Last day of first M/L

[grayghost]

I finally made it into the woods for the first time last friday. Last day of our first muzzle loading season in TN. In the stand 45 minutes before first light, I waited until 6am before I began light calling. There was plenty of buck sign including a fresh scrape 20 yards behind my friends stand. I had never hunted this area before but he said it was a good spot. I called about every 10 minutes and at 6:30am during a loud, aggressive calling session, I see an Elm sapling shaking violently behind a large Oak tree from a distance of 55-60 yards. My first thought was a Squirrel, but the violent shaking only increased when I called again (tending grunts). I waited until it stopped and called again; lightly this time. That's all it took. He headed my way and when he stepped into the logging road at 35 yards, I put a 250 grain TC Shock Wave bonded pushed by 2 American Pioneer pellet sticks into his right shoulder. He scamppered off and fell within my sight, going maybe 50 yards. Penetration was excellent. Not a bad 2 1/2 year old, but the surprise was he field dressed 160 lbs (TN law requires us to check in all big game). Our deer are not only increasing in number, but average weight, and we now are seeing more P&Y and B&C deer coming out of TN. This buck had made a scrape under the Elm and was smelling rutted up. I'm not a dedicated trophy deer hunter, but I won't take another buck here at home (we're allowed 3 per year) unless he's a mature buck. We can take 3 does per day so meat isn't an issue. Good hunting, grayghost

[gd357]

Congrats on getting a nice buck! Sounds like a really neat hunt. Good luck tracking down a monster in the remaining time this fall.

gd

[Steverino]

Congratulations on a nice buck! Nice story too G.G.!

[grayghost]

Thanks guys. Wish I could say my luck continued in Illinois but it thus came to naught. I saw plenty of bucks: 6 on friday, 12 on saturday and 3 of 4 bucks on sunday were shooters. At 7am I saw a true Illinois giant. A monster of a 10 point that would no doubt hit the scales at the 300 lb mark (live weight). His massive, heavy framed rack would push into the 170's B&C but I only had the priviledge of viewing him for about 8 seconds before he slipped below the ridgeline. At 8am a thin racked 130'ish 8 point walked up and once broadside at 30 yards my new m/l had a hang fire and I missed him. Hard to believe but it happened. At 8:35am I shot a 160's 8 point at 50 yards. He ran foward for 75 yards then stopped and stood there for 10 minutes. Due to his body language appearing to be he was about to fall over, I didn't reload my muzzle loader (BIG MISTAKE). I was afraid to take my eyes off him. He was a perfect main frame 8 with very long tines. G-2's would push 12+ inches; G-3's weren't far behind. He was heavy, massive and pushed an inside spread I would estimate at over 23 inches. For me a super trophy. I finally reloaded the barrel but before I could put a 209 primer on the nipple, he walked a few steps and vanished. I waited 1 hour and 45 minutes, got down and the nightmare started. At the point where he was standing when I shot, blood. 10 feet forward more blood and white hair. "What the hell?" Is all I could think. I studied the hair: shorter than belly hair, stiffer and thicker diameter. "Chest or sternum" I thought. I walked forward: drops of blood but nothing heavy. Where he stood for 10 minutes I found 3 puddles about the diameter of a tennis ball. Bright red with no odor, no bubbles, no gut sign: maybe just a flesh wound? NO. He would have run out of the county. Maybe around the diaphame? Possible. Blood wasn't heavy nor dark. Once he started walking; one drop then nothing. He had coagulated and wasn't bleeding. I didn't go any farther. I returned to my stand and waited out the eveing. One other busted up 8 point came by and a doe. I discovered my problem when I returned to my stand: I had centered a finger sized limb eleven feet from my tree stand. My sight picture was open and clear at the deer, but I hadn't seen the limb just a few feet in front of me. Monday morning I returned with a friend to scout for my buck but no luck. We didn't find any further sign, although I found a 140 B&C dead in the creek. A nice, heavy 10 point someone had arrowed about a month earlier. The cold water had kept him from rotting although he didn't smell too pleasant. I called the G&F and checked him in just to be safe. A souvenir for my bad luck. My friends will be watching the area for any sign of crows, buzzards or coyote's. If he's dead they will find him but I hope he's going to recover. There's always next year. Leaving for Texas next week. Maybe my luck with change. Deer chap my ass sometimes....but I love 'em. Good hunting, grayghost