Filled my ML tag last evening.

[Grouse]

I filled my ML tag last evening with a nice doe that weighs 180 lbs field dressed.  One shot through the heart at about 65 yards.

I still ML hunt with a 40 year old Thomson Center Hawken in .45 caliber, with the original iron sights, using a 240 grain lead Maxi-ball, Pyrodex powder and #11 caps.  I made it from one of their kits back then and have been hunting deer with it ever since.  I still do everything the same way I've done it for 40 years now.  It works, so I don't see a need to change anything.  Besides, I really enjoy hunting with an old school ML like that.  It's a blast.  Love all of that white smoke after the shot too.

[Splitear]

I really want to build a kit one of these days. I know that right now I don't have the time to learn, but it is a goal of mine. 

[Grouse]

Honestly, I did it once and am I glad I did, but I wouldn't do it again.    

It's one of those things that was fun once, but too much work now.

[escpen]

47 minutes ago, Grouse said:

I filled my ML tag last evening with a nice doe that weighs 180 lbs field dressed.  One shot through the heart at about 65 yards.

A doe that weighs 180 lbs. field dressed is one huge doe!  We have kept weight records for all of our deer going back to 1991 - the biggest doe shot on our property was 162 lbs. dressed ... and she was a tank!

Congrats on the deer!

[moog5050]

Congrats and holy smokes, a 180lb field dressed doe is HUGE!

[Grouse]

Thanks.  She is a big old grey haired girl that was chasing the smaller does away from her browse every time they got near her.  She was obviously the dominant doe in that group.

[suburbanfarmer]

20 minutes ago, Grouse said:

Thanks.  She is a big old grey haired girl that was chasing the smaller does away from her browse every time they got near her.  She was obviously the dominant doe in that group.

Congrats!! Thats like 3 button bucks..lol

Let see her..I seldom see bucks that large.

Edited December 15, 2021 by suburbanfarmer

[Bolt action]

Congrats on shooting a HUGE doe! 

I really like the idea of building one of these from a kit, but in reality don't know that I'd have the time to build and tune it to my liking. When I shoulder my gun now, I pull it up to my left shoulder. Do they offer these where the striking mechanism is on the left side of the gun so that it's not directly in front of your face when it goes boom?

[Splitear]

6 minutes ago, Bolt action said:

Congrats on shooting a HUGE doe! 

I really like the idea of building one of these from a kit, but in reality don't know that I'd have the time to build and tune it to my liking. When I shoulder my gun now, I pull it up to my left shoulder. Do they offer these where the striking mechanism is on the left side of the gun so that it's not directly in front of your face when it goes boom?

So you're shooting left-handed, correct, with a dominant left eye? You can find Left Handed kits. These a higher end kits, but I'm sure Traditions or someone makes cheaper ones as well. 
https://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/623/1

[luberhill]

1 hour ago, escpen said:

A doe that weighs 180 lbs. field dressed is one huge doe!  We have kept weight records for all of our deer going back to 1991 - the biggest doe shot on our property was 162 lbs. dressed ... and she was a tank!

Congrats on the deer!

I’d love to see the pic of that tank !

This was my biggest

[airedale]

Congratulations, I am a sidelock fan myself and a 45 cal fan.

Weight wise the second biggest Deer I have ever taken was a Doe outside of Norwich NY about 35 years ago, a real Moose. I did not actually put her on a scale but I will say she made my Dad and Brother's two decent eight point bucks taken the same day look small laying beside them. On the drag out all the hair on the side that was on the ground rubbed off to completely bare skin, never had the happen before or since.

Al

[escpen]

56 minutes ago, luberhill said:

I’d love to see the pic of that tank !

This was my biggest

I'm not sure I have a picture of the 162 pounder - that was before cell phone cameras

Did you get a weight on yours?  Looks huge in that pic!

