Posted by: Never Enough Nookie
Muzzle Loader/Ballistics question - 12/13/09 07:45 PM
Here's the deal, looking for a little help.
Been out several times for the late ML season. Finally found an area to myself and lots of area to cover behind locked gates. Wednesday afternoon snuck down a skid road that dropped step down on all three sides. One good sized bowl area had a doe and yearling, snuck up to the edge and got a good rest, figured about 70 yds, but I only had a butt shot at the doe, the yearling was smaller than I was ready to settle for yet. Waited for what seemed like 5 min., but was probably 30-45 seconds, she never turned and I really did not want to take a bad shot and have her wounded and run in the bottom of a deep canyon. Eventually she noticed us and they both bounded to the bottom with out getting a shot off.
Went back Saturday AM, same spot, same deer was their, but the wind was wrong and she was starting to leave when I saw here, she paused and I got a shot off at ~100 yards off hand, miss, she did not flinch, as I reloaded she slowly made her way to the bottom of the canyon. As I debated trying to follow her down the yearling who was bedded 20 yards under me made four to five leaps and covered 200 vertical feet, to the bottom as well.
I decided not to go after them and would see if possibly they would come back that night. Checked other areas throughout the day, walked a good 5-6 mile loop, saw another hunter with a small spike, but I never saw anything. Decided to hustle back to ridge. Wind was right, snuck into a stump, peered over the edge, and in the same location as the doe was this AM was the yearling. I waited till just before dark and the Doe never came in. I decided to take the shot, good rest, ~100 yds. MISS, she fed while I reloaded and even though I did not think I could get closer I tried and she left.
Sorry for the long story I've only missed once in my life before and that was as a young teen with a shot gun slug at more than likely to far a shot. So missing twice in one day has me frazzled. So as I played things out in my mind over and over, I have a ballistics drop/raise question to finally get to.
Looking back I realized the shots were a 30 to 35 degree angle down hill. I may have been holding a touch high because of the distance, but should have I been a touch low since I'm shooting downhill at such an angle? Hope to head back out on Monday and/or Tuesday, suppose depends on what weather we get.
Thanks,
Chris
Been out several times for the late ML season. Finally found an area to myself and lots of area to cover behind locked gates. Wednesday afternoon snuck down a skid road that dropped step down on all three sides. One good sized bowl area had a doe and yearling, snuck up to the edge and got a good rest, figured about 70 yds, but I only had a butt shot at the doe, the yearling was smaller than I was ready to settle for yet. Waited for what seemed like 5 min., but was probably 30-45 seconds, she never turned and I really did not want to take a bad shot and have her wounded and run in the bottom of a deep canyon. Eventually she noticed us and they both bounded to the bottom with out getting a shot off.
Went back Saturday AM, same spot, same deer was their, but the wind was wrong and she was starting to leave when I saw here, she paused and I got a shot off at ~100 yards off hand, miss, she did not flinch, as I reloaded she slowly made her way to the bottom of the canyon. As I debated trying to follow her down the yearling who was bedded 20 yards under me made four to five leaps and covered 200 vertical feet, to the bottom as well.
I decided not to go after them and would see if possibly they would come back that night. Checked other areas throughout the day, walked a good 5-6 mile loop, saw another hunter with a small spike, but I never saw anything. Decided to hustle back to ridge. Wind was right, snuck into a stump, peered over the edge, and in the same location as the doe was this AM was the yearling. I waited till just before dark and the Doe never came in. I decided to take the shot, good rest, ~100 yds. MISS, she fed while I reloaded and even though I did not think I could get closer I tried and she left.
Sorry for the long story I've only missed once in my life before and that was as a young teen with a shot gun slug at more than likely to far a shot. So missing twice in one day has me frazzled. So as I played things out in my mind over and over, I have a ballistics drop/raise question to finally get to.
Looking back I realized the shots were a 30 to 35 degree angle down hill. I may have been holding a touch high because of the distance, but should have I been a touch low since I'm shooting downhill at such an angle? Hope to head back out on Monday and/or Tuesday, suppose depends on what weather we get.
Thanks,
Chris