First Rifle Hunt

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I am going out with my grandson on his first rifle deer hunt (in this case, a muzzleloader). On Monday he starts college, so hopefully this will provide an experience and context that will help him navigate the craziness of the academy. I bought him a used Traditions Yukon and put a scope on it. It took a little cleaning, but seems reliable and accurate. Wish us luck!

After the Stand Update: We wrapped the the morning sit without seeing any deer, however, we were treated to homemade cinnamon swirl bread French toast, fresh fruit and maple sausage links once back at home. This morning we'll do some target practice (and wood cutting) before heading to a blind on the south side of the property tonight.

 

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After breakfast we did some target practicing....he is a good shot, so we should do well if we see a deer. As a geeky type teen (bow ties and fountain pens), the idea of the muzzleloader is much more attractive to him than a traditional rifle. The 2006 Traditions Yukon with 209 ignition was a gun that was rode hard and put away wet by its previous owner....but with some care and cleaning, it is shooting 2" groups at 100 yards using Hornady 290 grain bore drivers--which is better than my Thompson Center. We are looking forward to our afternoon hunt.

 

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We’re hunting this afternoon over a few standing beans with a good wind.

 

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While we didn’t see any deer (likely an outcome influenced by the neighbors dogs), we enjoyed watching a heron come within 20’ of our blind, which is next to the pond. My grandson is looking forward to hunting again, and learning more about processing and preparation.