Late season muzzleloader buck

[Tonyencore]

Didn't see a shooter all year until two days left in muzzleloader season.  I was videoing my nephew when this guy came up a creek bed behind us.  I had a better angle so my nephew handed his MR up to me even though I had my MR laying on the front of my climber.  He was wanting to see how the 265 grain  Lehigh Defense controlled fracture bullet would do on a whitetail.  My MR was stuffed with a 250 Barnes that would have been more than adequate.  With this buck and another young ten pointer with him, I wasn't about to argue.  The only problem was the creek bank.  I only got to see his head for about 75 yards as he was walking out of my life.  The creek bank had him covered up and there was nothing I could do.  I wasn't about to grunt and alert him because the wind wasn't exactly in my favor.  At 120 yards, which is the farthest I've ever taken a shot in the woods, he stopped and turned back toward me.  I'm pretty sure he smelled us, which was fortunate because if he hadn't, there is no way I get good look at him.  The only shot I had was at his neck, but with a steady prop, I knew if I could keep from hitting a limb, I was going to take him down.  At the crack of the gun, all I saw was his white under belly and he went straight backward and was down for the count.  As for the bullet, the amount of blood was incredible.  I've taken quite a few deer in the neck with different projectiles like a 12 gauge slug, SST, Barnes, 7mm Mag and XTP.  This was a bloodbath.

 

[Tonyencore]

 

[Okie Hog]

Congrats on the great buck.

 

[Marty1]

:cheers:

:cheers:

Great to hear from you again Tony!

Wow...LATE SEASON :Red tup: Another awesome rack for you.  That rack looks similar to your CF buck you nailed last year with the funky points.  Were you hunting in the same area, and what time of the day :?:

 

[Sparkitoff1]

Nice one!

 

[Tonyencore]

Thanks, fellas!!  Got pretty lucky on this one.  Marty, I was hunting a couple of farms over, but basically the same area as last year. I love hunting Southern Indiana. Those sticker points seem to be a trend in this place I hunt.  I've harped about Barnes bullets for years on here, but these controlled fracture bullets are nothing to sneeze at!  The creek bed was covered in blood.  I've never had a neck shot do anything like that.  We took a doe two weeks later with the same bullet and it destroyed the vitals.  It looked like the lungs and heart were shot with 00 buckshot.  The petals do some serious damage and the main body gives the pass through we desire.  We used Harvester smooth sabots with this hunt, though they loaded a bit stiff for my liking.  May go with crush ribs and see how they group.  I know I still have my Encore in my signature line.  I still hunt with her now and then.  She's a little more finicky than my MR.  The Encore shoots Barnes 250's ok, but shoots the Monoflex and crush ribs like a boss.  Consistently one inch or less and it's usually or less.  Great talking to you again, Marty. So happy that this site is still alive.

 

[strong eagle]

thanks for sharing, good rack to hang on the wall.