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Finally moved into the new house last Wed and am settled enough that I can spare a couple hours to hunt. First time EVER that I can walk out my back door and hunt!! Been looking forward to this day for the last 40 YEARS!! I put up a stand ~150 yards behind the house, so if I see anything or not,it’ll be a good day to be in the woods! Might not be able to wipe the smile off my face at the end of the day! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My father bought me this Hawken 25 years ago, I had never connected with it and after a few years I bought a modern inline ML and put it away. I'm really thrilled to finally take a deer with it! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Hunting partner and I covered some ground with sectioned one-man push/still hunts to the other. Set out for a doe to process for snack sticks/sausage/hot dogs. Managed to give one the ol’ Razzle Dazzle on the last push midday before taking the evening sit in our only remaining unpushed property. Plan came together as a group of six read the script. Even better is she died in a spot where we could drive the truck right up to so zero dragging. Hate to admit it but the NY gun season has me ready for some rest. We will still make it out for a handful of hunts with the MZ; although I’m not sure I’d shoot another doe at this point. Might just be armed napping in the stand or blind. Seeing some snow and deer moving through sounds relaxing and gives me time to appreciate/reflect on the memories made. 2020 has been a sh!tshow for a lot of reasons but just as many to be thankful for.

You can say many things about me but you can’t say I didn’t try.

got him about 75yrds from my fisher catch. cubby set with squirrel tail flagging and beaver meat with some beaver caster

Back in the trenches in the morning

Thank you! But like Nomad, I had my chances too. We had two giant bucks on the farm this year. Bucks like these, are seldom seen in our area. And I made the decision to hunt, and hold out for only them. I have been wanting to do something like this for the last few years. But always, when the first decent buck showed up, I could not pass on him. This year I passed up in both bow and gun season, bucks I normally would have shot. And had a close encounter during bow, with what would have easily been my biggest bow buck ever! I gave hunting those old monarchs all I had, and would not change a thing! They certainly humbled me!! And in a certain way, I'm almost glad they won. As I edge very close to my 50th hunting season, hunting those bucks reignited a spark in me, that I thought had burned out. This year I lived my motto of "Shoot what you like. Like what you shoot". Without firing a shot.

Great season. 1 buck via bow & 1 buck with my .270. Freezer is full! Learned to wait to find your deer (have damn patience & don’t jump deer) unless you drop them - which I did with my 270. Amazing the difference 1 season can be from the next. Last year sucked especially hearing my mother passed away while in a tree stand. I know for sure she was with me this year. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Last minute shotgun doe.stood up to leave ,grabbed my seat(sitting against tree)and looked over 60 yards and she was looking at me .Dropped my seat,then dropped her with the savage 220.she ran 30 yards

Took my nephew hunting for his first time ever 2 weeks went by he couldn't get a shot then on oct31 he gets this we called the holloween buck or we also messed with him and said he shot the deer from open season. Lol

Nothing this afternoon.. Have not seen a deer since I shot the buck a week ago Thursday.. I may get out with the smokepole a couple of days later in the week.... Still, I spent more hours in the stand than ever before...Very thereouputic (SP) considering the shit going on...

Last hurrah with my partner in tow Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My mom passed back in May and with covid backing everything up, we finally got the family together to go through my parents house. We came across my grand dads honing steel. I remember my grand dad using it so many times when he, my dad and my uncles would cut up deer to address the knife blades . It was passed to my dad and he / we used often ourselves . I hadn’t seen it in many years, so glad my mom kept it. I don’t know if you can see but it’s pretty much smooth now from being used so much. It’s hanging in my garage/ work shop now.

Nice! My first deer was with a Hawken... and I haven't hunted with it since. Maybe I'll break it out next year!

Weather changed quick

Alarm malfunction but got in at about 9. Should be here for the duration

2020 season is à wrap for me. Hunted every chance I could since October first. No deer killed. But I truly had an enjoyable season!!!

I love tinkering with muzzleloaders have for a long time. It’s getting boring now. I killed my 9th deer with the this load tonight and the same outcome, 10yds and in a pile. Shots range from 5-193yds about every angle other than an ass shot and always the same outcome, dead in 10yds or less. Huge exit holes and tons of blood, 1 shot at 10yds in the white spot facing me and found a perfect pedaled bullet in a back ham, that’s the only bullet I’ve recovered. Loads easy shoots dang near Moa. Shot hundreds of bullet and sabot combos and this is by far the best I’ve found. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Inner loin becomes Korean bolgogi!

I think I found the person !

Some SOB reloads super fast. 4 shots in 2 seconds. I gotta up my reloading muzzleloader game.

100+ year old pan doing its thing. @turkeyfeathers taco seasoning he sent on Shramp

Gus the deer tracking Beagle was finally happy the other night ! Each night upon my return he runs out to smell the truck and myself , then walks off in pity .

Tacks...I see you have the 209 primer conversion on your Hawken.... I got one for mine a couple of years ago...A little slow to reload, and a chance of dropping it in the snow, but for sure sure your rifle will go BOOM when you trip the trigger... My ex wife bought me my Hawken for my birthday in 1975 ( when you were four years old) and it has has accounted for all of my MZ deer ( perhaps 15-20) including my best ever buck, EXCEPT for the two does that I shot with Moog's beautiful TC inline a couple of years ago...

