Northern Idaho Whitetail

[idahoron]

I am back from a Northern Idaho Whitetail hunt. I got mine with a cartridge rifle but the root of the story is about my muzzleloader.
This is an interesting hunt and not because I got a deer but how it happened.
I met a man from Northern Idaho on my YouTube page. He is our own 54bore.


https://www.youtube.com/user/idahoron?feature=mhee


I helped him to set up a Hot Rod muzzleloader. After some talking he offered to take me on a hunt. I don't normally hunt with anyone but when I do it is with my son. Well After some thinking on my part I said why not!!
I left last Friday afternoon and got up there on Saturday. We went out looking at some deer that evening. Deer were everywhere. The next morning we head out and again we see deer quickly. The first spot had some does but I didn't see a buck. We headed to another spot and I saw a buck down in the trees.
I have only been on one Whitetail hunt in my life prior to this one. I didn't even see a legal deer to shoot on that hunt. I wanted a buck but I was willing to take a doe if I had to because I wanted to try the meat.
I took my muzzleloader but on the last minute I decided to take my 243 in case the weather was bad. Well the weather was bad and I was worried about the rifle going off and I was worried about the stock taking on a lot of water and ruining the stock. So I decided to shoot the 243. I haven't hunted with that rifle in 9 years. I have been mostly a muzzleloader hunter for many, many years.
So I see the buck down about 50 yards in the trees. The buck was quartering to me and I pulled up, and shot him in the point of the shoulder. At the hit he spun and tore off through the trees. We gathered up our things and followed him up. About 50 yards into the tracking job we find him piled up. That buck took a pounding from that 243. If Whitetails were as big as elk I don't know if I have a rifle big enough to knock one off it's feet.
This buck was no trophy, but he is my first whitetail and I am proud of him. I got lucky and shot him on the first day, so I hung around a few more days to try to help my friend Lewis to find a trophy buck.
He also wanted to shoot the rifle that started the muzzleloader craze for him, my Hot Rod Hawken. He shot it well and I am sure he enjoyed shooting that gun as much as I did getting my deer.
I owe him so much. He let me camp in his yard, he opened his home to me and allowed me to partake in a hunt with him that I could have never done on my own.
Thank you Lewis for a memory of a lifetime. I said it before and I will say it again. You are my brother from another mother.


http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd294/idahoron/2016%20Whitetail/WT%2007_zpsbdyaoe4g.jpg


http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd294/idahoron/2016%20Whitetail/WT%2006_zpsshaacduu.jpg


http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd294/idahoron/2016%20Whitetail/WT%2005_zpsxynpurvr.jpg


http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd294/idahoron/2016%20Whitetail/WT%2004_zpsejga5pea.jpg


http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd294/idahoron/2016%20Whitetail/WT%2002_zpsfv0ri80o.jpg


http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd294/idahoron/2016%20Whitetail/WT%2011_zpsic0qwmke.jpg


http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd294/idahoron/2016%20Whitetail/WT%2010_zpsvavwozae.jpg

[johnson1942]

thanks for the story. castboolits is a good place to make friends. koger and i have become friends and hunt together. he drove all the way from kentucky last dec and got his buck second day out. he is coming again this year and hope he does well again. i hope you and 54 bore make it a yearly thing. thanks again

[Omnivore]

Congrats, Idahoron, on the whitetail. That one is an unusual grey color. If you're hunting for meat (and as far as I'm concerned there's no other reason) then you don't want a trophy buck. The younger ones are far better eating.

[Harleysboss]

Nothing wrong with that buck. He's a beautiful representative. Congrats.

[koger]

Ron nice buck! Whitetails are very smart, and tough, your buck and mine are close to twins that I shot this year bow hunting, 12 yd shot, down thru half the spine, stuck out his chest, he ran down a steep hill 100yds and piled up. Weighed #150 gutted! I love the .243, have killed a pile of deer with them, none ran over 50-60 yds, my wife kille her 31st deer with a .243 this year, a heavy barrel Handi Rifle I bought her new, she is deadly to 300 yds. I will be at Rogers this time next week, cant wait to see him and the family, bringing him some goodies from southern KY,canned blackberries and jam, a country ham, some home grown corn meal and so on!!

[Fiddleharp]

Hey Ron, were you hunting on public land or private? The reason I ask is because I used to live in North Idaho thirty years ago and used to hunt several of those national forests up there. My favorite was the Clearwater NF near the town of Kooskia. I have great memories from those days!

[4719dave]

nice buck and a story to boot ..Thanks for sharing that was my first muzzle loader now its an encore ..

