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Fins, Feathers, Fur and Empty Freezers.
Hello Frontier Muzzleloaders... Just getting time from a wonderful two week piece of mind in South East Utah. Muzzle load buck was the name of the game but the entire two weeks was the cream of the crop. I am definitely recharged and un-wound. Loved every second.
DISCLAIMER. .. Now most of these pictures are going to have a knife in them. I am really not trying to pimp my knives on this thread. I took pictures with the knife for my Facebook page and advertising other places. This is honestly the first knife of mine I have kept and I ran it through the paces. The new is definitely worn off and it performed how I expect it to and knew it would. Sure I could have made a Buck work just the same or a broken beer bottle for that matter. I just thought I would get that out of the way.
On to the hunt.
It was tough. It was hot and dry and a clear full moon the entire hunt. I saw a lot of deer but hardly any bucks. I hunted from 11 thousand feet at timber line to 5 thousand sage brushed high desert and ended up killing my buck out in the desert.
I went and checked an area that holds bucks not far from private alfalfa fields in the lower country. It’s actually rare there are bucks down there this time of year but it is always worth a look. They were there this year and getting them in the open sage and thick cedars on the public ground is really tough. I got on some tracks and figured they were a group of bucks just because one of the tracks was a for sure buck track. I followed them for a ways and much to my surprise caught up to them rather fast.
There was 4 bucks total in the group with the biggest being about a 24” willow horn 4 point. The other three were small bucks. They were about 150 yards out. This is the first year in a lot of years that I am not shooting a traditional muzzle loader set up. I was so used to not having a flat shooting front stuffer that I held just a touch high on the 4 point and sent the Sabot only to watch the bullet impact right exactly where I was aiming and cleanly missed the 4 point. The buck turned inside out and lit a shuck and drove a truck right out of the country. I’m pretty sure he is still running.
I knew I missed him but had to check for sure. I went to where he was standing and two small yearling 2 points watched me from about 50 yards away as I made sure the big buck was scratch free.
I followed the tracks of the big buck for a ways and seen him about a mile away making for the next horizon. I figured I would go back and see if I could get a shot at one of the yearling bucks just because I had not seen much on the mountain and my freezer is bone dry. I found them but couldn’t bring myself to shoot either one of them. I had a 3 point or better rule for this season, empty freezer be damed. I headed back to the truck and stopped in a really open sage flat to glass and see if the fourth buck would just magically appear in his search for the other bucks. He was the only one I hadn’t accounted for after my miss of the bigger buck.
It’s rare my begotten plans actually come together and I was very surprised when a sure enough buck came out of the trees at a broad side walk about 120 yards away from me. I threw up my binos and counted 3 points on his close side, leaned up against a cedar, cocked the hammer, whistled to stop him and when the trigger broke he collapsed at the shot.
I got a worlds record 3 point but he was a good buck to take. His teeth say he is a two year old and his flesh will go a long way toward that empty freezer problem.
I also got quite a few grouse and was able to have my girls along for one of them. I did some awesome fishing for some of the prettiest rainbows in some of Gods most beautiful country. What an awesome hunt!
Worlds record 3 point. I hit him high in the shoulders. The nose shot was a coup shot. The gun is a Traditions Pursuit Ultralight, Vortex 1x scope, 100 grains of BH209, 250 grain 45 cal SST Muzzy bullet. They are actually the Traditions Smackdown, same thing. Performed great..
I love when my girls are in camp. They were there the day I got my buck. I love how they already love it.
Camp..
Some awesome upland game hunting. I used a newly acquired Mossburg O/U 20 gauge with 5 shot.
I used my Rossi Kit gun .410 for this grouse with 3" 5 shot. the gun fits in my side by side kit and goes every where. Worked great.
Had some awesome camp dinner as always. Buckskin heart and mashed potatoes and gravy, also some coal roasted grouse and wild rice.
What a beautiful place to be raised huh? I live in North West Co. now but grew up in these mountains.
Anyhow, Thanks for coming along and happy fall harvest to you all!
