I guess that you will be getting into the sauna soon to ease the old bones. Enjoy it.

ron

Congratulations SBoomer! Nicely done, with a fine old rifle!

Eight days to get one in a perfectly relaxed broadside position. None of my hunting buddys heard the shot, which I thought was funny. Saw plenty of smaller bucks. We had perfect conditions for my annual(normally Turkey day) all-day still hunt yesterday. The GPS said 5.8 miles......this morning my bones say 20 miles. I got within 20 yards of bedded doe's three times in the thick cedars before the shifting winds ruined the remainder of the hunt. Saving my last tag for late muzzleloading season. Much to the horror of some....I launch a patched round ball with the 45cal Seneca that I bought new when I was 16. I've been told by many that I need at least a 50cal sabot with 100 gr of powder for whitetail.  I just smile.

Many moons ago I received a TC Hawken in 50 caliber as a Christmas present.  I could not believe the accuracy that I got with a patched round ball.  The next year I started hunting blacktail deer with it and believing all I read shot lead conicals as a patched round ball was considered useless.  After taking 5 or 6 deer with the conicals I decided I best try a round ball.  By then my arsenal had grown and included a 58 cal Zouave that really shot the round ball accurate.  I headed for the hills and snuck up on a small buck and one shot at about 90 yards and I saw how deadly a round ball is!  Now I can't use lead as it will kill me to eat a deer shot with a lead projectile and kill two or three condors in the process.  I swore I would never have an inline muzzleloaded but none of my percussion rifles would hit a barn door with the non-lead saboted bullets so I bought one.  I took one deer with it and then kinda gave up on hunting with a muzzleloader as the area I hunted became to hard for me to pack a deer out of when I got artificial hips.  I have to admire a man who waits for the proper condition to take his deer be it with a 32-20 or a 45 caliber round ball.  Tom

Started out with a Ruger Mk1, and when old enough to take the increased recoil moved up to a  12 ga.
Got a Gold Cup, don't like it, prefer a Smith 52.

Aaron

congrats on a nice deer with a really nice rifle! this is my first year hunting with a bpcr rifle. I am using my 1885 in 40-70 Ballard, shooting blackpowder paper patch bullets. been shooting deer for almost 40 years with flintlock prb's and that .45 cal is all you need! good luck!

That is a very special thing to hear!! I got to hear it once in Colorado, but only once.

More common was having a local coyote pack accompany me to a duck blind on several mornings one year. It was still very dark each time and sometimes individual coyotes seemed only maybe 20M away as they took turns howling. Seemed that they were ending their night's hunt, with the usual howling that year, in area where I parked and were simply including me in their end of hunt celebration. By time I got to blind I was quite wide awake and hyped . Never did see them.

Thank you for the correction, I was getting worried.

Aaron