opening weekend of muzzle loader

Mike, Brent, and I braved the start of the “silly season” on the first weekend of muzzle loading season. Brent with the hawken, me with the flintlock, and Mike with his MOAB. There were two other trucks in the parking area when we got there in the dark.

We got set up. Mike was in his stand when one guy comes in and he flashes him with the headlamp multiple times to let him know he was there. The guy sets up about 45 yards from him anyway. Later it was light and the guy is sitting facing Mike at 45 yards sitting at the bottom of a tree. Does not see him. A group of deer come by and Mike is worried the guy would shoot toward him! However, he does not. Later his friend, who reminded Mike of a “big orange gumdrop”, stops by and has a chat with the dude and leaves. Finally, the guy stands to pee and then Mike realized he never knew he was there. At noon Mike climbs down and the guy finally sees him. Brent was up his normal tree and had a guy in a big red ATV cruise by his twice through the woods. Not even on a trail! The guy had on no orange and seemed to have on camo clothing. WOW! I was set up in my normal white oak area below Brent. I did not see any action I can only attribute to the orange invasion all over the woods since I had seen the same group of deer at this spot 3 hunts in a row. I did see a fox squirrel that looked like it was piebald. It had a half all white tail. It was light tan in color with a white spot on its head. I nearly cut loose with the 50 cal. on it, but was waiting for a deer. Around time to get Mike back to the house at noon, I had a flock of 11 turkey come in and bed about 50 yards from me. I have never had turkey sit and sleep in front of me. They had a couple alert sentinel birds and the rest where hunkered down in the leaves or perched on a fallen log.

I got Mike back to the house and his car, and headed back to the woods. I had to be back at 5pm so Angela could enjoy October fest at the community center where we had her baby shower. I just brought the gun and sat on the ground at my spot below Brent. At about 330 a guy in orange with a silver ML slung over his shoulder walked past me at about 30 yards from behind, He never saw me. I radioed Brent at 4pm and said I had to leave at 430-445, but if he wanted to he could stay. He started getting down and spooked a big doe toward me. I “baaaad” to stop it in an opening at about 45 yards and it stopped right with a small diameter tree near the vitals. I aimed slightly to the right of it and the hair trigger activated a bit sooner than I was expecting. The deer ran off out of sight. I checked the shot sight and found 2 clumps of hair so I immediately started after it. The woods was pretty open but I searched all the way to the property lines and where the guy that had passed me was set up. I never saw and blood so I left the woods as I was running late. The next day I headed back with the longbow to find out more. I hiked all over the place and really looked hard at the shot sight and direction of travel. No blood, no splatter, nothing but some tufts of white hair. I am pretty sure I just grazed it.

I did see a nice buck running the ridgeline at a distance. The woods was very pretty.