Early M/L Whitetail Kansas

[Colin Stolzer]

Today is opening day of early muzzleloader season here. So I got up not to early as I never see any deer on my place before 8:00am anyways. Got all my gear ready to go, had a cup of coffee with my wife, and then walked down to the trees on the north end of my property, about a 1/2 mile away. I climbed up into my stand and hung my shooting bag and rifle on their hooks and was just getting comfy when a Doe and two yearlings came up out of my field and into the trees. When they walked behind some brush and couldn't see me I grabbed my Double rifle off the hook and stood up. I watched them walk in and out of the trees until the big doe got in the clear about 40 yards away. She was mostly broadside and slightly quartering away from me, when I pulled the trigger on the right barrel. She folded up like a house of playing cards. The 500gr bullet entered a little high on her left shoulder and exited a little low and forward on her right shoulder. When I gutted her the bullet had decimated both lungs and broke both shoulder.

I slit her throat, filled out my tag and called back up to the house to have my wife bring the truck down. I finished dressing her out and got the pictures up by the front of my shop. It's nice to drop them close to the house were I can use the garden house to clean everything out and get them cooled down fast. I'm very happy with the performance of my double rifle, and their is nothing like the feeling of knowing you harvested a nice animal, with a firearm you built yourself. It has been a great morning.

C

[HappyChristian]

Good shot! My dad used to love deer hunting. He can't see well enough to go anymore. But there are a couple of deer that keep nibbling his tree leaves... :cooldude:

[Colin Stolzer]

Thank you, she ought to be good eating.

[HappyChristian]

Mmmm...yeah!!! On those cold winter nights, a pot of venison stew or chili...making me hungry!!

[Anon]

Congrats! Good meat for the winter! Although you left orphans.. :sad

:lol

[Colin Stolzer]

They were last years, they were almost as big as she was and they had no spots, they'll do fine on their own I think.

C

[joyfulpraise93]

Pretty awesome that you made your own rifle. Must've been quite rewarding!

[Colin Stolzer]

Pretty awesome that you made your own rifle. Must've been quite rewarding!

I build muzzleloaders for a living it helps supplement our ranching income. I apprenticed for 2 years under one of the best master gunsmiths in the country. It is quite rewarding though.
Here's a link to the build pictures of the double rifle: http://s269.photobucket.com/albums/jj75/cstolzer338/500%20BPE%20Muzzleloader/

C

[joyfulpraise93]

That's neat!

My dad would be really interested in this. He likes rifles and knives and hunting. After preaching and studying God's Word, I'd say it's his favorite thing to do!

[HappyChristian]

My grandpa built his own guns and rifles. There is only one left in the family, unfortunately. My brother learned from him, and one of these days hopes to get into it (he's the boss at his job, so has no time for something like that just yet).

What a feeling of accomplishment!! To build your own rifle and use it to feed your family!! :thumb

[RayJr]

ok, you have to tell me how to build my own rifle.

[deafnva77]

Congrats! Good meat for the winter! Although you left orphans.. :sad

:lol

isn't that's why they have hunting season?

[Colin Stolzer]

ok' date=' you have to tell me how to build my own rifle.[/quote']
Well you get some steel, and a fairly large piece of wood, and remove everything that doesn't look like a gun.
I documented the build step by step here:http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=174596

C