2023 Muzzleloader Hunting Harvest Thread

[WNYBuckHunter]

Post up pics of your 2023 Muzzleloader hunting harvests here!

Only pictures with the associated story will be allowed in this thread. If you want to congratulate someone, please do it by clicking on the "like this" button for the post. There will be no exceptions.

Feel free to start a new thread if you wish to have comments in addition to posting the photo / story here.

[wolc123]

The Good Lord blessed me again on the second Sunday of the early antlerless gun season.  I “doubled down” on the “Jesus first” thing in the late morning, after a short uneventful early morning hunt with no deer sighting, church and adult Sunday school. 
 

After that, my wife had a heck of a honey-do list for me.  I knocked off everything she asked for and then some.  Then I drove about 20 miles to my parents place, on the opposite corner of wmu 9F.  They had lots of work for me to do also, before I could go hunting.  Once again, I knocked all of that and then some.  This is where the “Others second” came in.  
 

I was much later than I wanted to be, back in the double ladder stand that goosifer sold me for $20 a couple years ago.  That’s where the “Yourself last” thing came in.  
 

I thought I blew it again over there, by picking the wrong stand, as I had the previous Saturday afternoon.  My dad had mowed the clover plot out back, during the week, to a short stubble.  Between that and hearing the old boss doe blowing downwind, 1/2 hour before sunset, I thought for sure I was in for nothing.  
 

Once again, I decided to give up before sunset, and started to pack up my stuff.  Just after I pulled off my camo face mask, I heard the unmistakable sound of hoof steps, in the tall goldenrod upwind. 
 

She stepped out, 45 yards away, 2 minutes after sunset.  I cranked the old Redfield scope up to 7x and verified the lack of headgear or buttons, then settled the crosshairs on the back lower corner of her inboard shoulder blade.  When the smoke cleared, there she laid:

The J.O.Y. doe, 28 minutes before the closing buzzer of the early antlerless gun season.  T/C Omega 50 cal, 240 gr XTP, (2) T7 50 gr pellets, Redfield wide field 2-7x. 

 

Ive only eaten her fillet mignonettes so far (made tacos with them) and once again, they were “to die for”.  She was about as close to perfect of a “grinder doe” that a guy could ask for.  

With both of my first draw dmp tags punched now, and our meat supply in decent shape, I’m going to be a bit more selective than usual with my (5) remaining deer tags.  

 

Edited September 29, 2023 by wolc123

[New York Hillbilly]

Being so close to Christmas and with lots to do, this morning I got down at 10am. When I did I noticed the first scrape this season in this spot. It was less than 15 yards from my stand and it was fresh. In the low light when I went to my stand this morning I never saw it. So I figured I would put a camera over it in the afternoon before I climb into my stand, and that is what I did.

I had only been in my stand for the afternoon about a half hour, when and adult doe and a this years fawn came headed straight towards me, and behind them was a really big doe who kept looking back over her shoulder. They were basically walking single file ad were going to walk right in front of the camera I just put up. I had my gun in my lap and they were so close I new I would be busted as soon as I moved. Seeing the fawn was with the first doe I was not having any second thoughts about shooting the big doe bringing up the rear, and was not gambling a buck would show up this late in the season.

In hindsight, it was not my finest hour of hunting the way it went down, but as it resulted in a successful and interesting hunt so I'm satisfied.

I knew it was gonna be tricky not only because they were close, facing me, and three different sets of eyes and 3 noses, but also because I figured out this morning my eye glasses are so old and cloudy it's like looking through a bottle of milk. And,my glasses have become sort of settled so when I'm  looking through my scope I need to push my glasses up with my thumb so I am looking through the distance part of my bifocals. 

I let the doe and fawn get really close in order to allow the big doe to clear brush and give me a shot. Then I basically told myself one, two, three go, and raised the gun, quickly put the scope on the big doe while thumbing up my glasses trying to get the cross hairs centered on her, and as I did the first doe and fawn spooked and took a couple quick jumps. I pulled the trigger and at the shot the big doe went down. But, it was not ideal. I won't share the less pleasant aspect of this as it was unsettling for me. What I discovered after though was she would not likely have gone far, but in the moment I could not be certain as she was trying to get her legs under her.

With her trying to escape; even though my mind was racing, heart pounding, my hands were shaking like a leaf, and I discovered the end of my ram rod was now missing, I still reloaded faster than I ever though possible. She momentarily lay still and I was able to put the second shot on her to put it to a merciful end. Even after the second shot, just in case I reloaded again. The other does only bounded off after the second shot and when I started to climb down. 

Tomorrow I will pull the card from the trail camera and see what was captured, because much of this went down in front of it. It could be interesting.

See the trail camera in the scrubby little tree to the left of the deer. 

Edited December 17, 2023 by New York Hillbilly
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[airedale]

Congratulations, she looks like a nice fat Doe, as the old saying goes "all is well that ends well".

Al

[Northcountryman]

Yes, congratulations!! Enjoyed reading your description very much- thanks for sharing 

[First-light]

Where did you hit her I don't see anything? Back legs gone??? lol

 

[New York Hillbilly]

3 hours ago, airedale said:

Congratulations, she looks like a nice fat Doe, as the old saying goes "all is well that ends well".

Al

Thanks Al. It did work out fine, and actually shook me more than it should have.

She is a nice one.

[New York Hillbilly]

11 minutes ago, First-light said:

Where did you hit her I don't see anything? Back legs gone??? lol

 

Yikes what a thought! lol  Her back legs are there but under the leaves. She's laying on the side I shot. I worry about putting to much specific in case anyone anti reads this stuff. It is not always pristine. Or silent, as I was reminded yesterday.

Basically, being so close to me the first shot was too high and put her down, the second shot thankfully was in the exact right spot and quickly finished the job .