Edited December 15, 2021 by escpen

[Bolt action]

1 hour ago, Splitear said:

So you're shooting left-handed, correct, with a dominant left eye? You can find Left Handed kits. These a higher end kits, but I'm sure Traditions or someone makes cheaper ones as well. 
https://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/623/1

I'm goofy.. I'm right eye dominant. I'm also left handed, but play sports (hockey, golf, batting) right handed. So right eye dominant, left trigger finger. 

I'll have to keep an eye out for these kits. I I find the right deal, I may pick one up for later when I have more time...

[Northcountryman]

Veery nice: Congrats!!  Were you standhunting or did you stillhunt? I'm tryin to decide if i wanna sit in a stand this friday or walk around alittle bit.

[SWEDE]

Buddy got this one last weekend. Didn't weigh it tho.. biggest one off my land

[BowmanMike]

180 # is humongous. Time for a new scale? Just kidding,I saw a giant doe.once so know they are out there. We were doing a drive and she walked past first and behind her were two deer that I thought were her fawns. The one was a six point and he did look like a 6 month old behind her. A friend killed him later and he was average. That doe must have been giant. 

You don't see those very often,congrats.

[Fletch]

Any pics of this beast? I shot one that was 160 once and she was huge.

[wolc123]

9 hours ago, Grouse said:

Thanks.  She is a big old grey haired girl that was chasing the smaller does away from her browse every time they got near her.  She was obviously the dominant doe in that group.

Any chance you could get a circumference, measured around her chest behind her front legs, with a tape measure pulled tight ?

[luberhill]

9 hours ago, escpen said:

I'm not sure I have a picture of the 162 pounder - that was before cell phone cameras

Did you get a weight on yours?  Looks huge in that pic!

I didn’t but the butcher said probably 140 dressed

[Grouse]

19 hours ago, Northcountryman said:

Veery nice: Congrats!!  Were you standhunting or did you stillhunt? I'm tryin to decide if i wanna sit in a stand this friday or walk around alittle bit.

I just hiked up to an area at about 2000 ft I knew they were browsing in the late afternoon and sat on a stump.  They showed up at about 4:30 PM.  

Sorry, but I didn't take any pics cause it was getting dark, only had the flip phone with me and needed to gut her and drag her down the mountain.  Hung her in the shed over night and did a quick check with a hanging scale.  (I don't take pics of hanging deer)  The next morning I took her to the butcher cause it was going to get warm. 

Big doe like that are not all that rare around here.  A few years ago a friend took one aged at 4.5 years and weighed 165 dressed.

[Northcountryman]

Oh, ok so you were basically stand hunting (in a way, I guess).  Im goin tomorrow but not sure if I should walk a little bit to stir up some trouble or stick to my stand spots awhile longer.  Im afraid if I still hunt, Ill end up busting deer( that ill never see again till next season) and not getting a good shot opportunity cuz I'm limited with the muzzleloader. Good for you though, Grouse, sounds like you very well in the woods!!

[Grouse]

Thanks.  Lots of experience and good territory helps.  If you know where the deer will be at a given time, that's where you want to be.  If you "still hunt", you won't spook deer if you move very slowly.  That's the key to still hunting.  If you cover more than 100 yards in a half hour, you are moving too fast.  Take a step slowly, stop and look around.  Every view in the woods changes with each step.  The idea is to spot them before they spot you.  A compact pair of binocs are good to have too.  Keep the wind in your face and only try doing it if the ground is quiet.  Otherwise, take a seat and watch your downwind side most of the time.

With a ML, when it's empty, stick a small patch of cloth or paper just inside the muzzle and cap the rifle.  Snap the cap and be sure it blows the patch out of the muzzle.  This insures the rifle isn't blocked.  Wait a minute to be sure the bore cools, load powder and ball and cap it.  You can be confident the rifle will fire, and that confidence will help you hit that deer when it gives you a shot.

Good Luck!  And have fun.

[******pike]

On 12/15/2021 at 1:30 PM, SWEDE said:

Buddy got this one last weekend. Didn't weigh it tho.. biggest one off my land

Why To go Bill