[54bore]

If you guys can stick through this i think its worth the read. One never knows the twists and turns ahead of us in life, for me with muzzleloaders it started with a 54 Cal TC New Englander my dad gave me, he gave me the rifle and everything i needed to shoot it, that little rifle stayed propped up in my closet for 6 months or so, i honestly had no interest in messing with it, one cold winter day i thought about that rifle, i grabbed it and my possibles bag (my possibles bag consisted of 2 plastic grocery bags doubled up for a little extra strength, just the way i got it from my dad!) and i was off to the range, the little New Englander was like brand new, my dad had taken really good care of it, i loaded it up with 100 grains of Goex 2F and a Maxi ball, i settled in and shot the rifle, the next reload was VERY noticeably stiffer to get down, after that shot i thought to myself I'd better run a patch down that barrel and get some of the fowling out, i pushed a clean DRY patch down the barrel and to my immediate surprise i had a HELL of a time getting it back out! (You gotta remember I knew NOTHING about muzzleloaders, this was the first time in my life i had ever shot one) i loaded her back up and shot again, i reloaded and shot one more time and then tried to run another dry patch down to clean the fowling (in my mind i thought there must be a point where black powder fowling stabilizes out?) NOPE!! That sent me home with BADLY stuck ramrod! I got the ramrod freed and i cleaned the rifle up REALLY GOOD, and lubed it up with the thought in my mind that it might be permanately stored! But after a bit of stewing on it I became determined to learn more about muzzle loaders. I did a google search on how to clean a sidelock muzzleloader, This is how i met Idahoron, a youtube video popped up of him cleaning his 'Hotrod Hawken' i watched his video and then subscribed to his channel, the next video i watched of Ron's was him shooting the 'Hotrod' at 300 yards with peep sights and field cleaning it, This is what REALLY got the fire going! I made up my mind i HAD to have a rifle like Ron's 'Hotrod Hawken' I made contact with Ron and he helped me through my build, from setting up the rifle, the bullet mold, and how to paper patch. I now have 2 Hotrods, a .45 Cal Hawken similiar to Ron's, and a .50 Cal Hotrod Renegade. Even tho I was a total stranger to Idahoron the man never batted an eye to help me, I invited him to come up and hunt whitetail with me, And the rest is history. The last 2 pictures Ron posted are REALLY cool to me! They are of me with Ron's 'Hotrod Hawken' Rifle, i would never of imagined having that Rifle in my hands, let alone getting to shoot it! I met a really good guy, and made a darn good friend! Ron, You gotta make another trip up here and 'get r done' with the 'Hotrod Hawken' You are always welcome!!

[johnson1942]

thanks for the story. sharing and learning is fun. we have all been their with a stuck ramrod at least once and never again after that. your white tail looks different than the ones in western ne. it must be the corn and winter wheat they feed on here. thanks again.

[54bore]

Here is a funny part of Ron's hunt here with me, we talked about taking the time to go to the local sand pit and shoot Ron's 'Hotrod Hawken' as you can see by the photos ron posted we made that happen! I had already shot the gun and Ron was up to bat when i noticed a guy had pulled up in a little car, i immediately recognized the ole boy as a local, his name is john and he comes by my house to visit VERY regularly! I had told him all about Ron's Hawken, from the rifle, to the paper patched and sized bullets, He asked me quite a few questions and one of them was the sizing die that Ron uses, i explained to him about the 2 wraps of 9# onion skin paper and then running them through the sizing die DRY and that Ron uses a .446 sizing die, Ole john looked at me and said THAT WONT WORK!! I couldnt explain myself any better so i figured maybe a few of Ron's youtube videos would help, i sat here and played him 2 different videos, one on Ron paper patch and sizing, the other of Ron field cleaning and shooting the 'Hotrod' at 300 yards, I could tell he wasnt buying it?? Hard headed ole boy is an UNDERSTATEMENT!! Anyway it was quite the coincidence that Ole John happened to show up out there at the EXACT time Ron was up to bat with his Hawken! Ron did NOT know any of the history behind this and obviously had never met the man, Ron had set a pop can up on one of the burms and filled it full of sand, We ranged the can with Ron's rangefinder at 90 yards, That was his target when Ole man John showed up, As Ron was settling in for the shot i reached up to plug my ears and i said a short prayer 'Lord please let this be a HIT' KaBOOM the Ole 'Hotrod' went, That little pop can exploded into ribbons!! Ole john said i'll be damn he hit that! When ron and i left i explained the WHOLE story to him, we were both rolling laughing!! Good times!! Now im waiting for Johns next visit, LOL

[Hanshi]

Great stories and very entertaining. That's a nice buck, too.

[pietro]

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Great friend, great hunt, a great whitetail, and a great time overall - what's not to like ?

Congrats, to all concerned.


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[Squeeze]

Nice! congrats on the hunt. I usually hunt whitetail, but have had several other kinds. Let us know your thoughts when you get some cooked. I think a lot of the taste and bad reviews comes from the way it was treated after the shot. And along with the story, there's a lot about muzzleloaders I've learned, that I wouldn't have believed much before I got some first hand knowledge... and some tinkering due to guys of forums, like you who push the capabilities, and techniques.

[richhodg66]

That's a very nice deer. Looks like pretty country too.

[DougGuy]

You did DANG good for a first whitetail buck! That's going to be some GOOD eating!

I remember mine, looked much like that one, stocky bodied, small tight 9pt rack, I remember looking down from the treestand thinking how can something liek this sneak through the woods without making a sound in knee deep leaves?

[idahoron]

Thanks everyone. I need to figure out how to make this happen on a regular basis .

[smoked turkey]

I've just got to say that this is a very good thread. You guys are what this is all about. You have become fast friends, gone on a top notch hunting trip, shot a super buck, and have literally had a blast. Thanks to you both for posting. I love it.