Blake Garrett’s First CVA Muzzleloader Mule Deer Buck
CVA Rifles and Muzzleloaders 10.18.12
Editor’s note: Blake Garrett’s filming partner is Robbie O’Bryan. They hunt and film for Campfire Stories, which airs on the Pursuit Channel.
Since my hunting partner Robbie O’Bryan had taken his mule deer buck on the first day of our hunt, the next three days I was going to hunt and try to take my buck. Although we saw quite a few really big whitetails, I had never taken a mule deer. I was hoping to get my first mule deer buck at the Rosebud. We went to South Dakota to hunt with Double K Guide Service (www.doublekguides.com, dave@doublekguides.com, 1-605-930-2091). Robbie and I each had a tag for the Rosebud Indian Reservation to take either a mule deer or a whitetail. For my hunt, we left the area where Robbie had taken his buck and went to a new location. When we reached the region we were going to hunt, Robbie was filming, and I was the shooter. We spotted eight or nine mule deer does and two bucks coming out of an alfalfa field into the canyons to bed. But we saw a coyote, and the mule deer smelled it. The coyote pushed them down into the canyon quicker than we had anticipated. We were unable to get ahead of them to make the shot. Instead, we opted to get on a high point above the canyon, so we could watch them. We were trying to determine whether the bucks would stay in the canyon and bed there or work their way through the canyon and come out the bottom end of the ravine.
The mule deer came out of the canyon, and one of the bucks bedded-down in an open plain. At that time of the year, the bucks were usually bedding in the small patches of cattails 30 yards long and 30 yards wide in the bottom of the canyon. This buck had bedded on the hillside rather than in the cattails, possibly, hoping to spot the coyote, if the varmint tried to sneak in to the cattails, and take down one of the mule deer. The buck was about 500 yards away from us. As we studied the terrain, we saw that we easily could stalk within 300 yards of the buck. Then the terrain flattened out, and getting any closer would be difficult. Robbie stayed on the high point with the camera to video the hunt from that vantage point. I moved down and used the terrain to get within about 200 yards of the buck. We watched each other through binoculars. Robbie saw the route that I had taken to get to the place where I thought I might get a shot at the buck. When he saw me give him a thumbs-up, he came down along the same route I’d taken and got right behind me, so he could film over my shoulder. When we got within 250 yards of the buck, Robbie set the camera up, and I started crawling toward that buck.
I knew if the buck saw me he would stand up, and I would have to take a quick shot. I knew the way my .45 caliber CVA V2 Accura was set up, I could make a 250-yard shot. We had a pretty good crosswind. I continued to range the buck as I crawled. When I was 207 yards from the buck, I noticed that he’d started stretching and acting like he was about to get up. Before the buck finally stood up, I went ahead and put my gun on the tripod and looked back at Robbie. He gave me the thumbs-up, indicating, that he could see both me and the buck in the video camera. Next, I readied for the shot. When the buck stood up, I squeezed the trigger. I saw the buck go down right where he’d stood up.
I really like that thumbhole stock on the .45 caliber CVA Accura Muzzleloader. I believe that the thumbhole makes the gun much easier to maneuver and much more solid. When I squeeze the trigger, if there’s a recoil, I never feel it. So, Robbie and I both took nice mule deer bucks at the Rosebud Indian Reservation. What a great hunt.
The winner of the CVA Facebook Giveaway will receive a new limited edition CVA Wolf .50 caliber muzzleloader with special Campfire Stories TV flame pattern! This new pattern dipped on the CVA Wolf Stock by our friends at Campfire Stories TV is one of a kind. Entries only valid for contestants within the contiguous United States. Entry period from October 1st, 2012, thru October 31st, 2012, 12pm Noon. Drawing and the winner announcement on or about November 7th, 2012. (No Purchase Necessary, Click here for complete CVA Facebook giveaway sweepstakes rules.
For more deer hunting tips, check out “How to Hunt Deer Like a Pro,” a new eBook for Kindle by John E. Phillips. You also can go to http://www.amazon.com/kindle-ebooks and type in the name of the book to find it. Too, you can download a free Kindle app that enables you to read the book on your iPad, computer or smartphone.
CVA has been America’s #1 selling muzzleloader for almost a decade. Since 1971, CVA has been dedicated to giving shooting enthusiasts and hunters alike the best muzzleloading value on the market. And we’re proud of the fact that since 2003 we have sold more guns each year than any other muzzleloading brand.
We’ve accomplished our success by continually developing innovative rifles that consumers want, and at prices that they can afford. All of our guns are designed and assembled in our state-of-the art production facility located in the little town of Bergara in northern Spain -- a region that has been famous for gun making for hundreds of years. Every barrel that we use today is also made in Bergara at the BERGARA BARRELS factory, which, like CVA, is wholly owned by our parent company. Plus, every CVA rifle component, whether manufactured on-site or sourced from other manufacturers, is produced under strict ISO-9001 quality standards to ensure consistency as well as quality. These quality components, combined with our precision barrel manufacturing and assembly processes, ensure that CVA is able to consistently produce guns with greater accuracy, more features, and better quality for the dollar than any similarly priced gun from any other brand. Bottom line, it’s just a better gun.
Over the past several years, we’ve taken our offering beyond just muzzleloading. CVA’s top of the line gun, the APEX, is actually a muzzleloader or a center-fire – providing interchangeability between 16 different calibers. And the new SCOUT, our first ever center-fire only rifle, has redefined what an affordably priced single shot rifle can be. However, we have certainly not forgotten our muzzleloading roots. In fact, we’ve made them better than ever.
