king' s outdoor world - Index

king' s outdoor world - Hunting Illustrated - October/November 2007 - Index

It's tough to hunt Mexican mulies
with a smoke pole and, perhaps more
likely, more people need to bite the
bullet, put away their rifles and hunt
with muzzleloaders. You can hunt
Mexico with front stuffers and trust
me, it is much more satisfying to
shoot a trophy of a lifetime with a
short range weapon than it is with
a high-powered rifle. If you love
fair chase hunting, then you will
really love fair chase hunting with
muzzleloaders.
Two days later, I was out
hunting for Coues deer. I actually
went to Mexico assuming that I
would come home empty-handed
when it came to a Coues. I had
heard all the stories of the gray ghost
of the desert and the long shots that
are needed to anchor one to the
ground. What were the odds of me
getting close enough to shoot one
with a muzzleloader? Fortunately,
I was pleasantly surprised to find
that I could stalk the gray ghost
and I had a number of Coues within
range of my slug. Finally, on the
fourth day of my hunt, I got within
a 100 yards of a buck I considered
Steve with his first trophy
blackpowder Idaho mule deer
a shooter. After minutes of waiting, the
buck finally made its way to a clearing
where I could get a shot. At 105 yards,
my muzzy barked, and the buck jumped
and went five yards before falling to
the ground. My Coues was a beautiful
5x5 with matching kickers on both
sides. He ended up scoring 106 4/8 SCI
making it the largest non-typical to fall
to a muzzleloader.
What a dream hunt come true!
To actually be fortunate enough to travel
to Mexico, have the opportunity to hunt
two of the most sought after big game
animals in North America and to be
able to hunt with the weapon of choice,
my trusty front stuffer. Harvesting two
new SCI world records, now that was
a surprise of a lifetime. Regardless of
these two trophies, this will be a hunt
that I will cherish for the rest of my
life, just like all of the ones prior to
The author finished off his great Mexico
trip with another muzzleloader record.
This 5x5 coues deer scores 106 4/8 SCI.
it. Thanks to Jim Kast for loaning
me that old Hawken rifle (with the
bent front sight) as a kid, my dad for
introducing me to hunting, Dennis
Palisch and friends for letting me
share this awesome experience with
them in the land of thorns, beautiful
sunsets, and, most importantly, the
deer of all our dreams. I can't forget
my wonderful family, my wife Amy,
and her patience with my crazy
addiction and, last but not least, my
son Bennett - one day we will be
creating memories just like this one,
together in mule deer country.
Editors note: Check out
this hunt and many more like it on
Steve's television show, Behind
the Rack. It can be seen online at
behindtherack.com. Check your
local listing, dish or cable provider
for more information.
Hunter: Steve Alderman ? Location: Sonora, Mexico ? Area: Private land ?
Guide: Self ? Date: January 5, 2006 ? Days scouted: 1 ? Days hunted: 6 ? Weather:
Clear to partly cloudy ? Temperature: 35-75 o f ? Moon: 97% waning gibbous ?
Terrain: Very thick with small openings (lots of cactus) ? Camouflage: King's
Desert Shadow ? Gun: Markesbery Brown Bear ? Caliber: .50 caliber inline
? Bullets: 348 grain Powerbelt lead conical ? Powder: Hodgdon triple seven
ffg 105 grains ? Spotting scope: Swarovski 20-60x65 ? Binoculars: Swarovski
10x42 EL ? Range finder: Swarovski Laser Guide 8x30 ? Footwear: Danner
Grouse ? Pack: Eberlesock J 104
October/November
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