Well......It's time around here.

[grouse]

This Saturday 10/17/09 is Pennsylvania's early ML season. (Doe only) I put my tree stands up last Saturday in a brand new location for this hunting season.

My shot should be about 40yds if things work right. My max shot should be 125yds. I have alot of options in this stand and i'm pretty excited. The weather forecast is calling for low of 28 and high of 46 with snow flurries. Should be good for hunting.

I really could not make up my mind on what Lehigh bullet to use. I already shot plenty with the 200grn Lehigh. That really only leaves the 250grn bullet which after watching the 200grn work the 250 is over kill on Deer. Dave from Lehigh asked me to use the new 150grn steel bullet. I had mixed emotions at first but now actually pretty excited to try another Lehigh design. Though this bullet still should be a controlled fragmenting bullet.

I plan on using the knight Disc Elite with light blue Harvester sabots, and federal 209A primers. I also will use BH209 powder. If things go well, i will be using the new completely re-designed Knight breech plug. And i do mean completely re-designed.

My main focus will be on my 78 year old hunting buddy. I want and hope he gets one early. He will be using a T/C Triumph and the new .451 247grn Lehigh Brass bullet. This is easier to load in those tight T/C barrels. He will be using Federal primers and BH209 as well. Should be a pretty good year.

BTW- Hunt safe and wear a safety harness when hunting in tree stands. You just never know what can happen when you get excited.

[sabotloader]

grouse

Good luck - go after em...

I am headed out Thursday morning - but gotta be back for practice Thursday afternoon....

[Indianahunter]

Good luck Tom....

[grouse]

Oct 15, 2009 21:02:42 GMT -5 Indianahunter said:

Good luck Tom....

Hey stranger, hope all is well.

Thanks guys ;D

[kevin k]

awesome tom good luck ill be using the 200 grain lehigh first cant wait for gun season nov 15th. kevin k

[grouse]

Cold and rainy all day, but i still managed to score around 6:00pm tonight. I did resort to my Flintlock season spot to stay out of the weather this evening.

[whyohe]

congratz grouse! nice shot. how was the performance of those bullets? I'm so jealous right now. a little depressed. I'd love to have been out but maybe flinter season!

[grouse]

On this hunt i used the 150grn Lehigh test bullet with 150grns of BH209 in my Knight Disc Elite 45. I also used the totally re-designed Lehigh Knight breech plug. The velocity of that bullet was right at 2600fps.

The Deer came out of the woods to my left and walked right in front of me. 40yards tops was the distance. I shot the Deer just behind the right shoulder and out behind the left shoulder. The Deer died real fast and took no steps. I still need to find out if the petals are fragmenting like they are suppost to. I couldnt butcher this Deer so i'll check the next. This controlled fragmenting i'm liking more and more. I would not of wanted to track a Deer in the pouring rain.

I'll be back out Monday in a Different area with Bonus tags to try another harvest.

[Al]

Tom, have any pics of that plug?

[grouse]

Oct 20, 2009 3:09:21 GMT -5 Al said:

Tom, have any pics of that plug?

[davewolf]

Had one of the craziest hunting trips I've ever been on in PA.
Saw far more bucks then does and hunted hard in all kinds of weather. Rain and temp swings of 30-degrees in a matter of hours.
But on the last evening during the "golden hour" I took my doe at around 25-yards. Purposely "lunged" her and she took off but was obviously hit. I heard her crash into the trees and by the time I got to her she was down and out. She had run 40-yards(down hill) before crashing into a tangle of grapevines.
I'm now confident that my set up using BH209-100-grains, 250-grain Shock Waves, ribbed sabots and CCI 209 M primers is the right set-up for my Triumph, Huge blood trail, entrance hole almost thumb size, exit hole twice that large.
I had taken my CVA .45 cal along for my friend and he took two on Sat, using Pyrodex powder, 100-grains, Powerbelt bullets 170-grain and CCI M primers.
Both his doe were lung shot and none went more than 40-yards.
On a sour note on Friday evening I decided to shot an adult doe with my x-bow using Rage broad-heads. See bow hunting.
I'm now convinced that my set-up will do a number on whitetails.!
Sorry, I don't have a single photo of a downed deer, simply because we skinned, and quartered them before we ran out of light. Heck the deer were still steaming!
Have a great day!
Dave