My dad's muzzleloader buck

[dhaverstick]

Dad sent me these picture a few days ago and I need to brag on him a little bit. He is 74 years old, rough as a cob, and still hunts with traditional bows and muzzleloaders. He is also the finest rifle shot that I know. Dad killed this buck on the last day of Missouri's muzzleloader season with his Hawken rifle using iron sights. Here is the story.

He was hunting in our middle field at a place that we call the Briar Patch which is a copse of trees and brush that runs out into the middle of the field. He saw this buck jump the fence about 200 yards away, coming out of the creek on that side, and proceed to walk across the field. It looked like the deer was going to come right to him so he just sat and waited for a close shot. At about 140 yards, the buck decided to change direction and turned and started walking away. Just before the buck went into the brush, he stopped and turned broadside. Dad held a foot over the deer's back, pulled the trigger, and hit that buck right in the goodies. The deer ran about 60 yards before piling up in the brush. Dad ranged the shot AT 164 YARDS! He can be a cantankerous old so-and-so a lot of the time but I sure wouldn't tell him that if he had a rifle in his hand. He is a walking encyclopedia of ballistic data and lives to hear that gun pop.

Darren

 

[sb 54 cal.]

Good on Him had been trying all season with a Hawkin and like him on the last day had a long shot on a nice buck but lack the confidence to pull the trigger. Tell him I said to keep his shooting eye sharp.
Regards Pappy
:hatsoff: :hatsoff: :hatsoff:

 

[Britsmoothy]

Neat :thumbsup:
You both sound like swell guys. :hatsoff:

B.

 

[Patocazador]

I'm 73 but I need a peep for my rear sight. Your dad is lucky he can still see those sights ... lucky, a good shot and a good hunter.

Congrats to him.

 

[Spikebuck]

Darren, please pass my congratulations on to your Dad. :hatsoff:

Question: what is the caliber and load? Also, was it a pass thru or where did it enter and stop. My longest was 115 yards with a .54 ball-et, which isn't a whole lot more than a PRB, and it was in and out breaking ribs with a 90 gr load of T7. If a person can hit the mark at long yardages I think our guns are more capable than many times we give them credit for.

 

[robinsroost]

Congratulations to your dad! I killed a 9 point once but they are rare, your dad's is a beauty. Keep yer powder dry..........robin :bow:

 

[dhaverstick]

He was shooting a 50 caliber PRB with 70 grains of FFF, I think. He got a pass-through and he said the exit hole was a dandy!

Dad is about the closest thing you'll find to a free trapper these days. His right bicep detached from his shoulder a few years ago but he still hunts and kills with a recurve bow. Four years ago, he made a spear and killed a deer with it just to see if he could. He's pretty much a hermit and thinks way more of dogs than he does people. He's my best hunting buddy and the toughest S.O.B that I know of. I'm right proud to be his son!

Darren

 

[will5a1]

Congrats to your Dad, he sounds like an interesting guy, and thanks for sharing the story and pictures.

 

[Danny Ross]

Well that should clear up things for anyone who doesn't think a 50cal roundball is enough for deer. Also the killing effects of a roundball well beyond what most would consider lethal or have a clean kill on a deer. THAT was a poke. I have killed deer with my 50cal and never had a pass through but this just renewed my confidence in the 50. I would have never thought at that distance. Good thing your dad doesn't listen to what others believe a 50cal roundball can do at long ranges. DANNY

 

[Spikebuck]

I would have never expected a pass thru with a .50 PRB and 70 grs at that yardage. Just depends on what all is hit, I guess. I'm glad it worked out so well.

Your Dad sounds like the kind of guy I'd love to meet. Of course he'd like his dog more than he'd like me, and I'd like my dog more than I'd like him, but other than that, we'd probably get along! :grin: I've always thought it would be pretty darned neat to kill a deer with a spear. Not legal to do anywhere around my neck of the woods, though. A hearty congrats to him as well for getting that done! :hatsoff: :bow:

 

[Lonegun1894]

Congrats to your dad! Sounds like the kind of guy I would love to buy a cup of coffee for just to listen to him talk, on the condition he doesn't mind if we both bring our dogs.

As to some here who posted that they're surprised at the pass through with a .490 RB at that range, I'm not one bit surprised. Here is why. We all know that our RBs slow down a lot in flight, but they also expand VERY well when used at close ranges (inside 100 yards). Well, here is the thing many forget. The slower the impact velocity, the less expansion, while the faster the impact, the more violent expansion you will get. This is a big part of why modern varmint bullets get pushed to top velocities. In this instance and using his load of 70grs of FFFg to push a .490 PRB, which is the same load I use in my .50, here is what I would expect with a broadside shot. If the shot had been at 10 yards, or even 75 yards, the ball would have been found under the skin on the off-side of the deer, and would look VERY flattened like most we see posted here. Somewhere around 100 yards, it would slow down enough that it wouldn't flatten near as much as we typically see photos posted of here, and the chances of a pass through would increase, but we may or may not get said pass through. By the time it gets to between 125 and 150 yards, it has lost enough velocity that it will expand some, but not very much at all in comparison to what we would expect. So at these ranges, I would expect it to pass through ANY deer, if shot broadside, because it is just simple physics. Less expansion means less surface area to create resistance, so it will penetrate deeper. If you put the same amount of force behind a ice pick and a basketball, the ice pick will penetrate deeper every time. That is exactly what happened here, and will always happen regardless of the caliber used, on the condition that the impact velocity is sufficient to cause penetration. And as much as we all love our .50s and .54s, either is plenty big enough to do the job even if it doesn't expand one bit.

 

[wattlebuster]

Good looking buck :thumbsup:

 

[Critter Getter]

Congrats to your Dad for harvesting a nice buck! Where did he hit him at and is that the exit hole shown in the first picture? Just curious. A .50 prb is indeed good medicine on these Midwest Whitetails!! Greg.

 

[ron wehmeyer]

Congratulations to your Dad. Your description of him remind's me of my Dad. You are truely lucky to still have yours . Spend all the time you can with him. DT.

 

[dhaverstick]

Thanks, all! My father is quite a character. The stories I could tell about his exploits would make an interesting book, although you probably wouldn't find it in the "family-friendly" section of the bookstore.

That is a leaf on the hind quarter of that deer in the first picture, not a bullet hole. The entry wound is on that side just behind the elbow joint. You can't see it in the photo.

To all who thought I was calling Dad "old", you are mistaken. Anyone who can get up every day and do the things he does certainly isn't old. If he's not running a bulldozer for somebody, he's splitting wood, fixing fence, or doing some other chore that needs to be done. I just hope I have the grit that he does when I get to be his age!

Darren

 

[S.Kenton]

VERY NICE! Thats a nice animal and should put some food on the table for spell!

 

[Danny Ross]

Also so much for the idea that 1,000ft pounds is needed to make a clean kill on a deer. A 1/2 inch hole will do it also, with much less that 1,000 ft pounds. DANNY

 

[VTdeerhunter]

Wow...Great deer and hunt! Congratulations to your dad.

 

[Christophero]

That is just too cool! Be sure your Dad knows how much his exploits have charged up a number of traditional MZ shooters! :grin:

I've dropped a buck about that size years go with my TC Renegade at 175 yards, but with a TC Maxi Hunter, not the PRB. My shot was true but high and took out the spine with a pass through, too. These guns will get the job done, for sure.
This picture will be a wonderful memory for you in years to come.

 

[GreyWhiskers]

Good hunting! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: