The Hot Rod Hawken kills a deer

[idahoron]

This deer tag this year about killed me. I have put in countless hours scouting and hunting with little to show. On opening day I had three good bucks pushed out of the country by elk hunters. Then I went on a 7 day dry spell where I didn't see a buck I wanted to shoot, and I walked 38 miles. I headed up last night for the last couple days of the hunt. This Morning I headed into an area I have had some luck in before. I stopped to glass and saw a small bunch of deer. I saw that one was a branch antlered buck. With literally only hours left to hunt I decided to take him if I had the chance. I watched them go over a ridge and I took off as fast as I could. When I got there he was 117 yards. My sight was set and I put the Hot Rod on the shooting sticks. I knew that my sight was set for 100 so I was going to hold a pinch high. I don't normally like to do this but I felt like I didn't have time to set the sight for the shot. So I held for a high shoulder shot since the lungs were blocked by brush. As the rifle cracked the smoke blocked my sight but I heard a solid WHOP!!! I put the binoculars up and saw the deer running away, minus the buck. I reloaded and headed for the spot I last saw him. I got there and I didn't need the follow up shot. The buck was DOA. The bullet hit the shoulder and crushed it. What was left of the bullet was under the hide in the neck. It was the fastest kill shot I have ever had with a muzzleloader. The Rifle was my 45 cal fast twist Hot Rod Hawken. The load was a 409 gr paper patched RCBS 11mm rifle bullet. I used 80 gr of Pyrodex P and an over powder wad.
This combination will shoot sub 2" groups at 100 yards. If I do my part I have shot sub 1" groups with it. This was my fist animal with a 45 cal. It was great to be able to get an animal with this rifle. Ron

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd294/idahoron/2013%20deer%20hunt/Deer11small_zps20b123e5.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd294/idahoron/2013%20deer%20hunt/Deer05small_zps0b0e79c1.jpg

[Hamish]

Thanks for the great write up, and the pics are gravy, congrats on a good buck! (Nice touch with the permit)

[Junior1942]

I'm in with the jealousy crowd..... with apologies to Ramsey Lewis.....

Baring the unexpected, in the morning I'm hauling firewood to my campsite for opening weekend starting the 19th. Your story lit a fire in my enthusiasm stove!

[Squeeze]

Sweet! congrats, your having a stellar year.

[roverboy]

That's a great buck and rifle/load you got there.

[Hogdaddy]

Congrats Idohoron,, Great deer ; )

I've been seing this nice 8 pt for the past 1-1/2 week. No shot with bow..

Next weekend is ML season,, Hope he's around then ; )
H/D

[johnson1942]

ron: your deer have good racks in your area. i know what you mean when you say wop. those bigger paper patch bullets hit hard and you can hear it as you said. our season is a lot later here, the whole month of dec. the fever is starting though. my boy asked me to day if we can start scouting out the spots we usually hunt and of course i said yes. did your boy hunt with you? im going to use my .45 that is a rebarreled renagade also. probably use a 500 grain pp bulet with 110 grain 2f. not trying to out do any one but the barrel is 36 inches long and absorbs the recoil. keep us posted on what you do we always enjoy it.

[starmac]

Sound like you had a great hunt. If you don't mind my asking, what model sight is that you have, and is it far enough back to not interfear with the hammer. Mine is a lefty.

[John Allen]

That is a good looking buck. I have been out for archery but have not had seen anything decent yet.

[idahoron]

ron: your deer have good racks in your area. i know what you mean when you say wop. those bigger paper patch bullets hit hard and you can hear it as you said. our season is a lot later here, the whole month of dec. the fever is starting though. my boy asked me to day if we can start scouting out the spots we usually hunt and of course i said yes. did your boy hunt with you? im going to use my .45 that is a rebarreled renagade also. probably use a 500 grain pp bulet with 110 grain 2f. not trying to out do any one but the barrel is 36 inches long and absorbs the recoil. keep us posted on what you do we always enjoy it.

No my son didn't go hunting this year. He is wrapped up in collage and has about no time at all to do anything. I have a Renegade with a 32 or a 34" long barrel but I need a bigger bullet. It is a 1-18 twist and the longest I have is a 475. I need to try that bullet again as a paper patched bullet. Ron

[idahoron]

The sight on the rifle is a Lyman 57 SML. It doesn't interfere with the hammer but I have done a couple things. First I added a block between the sight base and the tang. It gives me enough adjustment to get out to at least 500 yards. Next I bent the hammer so there is no way my thumb would accidentally hit the sight. Ron

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd294/idahoron/Muzzleloaders/hammer04.jpg

[rodwha]

I'm curious about the sights/scope too with your general rifle setups.

[idahoron]

rodwha, I am not sure what your question is. Ron

[rodwha]

My question was formulated prior to the post that showed your sights. I wondered if you generally used peep sights or a scope.

[TCLouis]

Congratulations, very nice kill there.

[idahoron]

In Idaho we have to use open sights or peep sights for big game hunting in a Muzzleloader only season. After shooting the peep for several years I don't think I would put a scope on it even if I could. Ron

[rodwha]

I've read that a peep sight greatly helps. How well does it do so? I want to say that I've seen a few threads in which you've shot animals at considerable distances.

[starmac]

Thanks for that picture. I like your setup, but it appears that it would interfere with the hammer on mine.

[idahoron]

These peeps can be adjusted in the field. So if my range finder says 175 I set it for 175 and hold dead on. One time a friend and I were shooting at a deer that was dead on his feet. I was shooting Hornady bullets then. I hit the buck 4 out of 5 times at 175 yards. My 50 and my 45 are both sighted in out to 300 yards but I wouldn't shoot the first time past 150. After that if an animal is hit and still on it's feet I can dope a shot out to 300 yards.
My front sight is a Lyman 17 AML with Lee Shavers long range inserts. Those inserts in my opinion are the main reason I can shoot out to farther ranges. Most front sights are too thick. Ron

[rodwha]

I certainly need to give those types of sights a look! I'm not familiar with them at all, but I've read they can help people with sight problems still hunt w/o using a scope.

I do like the looks of those Malcolm scopes though...

[Rattus58]

This deer tag this year about killed me. I have put in countless hours scouting and hunting with little to show. On opening day I had three good bucks pushed out of the country by elk hunters. Then I went on a 7 day dry spell where I didn't see a buck I wanted to shoot, and I walked 38 miles. I headed up last night for the last couple days of the hunt. This Morning I headed into an area I have had some luck in before. I stopped to glass and saw a small bunch of deer. I saw that one was a branch antlered buck. With literally only hours left to hunt I decided to take him if I had the chance. I watched them go over a ridge and I took off as fast as I could. When I got there he was 117 yards. My sight was set and I put the Hot Rod on the shooting sticks. I knew that my sight was set for 100 so I was going to hold a pinch high. I don't normally like to do this but I felt like I didn't have time to set the sight for the shot. So I held for a high shoulder shot since the lungs were blocked by brush. As the rifle cracked the smoke blocked my sight but I heard a solid WHOP!!! I put the binoculars up and saw the deer running away, minus the buck. I reloaded and headed for the spot I last saw him. I got there and I didn't need the follow up shot. The buck was DOA. The bullet hit the shoulder and crushed it. What was left of the bullet was under the hide in the neck. It was the fastest kill shot I have ever had with a muzzleloader. The Rifle was my 45 cal fast twist Hot Rod Hawken. The load was a 409 gr paper patched RCBS 11mm rifle bullet. I used 80 gr of Pyrodex P and an over powder wad.
This combination will shoot sub 2" groups at 100 yards. If I do my part I have shot sub 1" groups with it. This was my fist animal with a 45 cal. It was great to be able to get an animal with this rifle. Ron

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd294/idahoron/2013%20deer%20hunt/Deer11small_zps20b123e5.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd294/idahoron/2013%20deer%20hunt/Deer05small_zps0b0e79c1.jpg

Beautiful..... who did the barrel for you? DOA is dead on Arrival..... that might be yours... anywhere on the planet.... DRT on the other hand is Dead Right There.... coined thanks to my son... an EMT in the jungles of South Carolina.. :grin:

[idahoron]

All of my barrels are from Green Mountain. Ron

[horsesoldier]

Nice buck! I bet the boolit smacked when it hit!

[Rattus58]

All of my barrels are from Green Mountain. RonMine too..... though mine now are all roundball. My inlines and one caplock are 1-18 for my .41 and 1-20 for all the rest, though my fast twist 50 might be 1-24. My .45's shoot 470 to 530 grain conicals best.

[OnHoPr]

In Idaho we have to use open sights or peep sights for big game hunting in a Muzzleloader only season. After shooting the peep for several years I don't think I would put a scope on it even if I could. Ron

I'm glad that you stipulated the Idaho rules idahoron and that in your terrain are still very effective with practice and probably less finicky to certain conditions. But, if you're hunting east of the Mississippi there is a lot of terrain like cedar swamps, tall pine forest, thickets, and dark underbrush and ground cover that can make the last hour of hunting in the day almost impossible with irons compared to the more open terrains of the west where you still have good light all the way up to the half an hour past sundown.

I always enjoy reading your post as they have knowledge and success for the big bore muzzle loader. And once again very good harvest, that's a dandy buck.