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Muntjac Doe This Morning


neutron619
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Good outing this morning.

 

After three blank outings with the rifle, I finally managed to catch up with a deer - the doe below - on the fourth attempt. Very happy with that and very grateful to my guide who offered the outing at a price that was quite a bit less than he could have reasonably charged, but which was the difference between having the opportunity and not.

 

The shot was a straightforward quartering shot from a high seat at around 40 metres distance. I'm happy to say the deer went straight down and appeared not to suffer at all. The 150gr SP clipped the diaphragm / gut on the far side, so there was a little mess to deal with, but with the exception of a foreleg which was a bit smashed up, all of the meat I'd usually expect to get off a muntjac was safely recovered and put in the freezer this morning.

 

:)

 

post-61961-0-80556700-1425132589_thumb.jpg

Edited by neutron619
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How much meat do you get from a muntjac? Any pics?

A little less than a spring lamp, legs are enough for a family of 4 - 5 +.

I usually make a nice casserole with tbe shoulders or sausages together with the rest of the trim. The saddle either chops or bone out and fry.

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Nice to see you got a pass out! :good:

 

 

How long untill you are allowed out again? :whistling:

 

With a bit of luck, next month at some point. I'm hoping to fit in another trip before the winter bucks' seasons end. I'll probably skip a roebuck this summer unless I get an unexpected inheritance and then try for one more before Christmas, money allowing. Today's trip and next month's, if it happens, were / will be for a fallow buck. None of those around this morning unfortunately, but the muntjac came along instead.

 

How much meat do you get from a muntjac? Any pics?

 

That was a reasonably big doe for a muntjac, and I got back legs weighing 2-2½lbs each (bone in), one front leg weighing exactly 1lb (bone in), the loin and tenderloins filleted at around 1½lbs and about another 8oz of casserole / grinder meat off the neck and ribs. That's about 8lbs in all from a deer in the 30lb range. Not a huge amount perhaps, but enough to do a few pies, a few burgers and a couple of roasts. No pictures of the butchered bits and pieces I'm afraid.

Edited by neutron619
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Well done.

That's some long musket you have there, is that a PES mod?

 

It is a long musket indeed. The mod is effectively a PES mod, but actually made by Jaeger Sporting Arms in Colchester. I don't think there's much between the designs of most of the reflex mods to be honest, except perhaps number and size of baffles.

 

The reason it's all so long is that the rifle (Heym SR20) has a 24" barrel. I held off getting it chopped when I got it threaded because I didn't know how it would work in the field and I didn't know how much I'd want taken off. In the end, it's actually turned out to be fine the way it is, so unless I suddenly find myself plugging the moderator with mud / snow (hasn't happened yet) I'll leave it and take the extra velocity over and above whatever length I might have got it shortened to.

Edited by neutron619
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Well done, it's very easy to contaminate with gut contents with a usual bullet placement of the animal is quartering at all. As there is very little meat on the front shoulders I usually aim a little further forward than with larger species.

 

Noted for future reference. I actually put the shot through the front shoulder, but the angle through the deer was pretty shallow since it was nearer facing on than broadside. Not much I could do from where I was sitting, unfortunately.

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How much meat do you get from a muntjac? Any pics?

 

Not a lot, but what you do get is just about the best venison going and being so small, they are a pleasure to handle!

 

A young buck produced this little lot plus a couple of pounds of mince.

 

2vws1fm.jpg

 

 

P.s. Nice work neutron619! Looking at you next to that tiny beast, I can't help thinking again that a .22 hornet or .357 magnum would be a nice round for woodland muntjac rather than the big boomers we use these days.

Edited by sterling
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P.s. Nice work neutron619! Looking at you next to that tiny beast, I can't help thinking again that a .22 hornet or .357 magnum would be a nice round for woodland muntjac rather than the big boomers we use these days.

 

I take your point, though personally I don't think I'd use either of the aforementioned myself. I suppose the .357 might just work according to my particular view of stalking. Either way though, I do however think there's a lot of merit in the older, low velocity, heavy bullet cartridges where woodland stalking is concerned because even if X, Y or Z does have a "rainbow trajectory" the shots are all within 100 yards so it doesn't matter. A nice moderate load in a .45-70 doing no more than 1500-1700fps would probably do very nicely. A .30-30 with a 220gr bullet at normal velocity for calibre / bullet for another. Just over 1700ftlbs without breaking 2000fps velocity. Or something equivalent.

.

I'm actually thinking at the moment about whether I can resurrect one of the old black powder calibres as a project and get it passed for deer, but it's very early stages yet and the Deer Act 1991 does somewhat limit choice given that one needs at least 1000 if not 1700 ftlbs energy. We'll see.

Edited by neutron619
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In 45/70 a moderate load is more like 1000 to 1300fps.

That would be around it bp loading.

1500-1700 is like level two for that cartridge. For Marlin lever action and similar.

A 30/30 standard 170grn rarely breaks 2000 from a 20" barrel.

357 is perfect for woodland deer and hornet was the favourite roe rifle in Scotland for years so I believe.

Respectfully I believe our laws are completely perverse with respect to the limits of energy requirements.

Typical of experts trying to cover their back sides and make up for a Muppet of a poor shot doing it badly.

 

I argued for years as to why I can not, as it is not illegal to be allowed to hunt deer with a muzzle loading rifle! At every retort I had an answer but they would not yield!

To the point they told me in a letter to join a target club get the rifle and go stalking with it!!

 

Stupid country!

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Despite thinking the hornet would be a sweet round for the small species at short range, I'm actually totally with you on the slow and heavy idea! Although, a lot of stalkers love their .223 for muntjac out to 200m and coincidentally, it's then carrying the same energy as a hornet would be at close range.

 

I personally love the 30-30 and a down-loaded .45-70 would be good medicine, as would a hot .44 mag if it could make 1700ftlbs? Basically any big, soft slug at moderate velocities would be great I think. If my FEO will entertain my romantic notions of an iron-sighted, big bore lever action for deer, that's the way I'll go for woodland stalking. Just thank your lucky stars we don't have the Scottish 2450fps limit to contend with too!

 

Anyway, nice job on the munty and keep pushing for that black powder project. ;)

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