AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Black Powder Shooting => Topic started by: Herb on October 02, 2018, 05:09:25 AM
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The .54 Hawken I built and used is described in Gun Building, "Building Sights for a Hawken Deer Rifle". Friend Bill Lewis drove me to Diamond Mountain on September 26, where we had scouted before. I knew where we wanted to be and arrived there in the dark, seeing 8 bucks as we drove up the trail to our spot. I sat under a lone juniper, looking down a sagebrush slope to the west. Saw a couple of pickups drive past a bedded buck about a quarter mile away. My expected big buck did not show up, so about 9:30 I decided to find the flushing distance for that bedded buck. I did not expect to get a shot at him, so walked down a trail and then downwind to where I thought he was. He jumped up about 50 yards away with two does, not offering a shot, and ran over a ridge to the north.
(https://preview.ibb.co/h1QZ8e/Stalk_Mule_Deer.jpg) (https://ibb.co/hdHgoe)
Bill then drove us to the east end where we had seen 6 bucks while scouting about a week earlier. I was too tired to jump out and cap my lock fast enough and Bill strolled forward to look into that basin and scared up 8 bucks, which merrily ran a few hundred yards and jumped the fence into private land.
We walked over the crest of the hill to look into the hollow to the east and a doe jumped and ran. Bill studied the sagebrush and found a bedded buck down the hill about a hundred and fifty yards. We could see the antlers and nothing else. He determined I should stalk that buck, which I thought would not get me a shot, but I humored him. The buck is in the center of this photo. I got within probably 25 yards from him when a doe jumped up and he, too. I could have "caught him on the rise" when he came up on his front legs, but I was not fast enough. They ran off about 150 yards and stopped broadside, which I had not expected. Had I been seated, I could have made that shot, but no such luck.
(https://preview.ibb.co/mV1JZK/Stalk2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/hsFdZK)
We drove back west to my Nine Buck Hollow, named by me from my previous ML hunt in 2014. We saw probably 15 to 20 deer along the hillside, at least half of them nice bucks. There was no road here, so we drove down a dirt track to opposite them. They fed scattered out and unconcerned about us. Bill ranged a lone buck at 125 yards, which is an easy shot for me. I got out, capped the lock and tried to sit on the ground to shoot. I couldn't get on the ground and then I couldn't get back up. Bill had talked me out of taking my shooting sticks, saying he had three along. They were ski poles and did not extend tall enough. So no buck killed out of that herd!
He then drove back headed to where he had spooked those 8 bucks, just over the ridge to the east, hoping maybe they had come back onto the public land. But along the trail on my side, there lay two nice four point bucks under big sagebrush. Probably ones that we had just spooked out of Nine Buck Hollow. As tired as I was, they looked good to me, the one on the right was the better. We did not slow down but kept on past about a quarter mile, turned around and came back. Bill paused just long enough for me to bail out and kept driving, and I capped my lock and stood to shoot. The bucks looked uncertain and stood up, but the big one ran behind the tall sagebrush where I could see the top third of his back and head and neck. I shot off-hand and he dropped in his tracks. Bill came back and lasered the range at 61 yards. We gutted the buck and tied a rope to his antlers to drag him to the trailer. We couldn't even budge him! Bill went back for his 100 feet of climbing rope, intending to tie it to the 40 foot piece on the buck, then run his winch cable out to winch him to the trail. He did not want to drive off the trail, which apparently is illegal. Just then two pickups pulled up and five big young guys got out to see what we had. Bill said we could use some help, and two of those guys grabbed that buck's horns and trotted him back to the trailer and threw him in!
(https://preview.ibb.co/jxhE8e/IMG_0132.jpg) (https://ibb.co/hkXsuK)
(https://preview.ibb.co/eeZSTe/IMG_0136.jpg) (https://ibb.co/j4eu8e)
We got him home in about a half hour, skinned him with Carl Jackson's help, split him in half with a meat saw and hung him in Carl's cooler to age. Carl wanted the liver and Bill the heart, and I gave Bill all the meat for his wonderful help on this hunt. That Kit Carson inspired Hawken is as fine a hunting rifle as I could want. I will not hunt anymore, but the memories of this hunt are as good as they get. We probably saw at least 30 bucks that morning.
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Good job Herb, and a nice buck to boot. It's nice to have friends like those and a couple of new ones too. :)
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Thanks for the hunting report Herb. Good looking buck and rifle. I always enjoy reading your stories about building a rifle, scouting then the details of the hunt. Thanks Tim
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Fine story and buck, Herb. One to remember for sure.
