Gonna float hunt with the boys tomorrow, and bring the ML along, just in case. Sunday I'll head east for 3 days of Mule deer hunting, and maybe try to find some elk hiding out in 3911.

After that, I'll head back home and see what I an find around our local area.

Ready, locked and loaded. Headin to the teanaway unit sat -mon. Then deer hunting/elk scouting on this side of the mountains the rest of the week, with a few days at work in the mix.

Well, my plans aren't nearly as glamorous.

I have about 3 hours to hunt locally at first light tomorrow. Then back home to coach soccer, paint house, and will probably go back out at dusk for another look at my bait piles.

77 and sunny, perfect hunting weather?

i am hunting the inlaws property. Big 4 point was seen bedding in the neighbors lawn. They want the garden thief removed.

Good luck all

First morning's hunt is in the books. Foggy and crappy weather (bright sunshine). I had a good time though. At first light I set up on a finger that looks over a flat in the inside bend of a creek RMZ.

Half an hour into my sit-down I started hearing cracking, snapping and popping down in the creek bottom. Tensed up and waiting, they are coming closer, and then the snap crack and pop turned into crunch, thunk, chirp, SCREEAAAM. It was a herd of about 12 elk. Including a couple of talkative young bulls. I got several looks at them through the intermittent fog at about 75 yards. But couldn't snap off a pic.

Did not see a deer.

Found a couple spots to check in the morning.

No deer for us, but I could have shot a coyote at about 20 yards if I was quicker.

No deer for me either. But had a spike with 3 ft tines and a good spread with major mass 20 ft from me. Deer looked old and wasn't worried about me, his body was as big as any deer I have seen 200-250lbs guessing. Wonder if mother nature forgot to branch his antlers and he has never been shot at in the 3 pt min unit he lives in, maybe thats why he wasn't scared. Also blew up my pressure hose for the power steering around 11, rebuilt it with tape, pepsi cans, and hose clamps and it actually kinda worked. But I didn't want to push it and go any farther so I was stuck at the same draw all day. Note to self always carry heat/pressure hose repair tape.

We're waiting for the glory shot and story Ryan!

You know I don't know how to load pics.

Its easy- click on reply under the text box there is a File Manager click on it- add photos and presto here is a camera phone pic of Elkman's beauty.

Ok Ryan, seen the pic a few times, now let's hear the play by play.

Sorry guys I have been busy. Well here is the story. My in-laws and surrounding neighbors have had a deer that was destroying the local gardens. He was covering a lot of area, well over 20 acres. I received permission to hunt on all the adjacent properties to remove the deer.
He had been spotted the week before the season by one of the neighbors, bedded in their front yard.

I hunted opening morning without seeing anything but a small silver jumping, which was tempting me to go fishing. Must focus on deer season. Sunday morning was perfect weather nasty rainy morning, just what we needed. I glassed the hillside near inlaws without seeing anything. Took the next hour hunting my way through the properties checking for the buck. I circled back to the middle of the properties and worked my way down the hill to take a break and watch the hill and surrounding gardens.

While taking a break, a caught a glimpse of movement in the bushes near the garden. I grabbed the binos and realized that I was seeing the horns move back and forth. Holy smokes!! I don't have a shot since all I see is the top 4 inches of horn. I carefully worked my way back the 300ft on top of the bluff to position for a shot. Once in position for a shot, he was about 30 yds away steeping out of the brush. I was still in shock of seeing him, and threw a warning shot over the top of his back. He moved about 10ft and froze staring straight at me. I quickly reloaded my bighorn and took a deep breath and dropped in his track with a dead-on chest shot right through the heart. Those new Barnes T-MZ all copper sabots worked perfectly. He is the first deer I have shot with my new muzzy. Got him home and is hanging in a buddies meat cooler until later this week. A very different hunt than I am used too but still a blast. Here are a couple of pics for you guys.

Super nice buck!!!

Love those dark horns!

DANG! Where's the bullet?

This has got me all worked up for my season in a few weeks. Nice work.

Nice buck there....

The dark horns look really cool.

