22 PM
Post by: Wahoo on January 08, 2008, 12:20:13 PM
I'm assuming that you think that the Sabot "The plastic" is a Jacket
That is exactly what I was thinking. Thank you for clearing everthing up and now it does make sense.
Wahoo
Post by: Geno on January 08, 2008, 02:23:42 PM
Actually the "sabot" is the plastic jacket or shoe, whatever you choose to call it. The copper "jacket" on a bullet is just that...a copper jacket. It helps control the expansion of the bullet after impacting your target.
Post by: Ray on January 08, 2008, 02:27:47 PM