jonkytron
Active Member
This year on Oct 3 I bagged the biggest buck I ever killed on Rhode Island public land. After that, I decided to stay out of the woods until the end of October and hunt the rut hard. I started on October 28, and I went hard. Everyday a new stand.. I passed a lot of deer, waiting for a giant. On Nov 7, I decided to take out the muzzleloader instead of the bow.. I have never killed with a muzzleloader... I never even shot at a deer with one.. But my logic was: I got one with the bow, now take out the muzzleloader and go shoot something bigger than the buck you took in October.
That day, this past Wednesday, the biggest deer I have ever seen in person came crashing thru the woods like a freight train. I stopped him at 25 yards broadside. He was a wide-rack 10 point, with a huge body and giant tines across thick main beams. It happened so fast, and it was the first time I was shaking before a shot instead of after.. I leaned my gun against my saddle ropes, put the scope on his heart and I pulled the trigger... Well the buck ran off like nothing happened. No mule kick, no sprint, just looking confused at all the noise. He jogged off and I heard him casually running around at about 100 yards in the distance where I couldn't see him. While reloading my muzzleloader, I thought to myself "WHAT THE F*CK?! How did I miss?! Did I make a bad shot? Gut Shot? Brisket? F*CK!!!!"
I got down from my stand after an hour, just in case. No blood.. No hair. I then proceed to grid search the area 500 yards towards where he ran for 2 hours and not one drop of blood. How did I miss...? I was sick.. I mean, I really was about to throw up..
Now, I blame the muzzleloader because I cleaned it with gun oil after I sighted it in, and I was told by a friend later that it could have been that the powder got wet from the oil if I didn't dry out the barrel enough.. so it might have shot weird because of that. But if I have to be honest, I didn't feel like the gun was tight enough to my shoulder... and I was shaking a little. The scope was on him good, but I could have completely twitched and missed him. Either way.. I missed him. The silver lining was that I didn't wound him, which made me feel better, but still sick to my stomach.
The next day, after testing my muzzleloader out (it was shooting fine) I was still feeling like ****, and I decide to take the gun out for redemption, even though that deer would have been dead with my bow. I needed to get back on the horse and I didn't want this to keep me from gun hunting ever again..
At noon yesterday, a 2.5 years old 5 pointer (barely 5) ran by chasing a doe. He wasn't a small bodied deer.. But he certainly wasn't the giant I saw the day before. I watched him proceed to zig zag like crazy in the woods pushing the doe into cover, where he mounted her and bred her. This is something ive never seen before in the woods. When he was done, he and the doe stepped out of the cover.
Just seconds after getting laid, he stood on a small hill, sunshine glistening on his coat, staring off in the distance, looking majestic and proud..broadside at 10 yards.. I had one buck tag left. Normally, I would let him go... But it was my 6th all day sit in a row after almost two weeks of hunting everyday.. and I didnt have many days left to hunt until maybe late December. I thought to myself quickly "what a better way to die? Thats certainly how I'd wanna go.. just seconds after getting laid" In a split second I decided "If he's old enough to chase does when that big buck is around, he was old enough for me to take." I put that scope on his heart, I took an extra second this time to focus, and I squeezed the trigger.
He didn't move.. "Oh f*ck! did I miss again!?!" Nope.. 5 seconds later he tipped over and fell on the ground where he was shot and didnt move. It was the best shot I could have made. When I went to him, I had a mix of feelings.. Happiness: "Damn that was amazing.. That was a great hunt.. So cool to see him breeding a doe, so happy about that clean kill. So grateful for the extra meat." But also sadness: "He's certainly not the buck I saw yesterday.. I guess I’m done chasing bucks in my home state this year..all tagged out on a fork horn.."
But on that long drag out, in the hot weather, sweating my ass off, I realized.. This buck was a gift from the universe.. a consolation prize. Yesterday, I should have made sure my gun was dry.. I should have taken an extra second to focus, and thank god I didn't wound that buck. It was a hard lesson missing that giant, but maybe the universe was saying "Don't be greedy, you got a big buck this year, you can get that big guy next year, be grateful I gave you a second buck to shoot"
And I am grateful. God I love hunting whitetails so much. November is the month I dream about all year, and this year was a good one. Maybe my best yet.
