Early Muzzleloader Deer Season

[AKbythebay]

Woo Hoo! Got one this evening on Kent Island. 115 lb doe. Grant me a momment to brag about my shot. I was in a 15 foot treestand and was forced to shoot left handed. 200 yards away and facing me, I hit her right in the neck and dropped her on the spot. Iron sights, no scope. $125 Traditions .50 cal inline muzzleloader. I simply can't believe I hit her. Last day of early season, glad I was able to bag one.

 

[armedsks]

Nice doe there, Heck of a shot also. what load are you using in your BP. I use the 275 gr rem core lokt. They really lose steam after 150yrds according to the back of the box.

I would love to be able to hunt some where with enough land to make a shot a like that. The problem about huntin in MD i see, is not enough public land and way to much private land. No way i would pay a farmer gobs of money to hunt deer. When i have a better chanceof hitting them with my vehicle.

 

[AKbythebay]

Nice doe there, Heck of a shot also. what load are you using in your BP. I use the 275 gr rem core lokt. They really lose steam after 150yrds according to the back of the box.

I would love to be able to hunt some where with enough land to make a shot a like that. The problem about huntin in MD i see, is not enough public land and way to much private land. No way i would pay a farmer gobs of money to hunt deer. When i have a better chanceof hitting them with my vehicle.

Well, first let me say I didn't measure the distance. I eyeballed it at 200, my buddy thought it was a little over 150. Either way, I was shocked I could drop it like that anywhere over 100yards. Like folks say around here, you'd be surprised what you can do with open sights when you give it a try! Of course, I shot at another one later yesterday from closer range (about 100 yds) and from the ground and missed, so luck might have had something to do with that first shot.

Anyhow, I'm using 240 grain hollow point Hornady Sabots with two 50 grain Pyrodex pellets. I dug the round out of her and it's amazing the way that thing pancakes in all directions once it hits flesh. It just shredded as it went in. Hunks of meat and bone imbedded in the bullet. I'll try to post a pic later.

We were hunting on my friends father's place. He has >30 acres, most of which he leases out to farmers. I definitely prefer to hunt on farms over wooded areas. Gives you a lot more options when it comes to long range shots.

 

[armedsks]

Either way still heck of a shot. Didnt mean to come across as a dick if i did in the last post.

Is that a eastern shore deer?? Do you guys see any sika in your area??

 

[AKbythebay]

Either way still heck of a shot. Didnt mean to come across as a dick if i did in the last post.

Is that a eastern shore deer?? Do you guys see any sika in your area??

You didn't come across like that at all.

It's your basic white tail. There really aren't any sika deer in Queen Anne's County that I know of. They are mainly down in Dorchester County and south. I went hunting for sika deer down at Black Water NWR a couple weeks ago - no luck.

 

[Redneck]

Sikas are mainly in Dochester like Ak said. My buddy got his 7 pointer last week in Church Creek. I have never seen them anywhere else besides lower Dorchester. I used to hunt them a lot in Kirwans Neck (by Gootee's) and Swan Harbor. Fishing Bay has a lot of Sika along with Black Water.

 

[bigjohn]

shot some sika in wicomico county. area called muddyhole, close to the red roost

 

[Redneck]

shot some sika in wicomico county. area called muddyhole, close to the red roost

I hunted Fruitland and Snow Hill last year and never saw one, guess I was to far south.

 

[bigjohn]

na, muddyhole is across the river from dorchester county. i have seen whitetail swimming the river many times so i guess a sika can too.

 

[Redneck]

na, muddyhole is across the river from dorchester county. i have seen whitetail swimming the river many times so i guess a sika can too.

My old man tells me stories of seeing whitetails swimming to Pooles Island. Deer swim thats for sure, sikas prolly more since they're swamp deer. Im glad the Japanese gave them to the U.S. as a gift back in the 50s I believe. They make for a neat mount, being an elk relative and all. I personally think they taste better than whitetails.