More winter meat

Larry R

Old Mossy Horns
Went out yesterday afternoon for about 2 hours after recuperating from that long cold night of coyote hunting Monday. Climbed up in a large Poplar tree and I swear every squirrel in the county had to have come to that tree. They were eating the seeds from the Poplar tree seed pods. At times it looked like it was actually snowing. Breeze was a little fickle also because it changed directions on me several times. I wasn't convinced that I wasn't wasting my time staying especially after what had happened earlier.

I had the unthinkable happen just as I got into the tree and put the primer onto the Savage 110 muzzle loader. I realized that when I had taken my camo clothing off after the last hunt I had taken everything out of the pockets and washed my clothing in baking soda. What I didn't realize before the hunt was the fact that I had failed to replace the items back into either my back pack or the shirt pocket. I keep a tube of primers in my shirt pocket while hunting for quick access. Well I realized that quick access "ain't" an option when the tube of primers isn't in that shirt pocket or back pack. I recall that I had taken a primer off of my rifle and placed it into one of the pockets on my back pack. After several minutes of frantic searching I found that beautiful single primer. Keep in mind I had just climbed "Mt Everest" to get to my stand and also had climbed the leaning tower of Pisa to get into my stand. I thought many things and uttered a few under my breath. Debated whether I should just get down and go home. I thought about it and my phone buzzed. It was my little brother wanting to know if I was hunting. I relayed that I was hunting and that I only had one primer. It was so sweet of him to remind me that he had plenty. Smart Arse. LOL. He did say he would bring me some but I told him I didn't want to put him thru that much trouble, besides it only takes one.

About 4 00 I see a deer coming my way but veered off down the side of the mountain towards where I have an automatic corn feeder about 200 yards away. All the time it was adept at keeping either laurel bushes or thick brush between us. Eventually it went out of sight without even giving me the slightest chance at a shot. OH well I wasn't about to take an iffy shot with just one primer, besides I still have some time left before legal quitting time.

Not long afterwards I hear a twig snap behind me and as I slowly turn I see another deer behind me at about 30 yards. It's walking like it had a destination and angling away from me up the mountain but generally heading for that really big and thick laurel patch. I'm sitting in a tree stand located between two forks in the tree. I start to move my ML in between the two trees but realize that the deer is walking to fast, by the time I get between the trees and on the deer it's going to be behind that second fork. So I lean around the second fork, lay my rifle up against the fork and wait for the deer to come out from behind the tree. Didn't have long to wait, here she came and now at close to 70 yards angling away from me.

As it stepped into a small opening I mouth bleated and she didn't even act like she heard me. As she stepped into the next opening I bleated again louder. She stopped for an instant and just as I touched off she started to step again but way to late. I touched the trigger and KAABOOMMMM (smokeless powder, no smoke so I could see). No mule kick, no knock down, no stumbling AND no hesitation, that deer was getting out of Dodge. I watched it go out of sight into thick laurels at about 50 yards. Listened the best I could and heard nothing. I thought I had missed but convinced my self there wasn't any way I could have missed. I've done that before and found out there is a way I could miss. LOL.

No more primers so I might as well get down and go confirm my hit or miss. I carried my backpack and rifle out to where there is a log road heading straight up the mountain towards where the deer had been walking and also where the deer had crossed as it left town. Since I had no more primers I didn't see much use in carrying my back pack and rifle up that steep mountain any further. If I have to I'll just use my belt on the deer. LOL.

As I got to where I thought the deer had crossed the logging road I found a couple of small drops of blood. Suspicions confirmed, I had not missed the deer but as I began to work in the direction the deer had gone I found very little blood. I tracked the deer by small drops of blood and running hoof marks in the leaves and soil. Just as I got to the edge of the laurel thicket I thought I could see something white but wasn't sure it wasn't some snow still left in the shade of a tree so I continued tracking the deer. After another 20 - 30 yards I could see that it was my deer and she was D E A D. Headed down the mountain a half mile away where I had parked my ATV. Rest is history.

When gutting her I found the liver was already made into livermush. It had also cut a small piece off the top of the heart and blown away the arteries from the heart. Some good tenderloins and deer jerky coming up. LOL. By the time I got her to the walk in cooler it was after dark and I didn't bother to take any photos.

Took me five tries to report the darn thing to the the NCWRC. About half way thru the process I would get disconnected???????? But I finally got it reported.
 

nchawkeye

Old Mossy Horns
I keep primers, quick loads, a small amout of cleaning supplies and what tools I need in my gun case...This way you are never without..

Congrats!!
 

Larry R

Old Mossy Horns
I normally have an adequate supply of what I need in my backpack also but yesterday I just plain screwed up and in my haste to get out there in the woods I left the tube of primers at the house. I had 10 bullets and 10 loads of powder but only one primer. Thankfully the Man Upstairs helped me make a good first shot. I now have an extra tube of primers in the pouch with my powder charges and bullets. That tube won't be taken out and placed in my shirt pocket. LOL.
 

GrizzlyBear

Old Mossy Horns
Good shooting Larry. I remember when I learned that lesson of confidence. When you believe in yourself and your shooting. It took me two hours to find a buck once with ZERO sign of a hit. I knew I had killed it and searched til I found it.

Looking forward to another great story and stay warm my friend.
 

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I no longer muzzleloader hunt Larry but after having an experience very similar to yours I stuck a few primers in every thing I carried to I quit. LOL

Congrats on the doe, you are having a bountiful year.
 

81toyota

Twelve Pointer
Congrats on the kill. Ive done that before had 1 cap and forgot the rest but my cap got wet lol oh well
 
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