Zem is back for 2013

[Fletch]

That is awesome on your Father in Law and bud. Enjoying life! My Uncle, late 60's went up to Canada and got a decent bull moose this year. Good for them.

 

Now get out there and get some venison!!

[First-light]

Nice deal!!

[Zem18]

I was pretty excited for both of them. My BIL and I keep saying we have to save up and go with them before they can't go anymore so we can learn the land from them and all the good places to stay and eat.

 

My buddy shot a doe this morning. I am going out with him and his Dad in the morning to push a few spots and try not to freeze while doing it. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!

 

 

[Zem18]

Pushed my bowhunting area around 7:30am this morning for my buddy and his Dad. Saw zip and man was it chilly and crunchy. We headed to another spot at 8:35am. Mt buddy set me in a spot and headed to the West of me. 15 minutes later he shoots and fills his second doe tag. 20 minutes later his Dad was East of me and he shoots twice. One miss and a dead kill shot on a nice sappling. I went to help his Dad not knowing he missed and he was watching below him. As I approached there was a deer bedded 120yds away and another 4 on their feet close by. They were about 100yds onto posted private property(a gun club) so all we could do is watch them move off except for the bedded one. I watched it for 10 minutes more and when it got up it was a spike or 4pt. He went the opposite direction of the does 5 minutes after the does left.

 

Was a good day in the woods and got plenty to eat afterwards.

[Fletch]

Sounds like a fun day

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[Zem18]

Wow I have some catching up to do. Actually, the 5 deer I saw on Thanksgiving were the last 5 deer I saw the rest of the season so not much to report. I did head down to camp for the last Saturday with my Dad, BIL and FIL. My FIL kicked up 3 bedded doe and took a shot but missed but he was the only one to see anything that day. We had gotten the freezing rain and about 4 to 5 inches of snow on top of that. I cut 3 sets of fresh tracks while still hunting and plenty of bear tracks form that night while the snow was falling as they were all snow filled.

 

The ML is ready to go for this weekend and my schedule is clear so hopefully the weather will cooperate. Just heard a nice storm is headed our way Saturday afternoon calling for 8 to 12 inches. Can't wait to get back out.

 

Oh and I took Tuesday off too so I have the whole last day by myself and have 3 different properties I can go to, including a small driving range/9hole golf course I just got permission to hunt. The deer have been eating on the 3rd green so he said go get em. Also said there are twin 7pts still running around in same area as 3rd green.

 

 

[Zem18]

Well the last day of muzzleloader turned out to be a doozie to say the least. The snow was coming down and the temp was 20 degrees. My father in law and I hunted together and decided to work a section of woods across from his house that I call the honey hole. I can't remember a time that I have hunted down there that I haven't seen at least 1 deer so I had high hopes.

 

At 7:20am we went seperate ways in hopes of pushing deer to each other and meeting in the middle at some point. 15 minutes into the woods and I have a doe coming straight at me less  than 30 yards. She turns and goes behind a low hanging Hemlock branch covered in snow. I think she is going to step out but never did so I am thinking she bedded in the briars. I can see two more deer past her another 25 yards away feeding. Thats when I hear a primer go off. The 5 seconds later, another primer goes off with a 3 second pause and then Boom. I see 3 deer take off to my right. I meet up with my FIL and he said not sure why it misfired and the second time was a long pause but he did get a chunk of hair off one of those deer.

 

I saw where they headed and decided to try and push them back his way so I waited for him to set up and then I went after them. I bumped them from about 35 yards away through some thick stuff but they headed the right way but too high and never dropped off the hill towards him. I worked my way along the hill and heard another primer go off below me. Then I hear a Boom. I drop to one knee and watch below me and out pops a doe. The shot for me was 50 to 60 yards downhill so I held a little high and squeezed. Clean miss. That was the first deer I have shot at with my muzzleloader so it was exciting. I met up again with my FIL and he decided to run up to the house and clean his ML to prevent another misfire. I found a spot to stand watch and waited for him to return.

 

It's 10:30am now and he is back. I told him I would push another section to him so go and get set up. I start my walk and 40 yards into it I see a deer. I stop and watch as it goes behind some brush but does not come out the other side. I take 2 steps to my right to see if it is moving away, only to see it come up out of the creek bed and start heading right to me. It is a beautiful 6 or 8pt buck. I am kneeling again and wait as the deer gets closer. It finally stops at 35yards broadside and has no clue I am there. I settle the crosshairs middle of the body, right behind the shoulder, take a deep breath and squeeze the trigger. BOOM and I see the deer lunge forward and run 10 yards and stop heading directly away from me. He stands for 20 seconds and then his tail flicks a few times and he walks off into some high grass. At this point I think I hit low so I am reloading behind a tree and staying quiet. I give him 25 minutes and then I proceed to circle below the way he came and if he jumps, my FIL is at the ready. I get over to his tracks where he was standing and no blood. I back track to where he was standing when I shot and there is a small amount of hair. My heart sank.

 

I could not get this deer out of my mind as to why or how I missed as I hunted the rest of the afternoon. There was some brown hair but the rest looked shite or grayish on the snow so I am thinking the gun is shooting low. I stayed in the area until around 4pm and decided to head out. As I am walking out, I bump a bedded doe about 60 yards away. I freeze and she is watching me but nibbles on some brush and decides to bed again. I have a tree between me and her so I make my move. I make it the 30 yards to the tree and am about to lean to the right and see if I can get her in the scope when I see a second deer jump up off to my right and head towards the beeded one. She stops broadside at 25 to 30 yards. I am steady and hold it just a tad below her back as I thought I was low before. I squeeze yet again and BOOM. Next thing I see is the deer I shot at running away and the bedded one gets up and follows. I walk over to where she was and am in disbelief. No hair, no blood, no deer. Another miss.

 

Although I felt crappy about missing, that was one of the most memorable hunts I have had and could not get the smile off my face that evening. I replayed the entire day over and over in my mind and was still happy and sad at the same time. I do know that I have to get to the range or set up in the FIL's field and see where this ML is hitting though. So another year has passed and I still haven't taken a deer with the ML but next year they better be on the lookout. I had so much fun that I think I will take a few more days off for the late season next year.

 

Hope you guys enjoyed my entries, some few and far between as life is busy for everyone these days. Happy Holidays to all and be safe.

 

[Fletch]

Sounds like an exciting day! We had a lot of action the last couple days in muzzleloader and I agree it was a blast. I got nothing to say on the misses! I had enough this year to say zip!! lol