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BHD
Airgun Ammo Trophy Page
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Seth
Rowland
BHD 250 grain
.458 Quackenbush
Eight-Point Buck
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Airgun
Muzzleloading Buck!!
Hunting
in
Arkansas has been a little harder so far this year.
We are in a severe drought and temps are still very warm.
Finding a watering hole is tough.
That has definitely changed the normal pattern.
The second blow is the food sources are dried up.
Granola comes to mind but that would be a overstatement.
The leaves are falling but it's not due to the fall season it's due to
the drought. Most but not all the acorns are empty hulls and the grass
is long since been brown.
None of the favorite food sources faired very well this year.
Third challenge has been to get where your going without making more
noise than a herd of buffalo.
Crunchy would be a good word.
I'm usually pretty good about matching a sound to a animal but it's so
dry that a squirrel running on the forest floor could be mistaken for a
trotting deer.
Then you have the heat.
10+ degrees above normal.
The mornings are very mild but the afternoon temps are near or in the
80's.
That makes controlling sent harder than normal.
With a forecast for rain Tuesday and a high temp of 68 things were
looking up.
Monday night I gathered my rain gear and double checked all my
equipment.
Unfortunately morning light was accompanied by lightning and heavy
rain.
Rats!!
Around 2:30 I headed out.
Quackenbush .458 in hand.
Muzzleloading kit ....Check.
Bullets ...Check
3200 Psi fill....Check
Walking in was silent with a light rain still falling.
I had to go down into a draw,halfway up a hillside,and work my way
along the side of the hill.
I figured I'd take it slow and easy stalking on my way in.
With 70 yards left to go I heard a deer blow once......busted.
There were three doe slightly up hill from me.
They sprinted for heavy cover.
One stayed behind.
I couldn't locate her but I knew she didn't break cover like the rest.
I kept scanning for her with out moving.
Finally I decided to take a look through the scope.
I knew how that was going to go.
As soon as I moved she followed the others.
They weren't to awful alarmed so I decided to stalk to the top of the
hill and see just how smart they were.
Sometimes this works but not today.
They decided to hit heavy cover.
Time to make a judgment call.
Should I move to plan B or head on to my stand.
The pre rut is kicking in so I decided to head on to the stand.
I would be able to watch the trail that the doe's had just traveled
down with the hope a buck would be trailing behind.
The lead doe didn't sound the alarm to awful loud and she only blew
once so I felt pretty good about that.
The tree stand of choice was built between three trees.
It's about a three by three open platform fourteen feet up.
It's not on top of the hill, matter of fact to the south the hills peak
is almost even with the platform.
The ridge runs east to west with a trail running it's length about
halfway up.
Basically right under the stand. To the north east there is the tip of
another steep ridge.
The north west is a big flat with Chinese Privet. It's a invasive shrub
that deer like to eat and one of the few things that's still green.
In short it's a funnel.
The view is beautiful and if nothing else I'm sure to be entertained by
the squirrels.
Settling into the stand wasn't any problem.
Trying to decide which way I needed to be facing was.
Every direction had potential but north and west would have to do.
I only had about a thirty minute wait before faintly hearing movement
on the south west hill top.
Luckily I didn't have to shift much.
First thing I could see was four legs and a decent rack moving through
the brush.
As the rack disappeared behind a tree I shouldered my Quackenbush .458
to get a peak through the scope.
All I could see was a decent rack and legs.
Finally spotted the shoulder and stayed on it till the brush thinned
enough to send the 250 grain BHD bullet on it's way.
My Tech Force scope was set on three which was plenty for the fifty
yard shot.
Being sure to follow through on the shot I could see what appeared to
be a gray and white flying fur ball. Peaking over the scope it was
confirmed.
From experience when you hit a deer solid it's a streak for about four
steps.
When you miss it's a jet plane till it gets out of sight.
I could tell almost instantly that the bullet had slid through the hole
in the brush and hit it's mark.
About ten yards into this he was carrying his left front leg.
The ridge went from a flat to a rise,he made it about forty more yards
then decided to come back down.
Now he's running down hill towards me and he's getting shaky.
The check engine light is on as well as the low oil indicator.
He managed to make it twenty yards back down hill stumbling and falling
about half the way.
Ninety nine percent sure that he's dead I reload.
Take a good look through the scope.
I started to climb down before having flash backs of trailing "dead
deer" in the rain.
Been there done that.
If it's worth shooting once it's worth shooting twice.
My second shot was actually a little farther back than intended.
It didn't matter there was no movement what so ever.
Jerod had called earlier that day wanting a hunting update so a call
was in order.
Then one to my wife.
While on the phone with my wife I heard a noise.
Two more bucks are coming towards me.
I can't believe it.
Had to tell my wife to be quiet.
They were so focused on the downed buck that they didn't pay me any
attention.
They were both just a little smaller than this one.
One was no farther than fifteen yards at one point.
The other about twenty five.
Still not knowing what I was they finally realized somethings not right
and slowly moved on.
I was a little surprised that at that distance the bullet had
penetrated both shoulders and exited.
The damage done to the shoulders was impressive.
I have plenty of forensic type photos.
If there is interest I'll post some of them.
I'm thinking about going back with a metal detector.
I think I can find the bullet.
It would be in the hillside and I know exactly where he was standing.
If you have a Quackenbush and you want to muzzleload I would contact
Dennis about getting the adapter kit.
I used a oak dowel rod for loading.
It's held in place for now with two rubber bands. I also used a short
piece of dowel rod and a small piece of scrap wood to make a T handle
bullet starter.
As far as I know this is the first legal buck taken with a airgun in
Arkansas.
Best day I have had in awhile.
Seth
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