Muzzleloader success!
- Thread starter MUP
- Start date
I'll post the story in a little bit.
Well, after being down with the crud since last weekend, and still not completely over it, I just had to go, Fri after work, and then this morning. Fri I went out and got in an old ladder stand, mostly for observation, but I have killed from it before. Soon I saw movement, and ended up seeing 9 deer, no bucks. Thought to myself, I rarely see this many deer in one group anymore out here, this could be a good year. Fast forward to this morning. Got up and made it out on the mtn , went in and was up in , what I call my #1 stand, as I've killed my 2 biggest bucks from it, before sunup. About an hr after daylight a spike strolled thru behind me. Then an hr later, he appeared in front of me, nose still to the ground. He eventually wandered away. Then about an hr or so after he left, and trying to keep from freezing my blank off 
, I was trying to stay warm, but still keep my head on a swivel to watch all around me, ESPECIALLY back behind me, where the wind was carrying my scent diagonally up the draw. I even closed my eyes to try to warm up my eyeballs! Well I made one more right turn to scan up the ridge behind me and saw a big buck, with long tines moving across behind me and was already almost directly behind me in my wind! I turned back straight ahead, stood, hoping the tree would hide my movement, then turned to my left 180 degrees in my stand and laid the ML against the tree slowly, planning to wait for him to move into view. No buck. I eased on around a little more and he was standing at attention, ears perked, head tilted my way, no doubt in my mind he had picked up my scent! As quickly as I could, put the cross hairs on his chest and squeezed the trigger, felt good...but he ran, and ran...and ran, all the way up the steep ridge nearly to the top, then slowed to a walk. I thought to myself, you've missed one of the biggest bucks of your life just now. But, as I watched him, his tail was twitching rapidly from side to side, then his walk began to turn downward, then it became an unsteady run, a death run if you will. I knew he was hit, but not sure to what extent, so I reloaded and came down, then went to where I had shot him at. Found some white hair :shock: but no blood, at first. Then as I cut back and forth over his escape line, I found a spattering of blood, then some more, and then it was a decent blood trail after that, and it lead me straight to him DRT. After a good 200 yd run that is! I hit him good, right behind the shoulder, lungs and liver were destroyed. Still can't fathom how these magnificent animals can go like they do after being mortally wounded. Anyway, he's the best buck of my hunting career, a 9 pt, which rough scored at 147". I thank the Lord for blessing me with the ability to still get out and hunt in His creation, and for blessing me with another safe and successful hunt. Thank you Lord!
, I was trying to stay warm, but still keep my head on a swivel to watch all around me, ESPECIALLY back behind me, where the wind was carrying my scent diagonally up the draw. I even closed my eyes to try to warm up my eyeballs! Well I made one more right turn to scan up the ridge behind me and saw a big buck, with long tines moving across behind me and was already almost directly behind me in my wind! I turned back straight ahead, stood, hoping the tree would hide my movement, then turned to my left 180 degrees in my stand and laid the ML against the tree slowly, planning to wait for him to move into view. No buck. I eased on around a little more and he was standing at attention, ears perked, head tilted my way, no doubt in my mind he had picked up my scent! As quickly as I could, put the cross hairs on his chest and squeezed the trigger, felt good...but he ran, and ran...and ran, all the way up the steep ridge nearly to the top, then slowed to a walk. I thought to myself, you've missed one of the biggest bucks of your life just now. But, as I watched him, his tail was twitching rapidly from side to side, then his walk began to turn downward, then it became an unsteady run, a death run if you will. I knew he was hit, but not sure to what extent, so I reloaded and came down, then went to where I had shot him at. Found some white hair :shock: but no blood, at first. Then as I cut back and forth over his escape line, I found a spattering of blood, then some more, and then it was a decent blood trail after that, and it lead me straight to him DRT. After a good 200 yd run that is! I hit him good, right behind the shoulder, lungs and liver were destroyed. Still can't fathom how these magnificent animals can go like they do after being mortally wounded. Anyway, he's the best buck of my hunting career, a 9 pt, which rough scored at 147". I thank the Lord for blessing me with the ability to still get out and hunt in His creation, and for blessing me with another safe and successful hunt. Thank you Lord!
After a 300 yd drag out thru the hills and hollers I was spent to say the least! I had to stop, sit and rest no less than 6 times I believe. Bad outta shape!
Toad! Congrats!
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heck of a buck,congrats
wsm
Well-Known Member
Congrats on a stud.
TN Larry
Well-Known Member
Awesome deer! Congrats.
Congrats MUP that's a heck of a big deer and anytime you need help dragging or tracking I'm right on the other mountain top
Well done brother! Congrats!
Congratulations Steve!!
I told him yesterday when he sent me the photo, those 2 sticker points count!
Tennessee 11 pointer!!
A brute, really a deer of a lifetime for these parts.
As far as the drag goes, I feel ya buddy.
My son is a 6 foot tall Bruce Lee, and about killed himself dragging his forkhorn the other day, and it wasn't hardly as mountainous where we were down by the TN river.
Like I said earlier, those Middle and West TN folks got it made.....oke:
I told him yesterday when he sent me the photo, those 2 sticker points count!
Tennessee 11 pointer!!
A brute, really a deer of a lifetime for these parts.
As far as the drag goes, I feel ya buddy.
My son is a 6 foot tall Bruce Lee, and about killed himself dragging his forkhorn the other day, and it wasn't hardly as mountainous where we were down by the TN river.
Like I said earlier, those Middle and West TN folks got it made.....
oke:
Stud of a buck , congrats !
Hduke86":2hmfidcv said:
Buddy I may take you up on it next time! I'm still feeling it today, and likely for the next few days! If I had had my 4 wheeler up there it would have helped, but I still couldn't have gotten to him where he fell and would still have had to drag him about 100-150 yds to where I would have felt safe getting the wheeler up to him. I need to start working out. Whew!
Thanks for the congrats and comments everybody! Definitely a buck of my lifetime!
For a better perspective, the buck in my signature pic was my biggest buck prior to killing this one, and it scored 138-3/8 green. I could set that rack down inside this one.
Congrats man!! Thanks for sending me pics!!
Tennessee Lead
Well-Known Member
Congratulations Steve that's a hoss!
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Thanks guys!