Usually LR is long range in MZ terms.

I got very lucky...I was inspecting the area where I “hit” the deer ...I followed his tracks for about 20 yards and saw some disturbed soil on the side of a hill...I lined the hole up with where I was standing when I made the shot and where I found hair, did some digging and found the slug buried deep in the ground. Trying to make light of missing this buck, I told my wife “at least I saved us $500 for a mount”.

Ok I am getting dressed and heading out it is snowing right now but will change to rain . But will be stop.

If you believe Biden really got that many votes, after not campaigning from the basement and being unable to draw a crowd to any of his appearances, you are the type of citizen leftists love. With all of the negativity surrounding the man and his son. plus his inability to finish a coherent sentence, his radical leftist economy killing agenda, as well as his choice to put a total Communist on the ticket with him, and 47 years in office with no accomplishments, you really think that many voters in America are that stupid?

Waiting until Thursday to go out with the ML . Let the deer calm down .

Yea its a heavy gun and its got a muzzlebrake so its actually pretty mild to shoot.. it def wasnt built to be a brush bustin light break action thats for sure!

I give you credit. I don’t have the late season in me. I’m beat and am ready for the rest. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

@Nomad. @grampy Agree with WWJD above. If someone had said you too would have that kind of season I never would believe it. And you sure hung in there and put in your time. I am chalking it up to 2020. Better seasons next year. But it keeps us humble and not take the good ones for granted.

2020 is a wrap. We did the traditional last day deer drives. Covered 5.3 miles in the woods but only jumped 5 deer and the group only got 1 of them. We had a good turn out and some really good food as well. I’m beat but I have 3 guns to clean yet before putting them away. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Whattt he may have made it too! Pic from our last snow!

Well, I'm on the the board. Got a nice sized doe. I was sitting in my hunting buddy's stand in West Valley, just a few miles south of Springville. Behind me to my right I hear leaves crunching, then more leaves crunching, then I hear the crunching moving away from me. I slowly turn my head and look. About 33 yards away are a group of four doe. The last one saw me move. She was looking at me, bobbing her head up and down trying to make me out. Then she starts to walk away. Fearing the others would then follow her, I figure it's now or never. I slowly swing my gun around to my 4 o'clock, and shoot the first doe that gives me a shot. I shoot, and all four run away. I was apoplectic. How could I have missed? Texted my hunting buddy, he said don't get down from the stand. Wait, I'll be there in 10 minutes. He comes, I guide him to where I shot. He immediately finds blood. I get down and join the track. I wish I would have taken a picture. It wasn't a blood trail, it was a red carpet about 16" wide and 50 yards long. It turned out to be a classic double lung shot. Amazed it ran as far as it did. The terrain was very hilly with a small ravine and waterfall. We found it just before it would have gone down the ravine and into the creek. He helped me with the drag back; it was an ordeal. The terrain was like a mini version of Ithaca. Very thankful for the help I got in getting it done.

So sorry to hear this. The woods are the best place to think things out.

They're gone. #ThankYouForLessOverzealousModding #WeDemandUnlimitedLikes #WeDemandADislikeButton

Nothing so far.

Nowadays it seems foresight is as rare as foreskin on a Hebrew.

the answer all hunters seek - how to see em in the daylight. Get in the best way you can, maybe find a spot before the area they are bedding. Setup and hope hunger and rut overcome the fear of moving in the daylight. Time over target.

I dropped it off at Flying Arrow and they did a good job .... $ 150.00 , timely too !

Before i jumped into the smokeless game i tinkered with alotta bullets and guns and loads with Blackhorn.. always came back to a Barnes bullet of some sort.. there is no doubt in my mind they are the best muzzy bullet for guys shooting blackhorn or pellets! Now that i shoot smokeless out of a custom bolt build i like to send these missles at a blistering 3170fps! Bang flop!

you guys have it all straightened out. And i agree that late season is a great chance to fill tags with the muzzleloader. Deer will be almost back to normal behaviour,the pressure drops considerably from opening day.

Canoed to my ground blind and was just getting situated when I saw a large buck running off...I was still standing and was able to stop him at about 75 yards. He stopped broadside in the open...the shot felt good but unfortunately I only gave him a hair cut...found the sabot. Fun season, got lots of hunting in although I didn’t see many deer after opening week of gun. I had a great archery season and looking forward to getting out with my flinty. Good luck!

Damn I just slept in the blind for almost 30 mins haha

This was a big anniversary/ Christmas year for us. We don't usually spend that much. She has a pretty new anniversary band ... ring what ever they call it and a hunting blind and I have the new winchester 101 sporting clays o/u. The budget is blown for sure!

If the heavy snows hold off for a bit I will do some small game hunting and Grouse will be one of my objectives along with Squirrels, Rabbits and maybe a little Varmint calling mixed in. I have a 28 GA Ringneck myself and it is a sweet gun. I do favor a lot the little Franchi 20 GA below with it's 23 inch barrel and 5 lb weight it is a joy to carry and I shoot it very well. Al