Friends call me Pac
10-31-2021, 11:52 AM
I had rotator cuff surgery 3 months ago and was told there was no way I could hunt this year. My physical therapist is also a hunter and understands my want to get out in the woods. He has been working my recovery program hard with the chance of maybe being able to hunt late season. He also told me it still might not be possible.
I have a crossbow that I bought when I originally started having problem with my arm and I will use it but I would much rather use my longbow. Since bowhunting was out that left me with my .32 Hawkins for squirrel hunting. I was happy to be in the woods again but when it came to my 1st shot I found I had a heck of a time reaching the trigger. My shoulder just did not want to cooperate but I got it done.
291056
Now that I knew I could shoot my little Hawkins I wondered if I could shoot its big brother the .50 Hawkins? My thoughts were a patched round ball that I had cast from a Lee mold over 80gr of ffg Goex was an easy recoiling load. When muzzle loader opened up I decided I would give it a try. I had a doe step into the edge of a field I was watching. She was about 25 yards away. To tell the truth I was worried the recoil was going to be a problem but it really wasn't. After a 100 yard track I found her. I was thrilled knowing that 6 months prior my right arm just dangled uselessly at my side but today it worked well enough that I had managed to get a nice full grown doe.
291057
The very next day and with one more tag for muzzle loader I went to another place that I have permission to hunt. After getting settled in and waiting a short while for things to calm down I used a grunt call to see if I could get any response. I did. I spent over an hour trying to get him to come to the edge of the thicket and he did his best to try to find me without giving himself away. I'd use the grunt call and he would answer but it was about an even match. We went round and round. He finally got to the edge and began making a scrape behind a single bushy tree about 65 yards from my stand. I had to wait several minutes before he stepped out from behind the tree before I could send the patched round ball on it's way. About a 40 yard track and my black powder season was over.
291058
Modern gun is coming up shortly. I usually use my 30.06 with a NOE 165gr RF over some 4895. The recoil isn't bad but that was before my surgery. I wondered if it might be too much as I don't want to reinjure my shoulder. I thought about using the same bullet in my 30.30 since that is a light recoiling yet capable round for deer but I found I could not easily work the lever. 16gr of 2400 with this bullet in my 30.06 is a very accurate target round but I have never used this combo for hunting. Has anybody used a 30.06 load with 16gr of 2400 behind a 165gr or similar bullet for deer? If so was it a good choice or a bad one?
I have a crossbow that I bought when I originally started having problem with my arm and I will use it but I would much rather use my longbow. Since bowhunting was out that left me with my .32 Hawkins for squirrel hunting. I was happy to be in the woods again but when it came to my 1st shot I found I had a heck of a time reaching the trigger. My shoulder just did not want to cooperate but I got it done.
291056
Now that I knew I could shoot my little Hawkins I wondered if I could shoot its big brother the .50 Hawkins? My thoughts were a patched round ball that I had cast from a Lee mold over 80gr of ffg Goex was an easy recoiling load. When muzzle loader opened up I decided I would give it a try. I had a doe step into the edge of a field I was watching. She was about 25 yards away. To tell the truth I was worried the recoil was going to be a problem but it really wasn't. After a 100 yard track I found her. I was thrilled knowing that 6 months prior my right arm just dangled uselessly at my side but today it worked well enough that I had managed to get a nice full grown doe.
291057
The very next day and with one more tag for muzzle loader I went to another place that I have permission to hunt. After getting settled in and waiting a short while for things to calm down I used a grunt call to see if I could get any response. I did. I spent over an hour trying to get him to come to the edge of the thicket and he did his best to try to find me without giving himself away. I'd use the grunt call and he would answer but it was about an even match. We went round and round. He finally got to the edge and began making a scrape behind a single bushy tree about 65 yards from my stand. I had to wait several minutes before he stepped out from behind the tree before I could send the patched round ball on it's way. About a 40 yard track and my black powder season was over.
291058
Modern gun is coming up shortly. I usually use my 30.06 with a NOE 165gr RF over some 4895. The recoil isn't bad but that was before my surgery. I wondered if it might be too much as I don't want to reinjure my shoulder. I thought about using the same bullet in my 30.30 since that is a light recoiling yet capable round for deer but I found I could not easily work the lever. 16gr of 2400 with this bullet in my 30.06 is a very accurate target round but I have never used this combo for hunting. Has anybody used a 30.06 load with 16gr of 2400 behind a 165gr or similar bullet for deer? If so was it a good choice or a bad one?