Off Season Deer Story

[Twax10]

It's the off season. It's cold, you can't hunt much and most of us have cabin fever like crazy. So I figured I'd put up a little whitetail story to help scratch that itch. I'm a waterfowl guy through and through, but this is one I havent shared and it's my first buck which makes it that much sweeter.

 

Nov 17th 2013

 

The day before the hunt I ended up getting stuck at work late. I worked until about 4 in the morning which gave me the next day off. I wasn't too tired when I got home and we had just gotten a fresh coat of snow. It was a beautiful morning and I only had a few hours until daylight so I figured I'd take my morning nap against a tree. I suited up and got to my spot just as the sun was cresting the horizon.  

 

I sat there for a few minutes just taking it all in and made a quick phone call I had to make (I know not the place to do it). I hang up the phone and as I'm sliding it into my jacket pocket I catch some brown about 150 yards out that dissapears behind a knoll. So I turn to my right and make a crawl about 20 yards to higher ground. I see it's a doe and I have a doe tag so I pull my father's BLR up and get her in the crosshairs. She's at about 100 yards at this point and headed my way so I was in no rush to pull the trigger. Plus it's Nov. 17th, I'd be an idiot to rush a shot on a lone doe headed my way.

 

As i'm watching her through the scope I catch more movement behind her. Heart starts going. It's a yearly. Then instantly more movement. I can see horn now. It was like he showed up in the open timber out of nowhere. I instantly switch to him. As I do that he turns and begins to walk down the deer run i'm sitting on, right towards me. He covered the next 60 yards with a tree directly between his main beems. Now he's at about 40 yards and keep in mind I'm on one knee using a 2" sapling as a rest, I'm not very covered. Finally he clears that tree and is standing there facing directly at me. I put the crosshairs on his chest and pull the trigger...

 

CLICK... The freaking gun doesn't go off!!

 

Now he's looking directly at me but from some act of god doesn't decide to bolt quite yet. Instinct kicks in and I barely remember doing it but I cycled the lever and let her fly. I look up from the scope and he's already done a 180 and is headed down the hill. I watched him fall at 100 yards.

 

Now that has been my fathers gun for years and years. He's killed MANY deer with that firearm and has never had a single malfunction. I'm not sure if it was a dud round or just the deer gods testing me but looking back I'm glad it happened. Makes the story that much more interesting.

 

 

 

[Lawdwaz]

Well done.....composure is a good thing.

[phade]

Good story and result! I am amazed that I haven't yet been paralyzed with fear because I have killed a deer or two on the second or third shot (even with arrows...ugh)...I once saw a guy not move after a similar situation when he could have cycled a round and shot. He just froze and didn't want to move to scare the deer.

[grampy]

Great story and great buck! 

 

The right G3 looks longer in the mount picture. Did you have a broken point repaired? 

[hunter49]

   Great story , nice buck!

[NFA-ADK]

Great story and great buck! 

 

The right G3 looks longer in the mount picture. Did you have a broken point repaired? 

Did it brake off when he fell?

[Twax10]

Great story and great buck! 

 

The right G3 looks longer in the mount picture. Did you have a broken point repaired? 

 

 

Yes I did. The taxidermist offered to fix it for free so I said go for it. I was able to get my hands on some trail cam pictures of the buck taken only a week before and he was completely intact. I know it wasn't how he was shot but I wanted him shown as nature grew him.  

[grampy]

Your taxidermist did a very nice job with the blending in and color. 

 

I too had one fixed years ago. I made a double lung bow shot on a nice buck. 30 yards from where he was shot,he ran headfirst into a field stone wall and broke off six inches of his main beam. Same as with your buck,unless you saw before and after pic's you would never know.

[Pygmy]

Good story, and good recovery after the CLICK...Nice buck, too...

You didn't say what happened to the cartridge that did not go off.

Did you recover it ? If so was the primer struck ? Could it be that you forgot to load the chamber ?