I’m going put those small antlers on a plaque and always remember the buck I shot right after he just got laid.
That day, this past Wednesday, the biggest deer I have ever seen in person came crashing thru the woods like a freight train. I stopped him at 25 yards broadside. He was a wide-rack 10 point, with a huge body and giant tines across thick main beams. It happened so fast, and it was the first time I was shaking before a shot instead of after.. I leaned my gun against my saddle ropes, put the scope on his heart and I pulled the trigger... Well the buck ran off like nothing happened. No mule kick, no sprint, just looking confused at all the noise. He jogged off and I heard him casually running around at about 100 yards in the distance where I couldn't see him. While reloading my muzzleloader, I thought to myself "WHAT THE F*CK?! How did I miss?! Did I make a bad shot? Gut Shot? Brisket? F*CK!!!!"
I got down from my stand after an hour, just in case. No blood.. No hair. I then proceed to grid search the area 500 yards towards where he ran for 2 hours and not one drop of blood. How did I miss...? I was sick.. I mean, I really was about to throw up..
Now, I blame the muzzleloader because I cleaned it with gun oil after I sighted it in, and I was told by a friend later that it could have been that the powder got wet from the oil if I didn't dry out the barrel enough.. so it might have shot weird because of that. But if I have to be honest, I didn't feel like the gun was tight enough to my shoulder... and I was shaking a little. The scope was on him good, but I could have completely twitched and missed him. Either way.. I missed him. The silver lining was that I didn't wound him, which made me feel better, but still sick to my stomach.
The next day, after testing my muzzleloader out (it was shooting fine) I was still feeling like ****, and I decide to take the gun out for redemption, even though that deer would have been dead with my bow. I needed to get back on the horse and I didn't want this to keep me from gun hunting ever again..
At noon yesterday, a 2.5 years old 5 pointer (barely 5) ran by chasing a doe. He wasn't a small bodied deer.. But he certainly wasn't the giant I saw the day before. I watched him proceed to zig zag like crazy in the woods pushing the doe into cover, where he mounted her and bred her. This is something ive never seen before in the woods. When he was done, he and the doe stepped out of the cover.
Just seconds after getting laid, he stood on a small hill, sunshine glistening on his coat, staring off in the distance, looking majestic and proud..broadside at 10 yards.. I had one buck tag left. Normally, I would let him go... But it was my 6th all day sit in a row after almost two weeks of hunting everyday.. and I didnt have many days left to hunt until maybe late December. I thought to myself quickly "what a better way to die? Thats certainly how I'd wanna go.. just seconds after getting laid" In a split second I decided "If he's old enough to chase does when that big buck is around, he was old enough for me to take." I put that scope on his heart, I took an extra second this time to focus, and I squeezed the trigger.
He didn't move.. "Oh f*ck! did I miss again!?!" Nope.. 5 seconds later he tipped over and fell on the ground where he was shot and didnt move. It was the best shot I could have made. When I went to him, I had a mix of feelings.. Happiness: "Damn that was amazing.. That was a great hunt.. So cool to see him breeding a doe, so happy about that clean kill. So grateful for the extra meat." But also sadness: "He's certainly not the buck I saw yesterday.. I guess I’m done chasing bucks in my home state this year..all tagged out on a fork horn.."
But on that long drag out, in the hot weather, sweating my ass off, I realized.. This buck was a gift from the universe.. a consolation prize. Yesterday, I should have made sure my gun was dry.. I should have taken an extra second to focus, and thank god I didn't wound that buck. It was a hard lesson missing that giant, but maybe the universe was saying "Don't be greedy, you got a big buck this year, you can get that big guy next year, be grateful I gave you a second buck to shoot"
And I am grateful. God I love hunting whitetails so much. November is the month I dream about all year, and this year was a good one. Maybe my best yet.
I’m going put those small antlers on a plaque and always remember the buck I shot right after he just got laid.
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