Deer Firearms Day 9 - Sunday 17 DEC - Evening

I picked up Alex at 3:30 pm.  We drove out to the golf course.  There was some rain earlier today, so the humidity is on the high side.  The temps hover around 40 F and the wind is down to 8 mph.

Alex decided he wit sit over watch on Hole #15's tee box.  I decided to sit down in the bowl on Hole #4.  We were both in place by 4 pm.

At 4:30, I looked N due to noise and saw two racks coming S, directly at me.  I cocked my muzzle loader and turned to face them.  The smaller buck saw me and both deer came to a screeching halt.  At this point, both deer are in the woods.  I can see the smaller buck, but cannot see the big one.  I wait, watching the smaller one in my scope.  He is nervous, but he cannot see me - his head is behind a tree.  He starts to stamp his front leg.  He is on the verge of bolting.  Decision time.

Do I take the tough shot in the woods on a broadside deer, or do I wait it out.  Maybe if I miss I can scare them back to Alex.  I fire.  And all I see is smoke.

The smoke clears.  I see the large buck (and he was LARGE) turn and flag N (hopefully to Alex).  The smaller one runs E and then crosses Hole #4 to the S.  He stops at the fence to look at me.  I look at him through the scope - I swear I see blood on his belly.  He runs S.

I reload my muzzle loader and start walking E to where the buck stood.  I walk the entire property line E to W on both sides of the fence.  I will know where he crossed because he will have left blood on the foliage.  I see nothing.

I walk back to my location, mark the spot the bucks were when I shot, and start walking into the woods.  I quickly find the trail they walked, and not 10 yard into the woods I see this...

A clean miss

I text Alex.  Tribe is going hungry tonight.  I walk around 4, and down Hole #5 as it gets dark.  Alex texts that he has seen nothing and is heading to the truck for, although it is still legal light, it is too dark to identify anything 100%.  We are back at the truck before "legal" light runs out.

The sun going down as I sit over watch on Hole #5.

One more of the red sun set.


And what could be waiting on us back at the truck?  Leinenkugel's Backwoods Lager.  Good beer!

Leinenkugel - sponsor of our hunting adventures
Note the sky - it's still "legal" light out.

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