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Don't feel lonesome Herb, I can't sit down to shoot anymore either. And if I did, I can hardly get back up. Nice buck and hunt. Did those young guys hunt with traditional rifles or unmentionables?
Is there a slight chance you might hunt again? That's something hard to go cold turkey on.
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It was a muzzleloader hunt, their rifles were certainly modern ones. I showed them my Hawken and they had never seen anything like it. I have no plans to hunt more, but continue to build Hawkens and shoot them. My next one will probably be a .69 GRRW barrel made into a Hawken to hunt buffalo with, then another close copy of the .54 Bridger rifle, then another .50 GRRW barreled Carson Hawken for barter to a business I build for.
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Great story, Herb.
Thanks for taking us along on your hunt.
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Congratulations on a fine buck Herb!
It is a fine rifle that you made and it proved itself.
If that truly is your last hunt , you couldn't ask for a better one.
My hat's off to you!
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Nice Buck, enjoyed both the pictures and the story.
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Very nicely written Herb, Grand photos and congratulations on your successful hunt!
Very nice rifle you have there.
Richard.
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Well done, Herb. My GRRW .69 is a good shooter, but demands a tight combination.
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Thanks, everybody. Daryl, I've never shot a .69 and I don't know what the customer knows about one. The main thing is to have a patch that will hold together with a heavy load.
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Well done Herb! What load did you use? patched round ball or "other"? 2F or 3F? Leaving for my Mule Deer hunt in Eastern Oregon at the end of next week. Hope I am as fortunate as you. The attached photos are from 2 years ago.
(https://preview.ibb.co/ixfete/Hunting2016_4.jpg) (https://ibb.co/eMcg6z)
(https://preview.ibb.co/i3kOKK/Hunting2016_6.jpg) (https://ibb.co/jTdzte)
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Congratulations, Herb; you did a great job on that hunt.
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Thanks, all. MuskratMike, I used 100 grains of Olde Eynsford 1 1/2F and a .530 Hornady roundball. I lived in Portland for some years and worked at Malheur Refuge and hunted elk up around Joseph several years.
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Congrats Herb, sounds like a great hunt! But don't give up yet, time'll come a fella isn't able, pity to stop before that. ;)
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Sir, thank you so much for a great story! Congratulations and please reconsider the end of your hunting career. Best to you, Matthew
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Herb,'
well done, a lovely day and a fine deer to boot ! You blokes are most fortunate having such game to hunt locally. Enjoyed the report and the photos.
Cheers
Gordon
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Congratulation Herb!! Two thumbs up!
Wish I lived closer to you so i could lend a hand and learn a few things from you.
If you end up hanging up your hunting hat after this one at least your last one was a nice four point.
I always enjoy your posts about building and shooting and hunting. Thank you!
:)
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Congrats Herb..! Nice buck indeed..! Oldtravler
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Good buck, Herb - nice long points.
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Great Hunt, story and pictures! I sure do hope that you continue hunting (there aren't that many of us using the real Muzzle loaders these days, and its good for the younger generation to see what its all about)!!
Rick
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Herb, I always enjoy your posts regarding your builds and your hunts. You’re a regular Energizer Bunny. Hope I’m able to hunt when I get your age. I respect your knowledge of Hawkens. Recently saw a photo of you in your youth, enjoyed that too. Read this site several times daily. Such knowledge and folks willing to share.
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Thanks, all. CARROLLCO, I don't know why your name, but I used to live and work in a Carroll County, Savanna, Illinois, on the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.
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Herb you have a few years on me however I,m pretty crippled up and if it was not for some shooting buddies I would never get out, they mother hen me. I do not shoot many rounds however have a `blast at what I do get done. God bless them and you, and you hang in there.
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Nicely done Herb!! I envy your hunting territory and the abundance of good deer. Thanks for sharing this with us.
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Well done Herb. Very nice rifle and a dandy buck. Thanks for sharing the story.
Percy
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Thanks for sharing your hunt, Herb. Glad you'll keep building Hawkins!
Savanna, huh? Back in the "good old days" I used to hunt ducks on the islands downstream from Savanna and Sabula - good memories there!
Ben
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When I opened the ALR page I saw the topic above and somehow knew it would be great write up and pictures.
Thank you Herb and congratulations!
Bob Hatfield
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Nice buck Herb, I always enjoy reading your hunting stories and viewing the pics around Vernal.
Thanks for sharing.