It was very sporting to give him a warning shot like you did.

If you sighted in with a fouled barrel, and you shot with a clean barrel, you could have been high even though your aim was good. Or you had buck fever

I'm going with buck fever but only because of jealousy.

Here is the bullet for Andy. 250grain Barnes T-MZ solid copper sabot. Went through ribs, heart liver and I found the bullet right in front of his junk.

Coo! I have recovered a number of Barnes bullets from deer, bear, and elk. They have never let me down. I shoot a similar 300 grain projectile out of my .458 Socom. Nice to know they expand at ML velocities.

I'll use up my 100 or so Hornady Great Plains bullet, and possibly make the switch to a Barnes bullet now that copper is allowed.

What unit are you hunting in WA that allows jacketed bullets out of a smokepole?

Keith

Any unit.

Here is #3 in the Muzzleloader rules.

3. In addition to the above requirements, it is
unlawful to participate (hunt) in a muzzleloading
hunting season using a firearm that does
not meet the following specifications for a
muzzleloader. As in the past sabots are allowed.
Any type of projectile is allowed.

They changed that 2 or 3 years ago I think.

No kidding? Guess I'm behind the times... I've been bowhunting deer/elk the last 2 years so haven't payed as much attention.

I knew sabot's were legal, just didn't know about the jacketed bullets... When are they going to allow scopes?

It's a good thing, I can't tell you how many animals I heard of shot in the 9 years of muzzleloading (especially elk) that were never found after being shot with a lead bullet....

Guess I'll have to go and buy me a tray of jacketed bullets and really get the job done!

Keith

I hope they never allow scopes. I think the primitive weapon thing is fun. I think the reason they changed it was as you said, the lead projectile softness attributed to wasted dead animals.

But yes Keith you get the fun of trying new types of bullets in your gun. I had a blast (pun) trying different bullets in my gun.

You shooting a bighorn? I'm assuming I can just get the same bullets I have, just jacketed.... I'll have to try that out someday assuming I go back to the smokepole. Perhaps with deer I guess but one will never get my bow out of my hands for elk... Nothing beats it...

Keith

I wouldn't want to see scopes legal either, but wouldn't mind if they lifted the open breech rule. But then again my bighorn shoots so well I don't think I would switch to a crack open style ML anyhow. Anyone with a bighorn looking for a new round to shoot should try a 300 grain barnes mz expander with 110 grains of powder. I have played with lots of combos and nothing flies through my rifle like that does.

I wasn't suggesting scopes either.. Keeps a lot of people rifle hunting!!

What kind of grouping are you getting?

I shoot 150 grains of 777 pellets with 295 grain (lead) powerbelt out of both of my stainless bighorns...

I'd say I was shooting a 2.5-3" 3 shot group. I might pick up some of the jacketed 295 grain powerbelts and see how they do. Personally, I never lost an animal with the lead bullets but have heard plenty of stories....

Keith

I also shoot a stainless bighorn. Off hand it depends on how shaky I am that day, always within 3-4 in group at 100 yds, 4in I would not be happy with. At the bench last week I shot through the same bullseye hole at 50 yds everytime, shot a 2 in group at 100yds and a 3 in group at 150yds. Those barnes bullets made a world of difference for me. I personally don't care for pellets. They will misfire much easier in damp weather, and just don't have the punch that loose 777 powder does. In my experience 150 grains is too much and causes in accuracy. I have tried different powder charges and 110 shoots best for me. But every bore is different as is every shooter.

The Barnes MZs are pretty much the gold standard it sounds like. I am going to switch to them next year. This year I am sticking with the Hornady SST/Shockwave because that is what I sighted in with.

I was shooting the Precision Dead center bullets the last 2 years. They worked well on the button buck I shot on the last day of the late season in '08. A friend turned me on to the barnes stuff. I love the solid copper bullets.

What kind of powder you shooting?

This is the first year for jacketed bullets.

My lead bullet killed my elk pretty dead this year.Again. But I do have a bunch of Hornady's I want to try out

777

I am shooting Pyrodex Pellets.

T7 loose.