Outdoor Enthusiast
Well-Known Member
Well it's been a rough stretch for me this fall. I usually am able to kill a older buck with my muzzleloader. I had my chances this year, but I blew it. I missed a good 9; I had a misfire on a big 7; and I hit the same 7 but didn't recover (more on this later).
This morning I was hunting in a spot I hadn't went into yet; however, right at daylight I heard a truck drive down an access road on the neighboring property which is roughly 200 yards away, so I knew I had company. Around 8:30 I hear a rifle report from the neighbors in the direction of the access road. My morning had been slow, so I moved over the ridge to glass the other hill side of our farm. I spotted a spike and watched him feed around and out of sight. Just as I turn around from a seated position about to walk off, I spot a deer 25 yards up the hill. I quickly lie down ion my stomach in the tall sage grass and pull up my binos. I can see it's a good young buck and he is looking directly at me. Luckily the wind was in my favor so he didn't bolt. He gave me several looks and then slowly started to leave. As he moves I roll my rifle up and shoot him from the prone position on the ground. He did a death run for maybe 10 yards and fell over in sight. Thankful to finally break the ice and end my bad luck streak.
Now for the MZ buck I didn't recover...
Last Monday night I had one of my target bucks come out at around 4 PM. He was a 3.5 y.o. 7 with some good mass. I watched him make a scrape and slowly feed into a field about 75 yards away from my stand. I had plenty of time and allowed him to come to a stop quartering away. I am in a shooting house so I have a solid rest. I squeeze off the shot and feel great about it. Through the smoke I see his legs roll over in the air and his white stomach flash. I think I made a great shot. However, I see his head lift up. This story has played out before with a MZ, so I try to reload. Before I can he scoots off down the hill back into the woods. I look for blood, hair, signs of the hit. Nothing. No sign of a hit.
Fast forward to this morning. After I kill my buck I go to see some the neighbors to see how they did. One hunter killed. He said it was a good 7. I take a look. Low and behold it's the same buck. I asked if he noticed any previous injuries. He said no; the buck was on a beeline across a field this morning. I roll him over in the bed of his truck and there is a bullet hole right in front of his shoulder and a bullet hole out his neck. 50 caliber hole to be exact. It was the buck I hit on Monday. I had checked my scope on the MZ after I shot him and it was off 5" high and 5" right; I must've bumped it. The result was a POI roughly 5" high and right of the vitals resulting in a wound but not fatal.
This morning I was hunting in a spot I hadn't went into yet; however, right at daylight I heard a truck drive down an access road on the neighboring property which is roughly 200 yards away, so I knew I had company. Around 8:30 I hear a rifle report from the neighbors in the direction of the access road. My morning had been slow, so I moved over the ridge to glass the other hill side of our farm. I spotted a spike and watched him feed around and out of sight. Just as I turn around from a seated position about to walk off, I spot a deer 25 yards up the hill. I quickly lie down ion my stomach in the tall sage grass and pull up my binos. I can see it's a good young buck and he is looking directly at me. Luckily the wind was in my favor so he didn't bolt. He gave me several looks and then slowly started to leave. As he moves I roll my rifle up and shoot him from the prone position on the ground. He did a death run for maybe 10 yards and fell over in sight. Thankful to finally break the ice and end my bad luck streak.
Now for the MZ buck I didn't recover...
Last Monday night I had one of my target bucks come out at around 4 PM. He was a 3.5 y.o. 7 with some good mass. I watched him make a scrape and slowly feed into a field about 75 yards away from my stand. I had plenty of time and allowed him to come to a stop quartering away. I am in a shooting house so I have a solid rest. I squeeze off the shot and feel great about it. Through the smoke I see his legs roll over in the air and his white stomach flash. I think I made a great shot. However, I see his head lift up. This story has played out before with a MZ, so I try to reload. Before I can he scoots off down the hill back into the woods. I look for blood, hair, signs of the hit. Nothing. No sign of a hit.
Fast forward to this morning. After I kill my buck I go to see some the neighbors to see how they did. One hunter killed. He said it was a good 7. I take a look. Low and behold it's the same buck. I asked if he noticed any previous injuries. He said no; the buck was on a beeline across a field this morning. I roll him over in the bed of his truck and there is a bullet hole right in front of his shoulder and a bullet hole out his neck. 50 caliber hole to be exact. It was the buck I hit on Monday. I had checked my scope on the MZ after I shot him and it was off 5" high and 5" right; I must've bumped it. The result was a POI roughly 5" high and right of the vitals resulting in a wound but not fatal.
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