Well guys, my 2023 luck has continued this morning. To be honest I'm still sitting here in disbelief, I've never missed/blown it on so many opportunities in a single year in my life.
I've been hunting locally since Thanksgiving and actually been seeing a good number of deer during daylight hours, more than I am used to seeing this time of year. The problem has been that they've all been does/fawns and young bucks. The issue is that I'm just not ready to shoot a doe with a firearm (the longbow is another story) yet and we have APRs here so the young bucks are off the table. I have been encouraged though with the consistent numbers I've been seeing so I've been hitting it pretty hard.
This morning I took the muzzleloader out and set up in an area that should have been good for the east wind we were to get. I was still getting my upper layers on right at first light when I saw the first deer walking at me. I hadn't even primed the muzzle loader yet. I manage to get the breach open, primer in and breech closed without spooking it in the early morning stillness. No worries, small 3 point buck went by at 7:35. At 7:50 three deer break out of the cedars and run into the hardwoods looking behind them. I wait and nothing else appears. At 8:40 I see a deer walking directly at me . . . its the 3 point making another pass after presumably make a loop around. Wait, there's two others following him, a 6 that, although small is legal and I'd take at this point of the season and a bigger Tbd but also definitely legal. They're walking downwind in a bachelor group along the edge of the cedars headed directly at me. At about 120 yds the 6 point turned and went into the cedars out of sight. The other two came out into the hollow I was overlooking and lo and behold the third deer is a petty decent 8 point. They stand out there about 100 yards away eating some crusty looking brush for about 10 minutes. I have a clear shot at the 3 but the 8 is in a thicket offering no shot. Eventually the 3 point heads up the hill to the west. I scope him thinking "This is great, when the 8 follows him I'll take him when he hits the open area." Unfortunately it never works the way you expect. Upon the little buck's departure the 8 turns around and starts walking directly away from me. When he hits an open area all I can see is his butt and rack. I hold on him until he finally turns a bit and I have a quartering away shot at about 140yds. I touch it off and he runs toward the cedars behind some brush but he never comes out the other side. I figure its possible he's down there but I start reloading anyway.
I get reloaded and look up and I see him walking leisurely up a ridge in the direction the 3 went about 180 yds away. Darn - missed him but he's not to spooked by it. I get a rest off the tree and hold in the next opening. He gets through it before I can get on him. Up to the next opening . . . he walks into it and stops and I figure him to be a good 200yds away. I hold the crosshairs just on the line of his back and touch off another one. He breaks and runs over the hill. I wait a half hour before getting down and then pack up my stuff and leave it at the base of the tree (I have to walk back by on my way out). I go up there I find his tracks and actually can see where my bullet hit as it blew a bunch of dirt through the snow. No hair, no blood nothing. To be sure I tracked him about 300 yds in the snow and never saw any blood - clean miss. Hopefully he's not too spooked, he was walking again within 100 yds, and I can get another chance at him.