Todd
Hello Frontier Muzzleloaders... Just getting time from a wonderful two week piece of mind in South East Utah. Muzzle load buck was the name of the game but the entire two weeks was the cream of the crop. I am definitely recharged and un-wound. Loved every second.
DISCLAIMER. .. Now most of these pictures are going to have a knife in them. I am really not trying to pimp my knives on this thread. I took pictures with the knife for my Facebook page and advertising other places. This is honestly the first knife of mine I have kept and I ran it through the paces. The new is definitely worn off and it performed how I expect it to and knew it would. Sure I could have made a Buck work just the same or a broken beer bottle for that matter. I just thought I would get that out of the way.
On to the hunt.
It was tough. It was hot and dry and a clear full moon the entire hunt. I saw a lot of deer but hardly any bucks. I hunted from 11 thousand feet at timber line to 5 thousand sage brushed high desert and ended up killing my buck out in the desert.
I went and checked an area that holds bucks not far from private alfalfa fields in the lower country. It’s actually rare there are bucks down there this time of year but it is always worth a look. They were there this year and getting them in the open sage and thick cedars on the public ground is really tough. I got on some tracks and figured they were a group of bucks just because one of the tracks was a for sure buck track. I followed them for a ways and much to my surprise caught up to them rather fast.
There was 4 bucks total in the group with the biggest being about a 24” willow horn 4 point. The other three were small bucks. They were about 150 yards out. This is the first year in a lot of years that I am not shooting a traditional muzzle loader set up. I was so used to not having a flat shooting front stuffer that I held just a touch high on the 4 point and sent the Sabot only to watch the bullet impact right exactly where I was aiming and cleanly missed the 4 point. The buck turned inside out and lit a shuck and drove a truck right out of the country. I’m pretty sure he is still running.
I knew I missed him but had to check for sure. I went to where he was standing and two small yearling 2 points watched me from about 50 yards away as I made sure the big buck was scratch free.
I followed the tracks of the big buck for a ways and seen him about a mile away making for the next horizon. I figured I would go back and see if I could get a shot at one of the yearling bucks just because I had not seen much on the mountain and my freezer is bone dry. I found them but couldn’t bring myself to shoot either one of them. I had a 3 point or better rule for this season, empty freezer be damed. I headed back to the truck and stopped in a really open sage flat to glass and see if the fourth buck would just magically appear in his search for the other bucks. He was the only one I hadn’t accounted for after my miss of the bigger buck.
It’s rare my begotten plans actually come together and I was very surprised when a sure enough buck came out of the trees at a broad side walk about 120 yards away from me. I threw up my binos and counted 3 points on his close side, leaned up against a cedar, cocked the hammer, whistled to stop him and when the trigger broke he collapsed at the shot.
I got a worlds record 3 point but he was a good buck to take. His teeth say he is a two year old and his flesh will go a long way toward that empty freezer problem.
I also got quite a few grouse and was able to have my girls along for one of them. I did some awesome fishing for some of the prettiest rainbows in some of Gods most beautiful country. What an awesome hunt!
Worlds record 3 point. I hit him high in the shoulders. The nose shot was a coup shot. The gun is a Traditions Pursuit Ultralight, Vortex 1x scope, 100 grains of BH209, 250 grain 45 cal SST Muzzy bullet. They are actually the Traditions Smackdown, same thing. Performed great..
I love when my girls are in camp. They were there the day I got my buck. I love how they already love it.
Camp..
Some awesome upland game hunting. I used a newly acquired Mossburg O/U 20 gauge with 5 shot.
I used my Rossi Kit gun .410 for this grouse with 3" 5 shot. the gun fits in my side by side kit and goes every where. Worked great.
Had some awesome camp dinner as always. Buckskin heart and mashed potatoes and gravy, also some coal roasted grouse and wild rice.
What a beautiful place to be raised huh? I live in North West Co. now but grew up in these mountains.
Anyhow, Thanks for coming along and happy fall harvest to you all!
Todd
