Can the .58 get it done?

[Bullshot]

Which arrow path did it come from?!

#3

 

[Bullshot]

Hoolllly Hellll. Don’t forget, we drag em whole back east. Did I say Hoooollllly Helllll?



Will update in a little bit.

Need to go find some ice.

 

[gouch]

I'm gunna have to remember that plan of yours. Looks like it mighta worked.

 

[Bullshot]

I'm gunna have to remember that plan of yours. Looks like it mighta worked.

Well, the plan kinda worked. Apparently I skipped a few key steps, and also forgot to include the term rodeo.

The afternoon hunt was in a new piece of ground. I had never hunted this WMA but wanted a change of scenery. I spent about 1 minute e-scouting then hit the trail. I veered off the trail to make my way to the back corner of the property in a direction it seemed few people took. The access to the area was thick with rose and other brambles. Not an easy approach and I took a pretty hard spill over a downed cedar tree after getting my feet tangled in vines too. But usually when it sucks, that means deer will like it. Sure enough, I started seeing fresh sign as I got further off the trail.

The area sloped down to a thicket of forested wetlands, with good deer trails and sign. I plopped my butt on a log at around noon for a loooooong sit. Thats where my three scenario photos were from. I definitely went in too early, and I was uncomfortable and getting chilled by the time the sun was getting low. I was too lightly dressed and had begun shivering.

As I swiveled my head around for the hundreth time, I spotted a deer coming down the hill behind me. It saw me and froze, but I had enough time to raise the gun, set the hammer, and fire at a strongly quartering-to angle, about 40-50 yards. The deer wheeled and dissapeared, but I thought I could see some white down in the leaves. I reloaded and headed up.

The white I saw turned out to be a log. Uh oh. Just then, I saw a deer off to the left leap into some brambles and disappear. It was the opposite direction i thought my deer ran but I walked over to investigate and found nothing.

I circled back to where the shot was and scoured for sign. I found blood and started tracking. Sure enough, it led to where the “other” deer had run.

I barely even had time to consider my next move before the deer jumped up right in front of me and ran about 50 yards downhill and stopped in a thicket. Crap!! With daylight ticking, I rushed when I should have waited a bit more. I had to track and bump him a couple times over the next 100 yards to get a proper finisher in him.

I haven’t done a post mortem yet but my initial shot was a strongly quartering to shot that hit about 2 inches left of intended, thus entering behind the shoulder not in front. (You can see where the ball even took off shoulder hair in my photo). It appears to have destroyed the liver and exited out the opposite rear. My finisher (which was straight through the back (he was laying down with his back to me) destroyed most of the vitals. Based on the damage from the round balls, I have little doubt I should have dropped him with a better hit. Nearly straight on provides a small target with little room for error. So I am lucky it all worked out.

I recovered him just about at dark and had to gut and then drag in the dark. It was not an easy exit, with all the logs, rose bushes and general thick cover. It was about .6 miles to the trailhead. I was BEAT! But happy!

Now for the photos! Not a trophy but I did it the harder way by choice (left my scoped in-line at home) and he’s my first deer with the .58 and only my second deer taken with a patched ball.

 

[Bullshot]

One recovered ball (from the followup shot).

278 grain ball retained 272 grains.

.570 ball expanded to almost 15/16ths of an inch.

Not many deer would fare well against that!

 

[Bullshot]

Chilling outside 30 degrees. Time to relax and celebrate!

Not so fast….. Still gotta clean the rifle (ugh!!!!) LOL

 

[Bullshot]

uhg....what state are you in that ticks are still around?

NJ, northwest corner

 

[elkantlers]

Dang! the expansion on that round ball is impressive.

I've shot one deer, a long time ago, with a patched round ball. The exit hole looked exactly like the entrance. I'm certain my round ball didn't expand like that.

 

[Johnny Bravo]

NJ, northwest corner

Crazy....We have the white stuff here now so no more ticks

 

[Mtnhunter1]

Excellent all the way around!
I really enjoyed your post and pics. Congrats on getting it done the hard way.
Now I will be dreaming of percussion cracks, the boom followed by a billow of smoke all night!

Thank you for that....

 

[Dave N]

Well done, sir!

 

[Nicoli7153]

Very cool series of posts. The cap and ball still gets the job done! Got over 50 kills on my .50 cal T/C New Englander. A true primitive weapon hunt. Congrats!

 

[Sask hunter]

Congrats!