2016 California Big Game Wrap up

2016 was a great year for us in our home state. We were able to get out at least once a month from July through October, experience some great places and put some awesome animals in the freezers.

July brought A zone archery deer and pigs. We were able to hunt two different ranches and put numerous stalks on some nice bucks and even get some shots. The deer didn't work out but Emily was able to connect on a nice 70 lb boar. She was all smiles.

August and September brought another A zone and a B zone deer hunt with our bows. We saw some nice bucks in both zones but were again not able to connect. The pigs however cooperated great! Emily was able to put down another great meat hog and I was able to take two great tuskers. All three pigs with our bows! That's 4 great hogs for 2016!!!

 

October brought cooler weather and a B zone and X zone hunt. The B zone hunt was in the eye of the storm, we hunted for 3 days in the rain and wind and saw over 30 deer before finding a decent fork. One shot at 150 yards did the trick.

Emily's X zone hunt was a blast! It was warmer weather than we wanted but we were able to get on some great bucks and by day 7 Emily connected with a nice 4x3.

 

Emily's Buck before the shot.

That wraps up California Big Game season for us. I still have a bear tag however with an Idaho deer hunt still on schedule I think I will pass on the bear hunting. 4 pigs and 2 bucks made 2016 California another blessed year for stories and the freezers.

Gear Review- Federal Premium® Trophy Copper Muzzleloader Bullets

So I’ll start this off by stating that I am by no means a muzzle loading expert. I have drawn two mule deer tags for a smoke-pole and that is the extent of my experience. However on both hunts I took my T/C Triumph 50 cal. out to the range and put numerous holes through the paper with many types of bullets and was also successful in taking two beautiful Mule Deer, not an expert but some knowledge!

Fist Mule Deer Taken with the Muzzleloader

For the first tag I drew, I was hell bent on trying them all. I tried at least 5 kinds of bullets with various powder charges.  The bullet I decided to go with was the Powerbelt brand. I decided to go with this brand since they grouped nice and loaded fairly easy, especially after a few shots and a fouled barrel. The hunt went great and I was able to take a great buck at 175 yards. The Copper jacketed lead bullet performed well and I couldn’t be happier.
Tag number two that came to me this past year left me in a predicament. California, where I drew the tag recently outlawed the use of lead ammunition for hunting. Well that narrowed the game as far as bullet selection went. After much research I found that there were two different bullets on the market that I could use with my gun….And they were pricey. Around $25-$35 per 15 bullets. I decided that I would choose one and adjust my powder to make sure everything grouped well.

 

The bullet I decided to purchase was the Federal Premium Trophy Copper bullets.  These bullets were new to the market and claim 200 yard accuracy. Well with open sights I wasn’t going to be shooting 200 yards but they seemed to be a worthy bullet.

Price: I could only find them online at Cabelas and Midway and they ran about $25 per package of 15 bullets.

Loading: This was where the rubber met the road for me. How easy would it be for this bullet to be loaded after 2-3 shots and a fouled barrel….Well this bullet is by far the easiest bullet I have ever loaded. From the first shot to the 4^th, the bullet would go down with ease and always seat perfectly.

Grouping: So with open sights, you have to take my groupings with a grain of salt. I started at 50 yards and shot a consistent 3 inch group. When I moved back to 100 yards, the grouping expanded to 6-7 inches. All within the kill zone, however with open sights I was pleased. Not like shooting a high powered rifle where if your not in a 2 inch circle at 200 yards, your not happy!

Performance: Well the proof is in the pictures. As you can see the bullet did just want it said it would. The shot was at 90 yards and put a substantial hole in the deer. The petals on the mushroomed bullet stayed intact and the 270 grain bullet retained its weight to a 250 grains. Talk about weight retention!  The bullet broke both shoulders and was lodged just under the skin on the deer.

This bullet is a breakthrough in engineering however I am no engineer, all I know is the bullet performed flawless.

 

I was more than pleased not only because I was able to take a nice buck, but was able to see the bullets performance from start to finish. I would highly recommend this bullet for anyone and will continue to use them for future tags that I get!