Deer Season 2025

This is my first muzzleloader animal ever. My brother got his first ever whitetail.
The smoke obscured my shot and I didn’t hear the bullet impact. Me nephew watching from far away and above said the stalk and the shot were exciting and stressful to watch.
The tenderloins were excellent with chopped potatoes and onions!
My brother clipped his bucks heart, through and through. Mine broke ribs in and out and broke the spine. What was left of the 245 gr powerbelt bullet was hanging in the skin on the exit side.


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Finally got this buck on camera last week near Beeville, Texas. Saw him last year and he had everything broken off his right side. He must have damaged his pedicle cuz now it’s just a crazy growth of antlers…

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Cool buck, though.

Ed Z
 
Finally got this buck on camera last week near Beeville, Texas. Saw him last year and he had everything broken off his right side. He must have damaged his pedicle cuz now it’s just a crazy growth of antlers…

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Cool buck, though.

Ed Z
ya I bet he would be matching next year -
will be a pretty buck!
 
This is my first muzzleloader animal ever. My brother got his first ever whitetail.
The smoke obscured my shot and I didn’t hear the bullet impact. Me nephew watching from far away and above said the stalk and the shot were exciting and stressful to watch.
The tenderloins were excellent with chopped potatoes and onions!
My brother clipped his bucks heart, through and through. Mine broke ribs in and out and broke the spine. What was left of the 245 gr powerbelt bullet was hanging in the skin on the exit side.


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Nice! Almost like a red stag crown on the left side, very unique.
 
Its been warm down in South Texas, cooler days are coming and the rut should heat up next month.

I've been doing a bit of management hunting (bucks with unfavorable characteristics such as no brow tynes) and scouting.

Saw 37 deer last evening I sat, 17 bucks and 20 does & fawns. Some nice, up and coming bucks for sure.

John Ed
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Saw this Youtube short this morning. Don't know if it's entirely accurate, but it's interesting

 
I got this one on my dad's place this year with what is to me a very interesting Standard Arms Model G 35 remington. It's a gas operated semi auto that you can run as a pump action by turning the gas block.
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Now I'm onto public and seeing plenty, but taking my time with it using a pedersoli kodiak express 50 cal since my local public doesn't allow modern centerfire rifles. I do like my muzzleloaders though so it's not exactly a hardship.
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Well it’s thanksgiving week. We are up in Idaho visiting family for the holiday. I had picked up an any whitetail tag so me and my brother took the muzzloaders for a hike as it’s the short range season. It was a fun hunt on National Forest lands. Saw one buck on Monday but we bumped him and couldn’t find him again. Filled my tag on Tuesday after a very fun stalk and well placed shot with a nice fat doe. Also glassed up hundreds of elk, some nice mule deer and several bighorn sheep. My brother also filled his tag with a nice fat doe.
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Finally took one out back for the freezer. As I suggested earlier, I did indeed set up on a little gravel bar in the middle of the San Gabriel. With first light, a steady procession of does, fawns, and small bucks started passing for their bedding area on the south side. When this one appeared, I decided he was good enough for the freezer. Base of the neck at 155 yards. Nearly killed me getting him up out of the river bed. If I take another this year it will be an old one.

The suppressor worked as I hoped. After dropping him, another half dozen deer paraded past.

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It’s been a good season so far at the mdwest house… we hunt MLDP land, so we have an extended season that opened at the first of October and doesn’t close until the end of February.. and our herds are in pretty desperate need of culling… we’ve got an over population.. so we’re filling the freezer really well… so far between me and the wife we’ve got 4 doe and 2 decent bucks.. neither are wall hangers.. but they’ll eat nicely…

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You Texans are too critical. Those are nice bucks. Congrats !
you're not kidding--I have seen some "management" bucks that were better than what I had ever taken at that time.
 
You Texans are too critical. Those are nice bucks. Congrats !

you're not kidding--I have seen some "management" bucks that were better than what I had ever taken at that time.

You two are spot on! Texas “management” bucks are about three times bigger than any whitetail buck I’ve ever shot!
 
In 2022 I decided to hunt with my .243 and got a crack at this buck and missed. That night while laying in bed not being able to sleep I decided to take @Bob Nelson 35Whelen ’s advice and sell it!

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I had no pics of him in 2023 but got one set of nighttime pics in 2024. This year he was back again and I got these.
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I decided that this year it was going to be him or nothing and only 2 more days left that I can hunt I was resigned to the fact that it was going to be nothing. But tonight with only 10 minutes of shooting light left and after 120 hours sitting for him he finally slipped up! What a marathon it was.
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bigrich wrote on Bob Nelson 35Whelen's profile.
thanks for your reply bob , is it feasible to build a 444 on a P14/M17 , or is the no4 enfield easier to build? i know where i can buy a lothar walther barrel in 44, 1-38 twist , but i think with a barrel crown of .650" the profile is too light .
Duke1966 wrote on Flanders357's profile.
ok $120 plus shipping
teklanika_ray wrote on MShort's profile.
I have quite a bit of 458 win mag brass, most of it new. How much are you looking for?

Ray H
bigrich wrote on Bob Nelson 35Whelen's profile.
hey bob , new on here. i specifically joined to enquire about a 444 you built on a Enfield 4-1 you built . who did the barrel and what was the twist and profile specs ? look foward to your reply . cheers
 
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