Not a big deer but should be good eating.

[iceman]

Today dawned a perfect deer hunting day. It was about 20 deg F, no wind and clear skies. Sunrise found me sitting on a small bush road that cuts through a hemlock/cedar swamp. I had missed a doe there Saturday where they cross the road. After sitting for an hour or so I was getting cold and decided to walk slowly down the road. About a 1/4 mile from my stand the bush opens to an old abandoned field that is starting to get overgrown with saplings of various types of trees. As I turned a corner I could see a nice doe at about 100 yards standing in the field mostly hidden by branches etc. She really stood out as all the weeds and branches were white with frost. I was in a muzzle loading zone and was thinking of trying her, but with all the branches I was worried about the bullet not getting there. suddenly there was a branch snap and a smaller doe stepped onto the road at about 75 yards, broadside. I aimed my Traditions inline at the junction of her neck and shoulder and fired. The Hornady Great plains 385 gr slug hit right where I aimed and she fell right there. Upon cleaning her I found that the bullet had taken out her spine, both lungs and exited between two ribs on the far side. She is not very big maybe 100 lbs dressed but shauld be good eating. Our deer herd has dropped dramaticly because of our heavy snow fall last year ( approx 12 feet) and a high coyote population. When I registered her this morning I was number 407, and according to the person doing the registration last year at this time of the season we had approx 700 registered. We are only allowed 1 per year, so now I have a week and a half left of my vacation to hunt ruffed grouse and work on the honey do list.

[TedH]

Congratulations!

[marlinman93]

Great shooting iceman!

[Dave]

Nice shooting. One a year is tough. Maybe they will bounce back in a year or two.

[Tennessee Hayre]

I went deer hunting about 5 times during muzzleloader season 1-9 Nov and saw 11 deer but kept getting busted out. The forest floor was so dry you could not walk without making a snap crackle pop, so I had to find a place and stay there. The leaves were still on the trees and you could only see about 50 yards where I was hunting. Things will be better on the 22nd here in Tennessee when rifle season comes in. But I had the chance to do some scouting and set up a few position with camo nets, and cleared some shooting lanes. I think I will set some salt blocks out this weekend. The only deer I have in my freezer is the one my son ran over, but it is Gooooooood.

[iceman]

Here in Quebec it has been 1 deer per year for as long as I can remember. You can get up to 4 per year on Anticosti Island. The deer herd has never been exceptionally big here but they are ususally large. A standard say 8 point buck will usually go around 175 lbs and we often see 200 lbs plus bucks. A 125 lbs doe is the norm. I saw a coyote Monday in the same field that I saw the doe this morning. I tried a shot but missed. Range was approx 100 yds, thats what made me hesitate on the larger doe this morning. The old Traditions Deerhunter inline that I have shoots well with the great Plains and only 90 grains equivalant of Pyrodex and a # 11 mag cap. I missed the doe and the coyote with a Remington 700 ML, probably not the riflle's fault but it is funny how you get confidence in a certain rifle even though you have a better option. Score is 7 deer for the Traditions and 1 for the Remington. The only advantage of the Remington is a closed breech to help keep the caps dry in the rain. The Traditions is open to the weather and has a slower lock time, but it works for me.

[mescalero1]

How big are the coyotes in your part of the world?

[Ben_Rumson]

Happy Eatin' & a good shot!

[BenT]

Sounds mighty tasty.

[iceman]

The coyote I saw was about the size of a german shepherd. It looked like a husky but not as big in the front shoulders. Some of the guys say they are a cross between wolves and coyotes. You can hear them most nights or early evening howling. I guess I am going to try calling them with a varmit call and give my levers a try out. Is a 356 over kill?

[BenT]

If your not worried about the hide the 356 is fine. Most coyotes will come in under 100 yards.

[AndyM]

Sounds mighty tasty.

+1