Elmo

I would imagine that it can be done solo but it would be extremely difficult and you need a lot of equipment to be self sufficient. Much better if two man team. Use spotlight but make sure you use red or green light as these colors won't freak out animals with night vision the way a hire light would. Call. Listen for noise. Spotter shines light at location of noise. If coyote, shooter shoots. If not, shut light back off and repeat from beginning.

Also would like to thank everyone who helped advice me on muzzleloaders and guided me on this journey.

The picture didn't get attached in the previous post. Here it is.

Went back to the range with the new scope on top. It's a Simmons 4X scope I paid $40 at Gander. Took 3 shots at 50 yards to make sure I'm on paper first. Then I began sighting it in at 100 yards. 1st shot at 100 yards was 3" low and 3/4" to the right. Adjusted scope and 2nd shot 1" high and 1/2" inch to the right. Some more minor adjusting on the scope and 3rd shot was 1/3" low and 1/2" to the left. Took a final shot at the top left quadrant to confirm my zero and I good on windage but 1" low. Considering that I'm shooting with a 4X scope where the crosshairs pretty much is almost an inch thick at 100 yards, I can't be happier with this gun. Also considering that I'm already 7 shots into the day while running a wet patch through it twice after every two shots. I also forgot to bring dry patches. After I run the wet patches through it, I realized there might be some excess moisture in the barrel which might affect the shot. Next shot was a shot a friend of mine took because he wanted to feel the recoil of the muzzleloader. He shot at the top right quadrant. I then took a shot at 50 yards just to see where it'll hit with the scope zeroed at 100 yards. That shot was on the bottom right corner. Again, good windage, shot was 1 and 1/2" high. I have complete confidence in taking a shot on a deer's boiler room at 100 yards with this gun. I am sure it's going to be even more accurate when the gun is clean. I couldn't have been any happier with this gun. For the price I paid ($220 with tax for gun and mount and $40 for scope), this was one of my better purchases.

Theft? This looks like they wanted to sabatage your stand to purposely inflict injury.

Welcome.

People who miss an 8 inch target should not be shooting at a 3 inch target. If you ask me to bet my life on hitting a 3 inch target at 200 yards, I would not take that bet because I know one out of several shots, I do pull here and there. If I had to bet my life on hitting a 3 inch target at 50 yards then maybe I would take that bet. But that's because I'm honest with myself. I know some times I'm off. There are some people here who won't admit that which is why you see deer with missing jaws.

What's also interesting with the article is the fact that those snipers use .223 which adds to another argument over at another thread.

True. But there's a thin line between confidence and arrogance. And it comes down the individuals conscience. Some people will chalk up 1 wounded deer out of 100 shots as a freak occurrence. Others will see that as 1 too many. No right or wrong here. Everyone has to be their own judge.

Read the full article. It's states the train sniper use head shots and night with night vision sights at under 50 yards. The rest of the article talks about hunter using the double lung such in all other conditions. Basically what I get out of it is that it should be double lung and if the conditions are perfect, then head shot.

Unless you're trying to save the pelt, there is no such thing as being too dead.

http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/big-buck-zone/2012/09/where-aim-kill-deer-one-shot

One of great things about the mossberg 500 is that there is a huge parts after market. When I bought mine, it was the basic wood stock model. I've since, removed the forend and replaced it with a black rubberized hogue grip. removed the buttstock and installed a Blackhawk tactical recoil reduction buttstock with a pistol grip. installed a weaver mount on top and put a red dot on it. Little by little, I added these pieces. I don't know what your budget might be but if your budget is tight, one option might to be buy a used mossberg on the cheap and then upgrade it over time.

It depends on where you're going to be hunting. I watched so many youtube videos of coyote hunters taking down yotes well over a 100 yards away on wide open plains and cut corn fields and thought I need a gun that can handle these long ranges. Then I actually went out on a couple of coyote hunts and all I see is dense hardwood and could barely see beyond 75 yards. That's when I realized where I hunt, a light weight, mobile, short range platform is more practical than heavy, long barreled, long range sniper rifles.

Not only is developers the biggest threat to hunters, they're the biggest threat to wildlife in general.

The people don't always vote for the best candidate. They only vote for the most convincing. It's even worst in 3rd world countries. That is why democracy doesn't always work in the rest of the world but yet, we Americans always try to push it on them. Try and ask the villager from a 3rd world country who can't read or write, barely has a second grade educations, and has no access to television let along, unbias news who he should vote for in the coming election. Yet, in some of these countries, that's 95% of the voter population.

Love this quote. I'm stealing it. I'm going to have to use it someday!

Here's the way I see it. Assuming you're a competent shooter. The double lung/heart shot is a very large target and will have 100% success rate of the deer expiring within 1/2 hour. The head shot has a 95% success rate but it's an instant death. 5% chance the deer walks off wounded and dies a very slow death. I equate the 5% to the brain being a small target encase in a thick skull AND it's not enough to damage the brain. You have to specifically damage the medulla oblongata (the part of the brain that controls the bodily functions). All it takes is a twig here, a gust of wind there, and flinch to knock your aim off an inch or two and the difference is instant death and a deer with a shatter skull, it's left brain hemisphere ruptured and it running several miles and dying several hours later. You can hunt for years and the odds can always be in your favor but let's not deny the fact that you are playing those odds. Would I take a head shot? I hunt with a 12 gauge or a 308. The hydraulic shock from those rounds increases my chance a bit. Yes, at 50 yards and under with those calibers, I can live with those odds. But only if a double lung shot isn't available. Now I'm not going to sit here and tell others which choice they should make because honestly, I don't know myself which is the right choice. None of us do. I'm just saying is just realize you're making a deciding between 100% slower death versus instant death with a small chance of failure.

I skim through a lot of stuff. I don't even have time to read everything I and work in front of a computer all day!

Seriously. Something must be wrong with that particular cartridge. Powder didn't burn all the way? A 30.06 going through the sinus should have blasted a hole through the back of the deer's head.

Yes...I wanted to reiterate my stace. I did allude to that fact in my very first response when I stated that Hostess has not made any new products or marketing strategies while the consumer base has moved to a more health conscious diet. It's crazy how these top execs gets these golden parachutes.

If I took a 8% pay cut, my friends and family will be getting some really cheap gift this year. If I took a 100% pay cut I'll be out in the streets. Keep in mind, I'm not saying the top execs are innocent either. The reason Hostess has gotten into this whole mess has been decades of poor management and the inability to adapt to the changing market.

Does not look like you can have a harness safety strap connected while going up and down the tree. You could connect one once you've reached your desired height.

So now instead they're out of work.

Went from good to bad. Started out great. Saw more deer the first couple of weeks of bow season than I saw my first 2 years combined (my 1st year, I didn't hunt for deer). Then the hurricane hit, helping out with family who lost power, steam pipe broke in my living room floor, fighting with building management over who is responsible for damages, and crunch time as wedding is less than 2 months away. That means I've been out hunting a total of 3 hours since the hurricane hit. I did see 2 does that day though.