Saturday, November 14th 2009

Saturday morning began as most opening day of rifle season mornings, in Gasconade County Missouri. A few shots in the distance signaled an early end to some hunter's lucky morning. The morning was comfortable and calm, as I settled into my lucky new stand that I had won in a raffle drawing some months earlier.

I was over looking a pasture that divided a section of woods. It was about 100 yards across and fed down into a creek bottom that regularly funneled deer between wood lots. Around 7:15, I spotted my first deer, it was a respectable 8 pointer that had crossed 40 yards to my left, but left me without a shot. 15 minutes later, I heard a commotion in the creek bottom below. I could make out a buck as I glassed, but could not get a good look. He was acting strange; he stayed in the wood lot and would not come out. I assumed it was due to the cows that were in the pasture on the other side of the creek bed.

I soon realized, as I spotted a doe feeding near by, that she was being tended by the near by buck. I continued to glass to try and get a better look at him, but he stayed concealed in the brush. After several minutes, I watched the doe walk up the hill in the woods and I knew he would follow. I lost track of them until I noticed a tree swaying in the woods. I glassed closer to see the buck was making a rub on that vary tree.

I gave a series of grunts to him and quickly got his attention. When he put his head up, I could tell he was sporting 10 respectable points. The buck turned and began walking towards me with his ears pinned back looking to fend off any intruders around his doe. The buck walked to the edge of the wood line facing directly towards me at 100 yard. I settled my cross hairs on his chest and decided to wait for a broadside shot.

The buck looked over his shoulder as his doe began to move off, and he quickly turned and followed and offered me no shot. Later that morning, back in deer camp, we talked about our afternoon hunt. I advised I was heading out at 1:00 and semi-jokingly explained I was going to be there when that doe got up from her bed to feed and would bring that buck back into range for me to get a second chance at. Little did I know that’s exactly what would happen.

At 3:00, I heard a commotion again in the very same spot I spotted the buck earlier that morning. Sure enough, I got a glimpse of a deer and quickly realized it was the same buck. He was pacing back and forth in the brush looking down in the creek bottom as he passed in and out of sight within the brush.

I glassed for a minute and found the doe feeding in the creek below just 20 yards from him. I had my muzzleloader ready, as I knew it was a matter of time before he made a mistake. The buck mainly stayed out of sight, but I focused on the doe as I knew where ever she went, he was going to follow her. 20 minutes past as the doe fed relaxed and stayed in the brush, refusing to step into the field. There was only one opening in the brush that would give me a shot, the doe stood at 130 yards. Finally the doe moved off to her left and I stayed focused on that very opening. In a matter of seconds, the buck came down the creek embankment and stood in the very opening that the doe began to feed.

After taking a few deep breaths and focused my nerves. I settled and resettled my cross hairs on his shoulder. With a squeeze of the trigger, my view was filled with white smoke as I struggled to see if I connected. I saw one deer take off in the woods and stop. But the brush quickly obscured my view. After waiting some time, I climbed down to go and inspect the situation. As I got about 50 yards from my stand, I saw the doe take off through the woods by herself.

I wasn’t sure what to think, but took it as a good sign as the buck was not in tow. After about a 5 minutes search, I quickly found great sign, and followed it to my buck just 40 yards away from where I had shot him. I couldn’t be happier, as I gained even more confidence in my new Thompson Center; driving home a 130 yard shot and taking my second ever buck with a muzzleloader.