Gladiator
PMA Member
Longer read - skip to bottom if you don't have time... 
Well, it's been a long late-season - and my story is not unique or different than many of yours...definitely had my sites set on this guy after seeing him on the hoof but with all the traffic, it just wasn't going to happen.
I had this buck at full draw last year for over a minute and a half (on the DVD) and it just didn't work. I'm kind of glad...he blew up into a 160" ten. Got some video and hope to find a shed of his, but not optimistic.
Late season really wears me down. My best spots are morning spots and getting up early in the cold is not easy. I start to lose some of the enjoyment when I'm that tired and that cold. That's when you know you need to hang it up. It just isn't worth it.
So, my last day rolls around. Today. I start thinking back to my buck I shot earlier in the year and when my uncle passed.
I shot that buck in his memory and I'm hoping it will be a good tribute to him on our DVD coming out in late February. In his passing, he left some guns to his kids and my dad. My dad got a CVA Wolf muzzleloader that has never been fired. He knew I was wanting one and passed it to me and kept the others. I was very honored to have the gun and immediately went to work, researching the "right" loads to put in it - eager to start firing it. My dad bought me a Nikon Inline X BDC redicle score for it and I got some blackhorn 209 and Barnes T-EX 250 bullets. I had some problems with misfires and hangfires - but did some research and ended up buying some little rubber gaskets to put in the primer hole to seal the primer. Works like a charm now...
Ended up with about a 3" group at 100 yards, so I felt good...well, good enough to shoot a deer at that range.
So, only being out once with the gun, and today being my last day, I had the thought of heading to my uncle's farm to try to shoot a doe with his gun... It felt like the right thing to do, all the while spending time with family. So, I made the trip hoping I could honor my uncle and 'do him proud'.
His son (my cousin) Chris assisted me as he had an unfilled legal tag for this season. He meandered around for me trying to push a deer my way calmly. I saw a handful but never got an opportunity. I decided to sneak up on a patch of timber in hopes of catching one on a south-facing slope. Sure enough, there was a doe in there as she took off and I pulled up and fired at her running at about 75 yards. Terrible shot. Don't know what I was doing. I thankfully missed her. I was so anxious to shoot one as I've been using the bow for the last 8 years or so. Very dumb.
So I walk up to our rendezvous point and I look up and there stands a doe about 50 yards in front of me, broadside. I pull up and.....she runs off. I'm starting to think this just isn't meant to be. I was even looking forward to making some 50/50 ground deer/beef to throw in some chili...
I meet up with Chris and he tells me there is a doe down along the creek feeding...and she has a limp. I look at him and we walk to get a better view. Sure enough, there she is. I told him I was going to hop in the creek and sneak up on her....he said, "I'll watch!"
Man, I trudged through the snow and creek for 30 minutes. She kept feeding away from me. Finally, I didn't think I was going to be able to get any closer, so I bellied up on the bank, put my hand warmer/muff under the gun and steadied. This was my last powder load. I put the new scope on 9 power and held as steady as I could on the front shoulder. To say I was nervous was an understatement. I was about as excited for this deer as any deer I've shot... I squeezed off. The smoke cleared and there she lay...
I threw my hands up in celebration and said a prayer of thanks and Chris came down from the timber. We celebrated and drove over to the deer...I had to finish "her" off as my nerves caused a neck shot. (Ear muffs Skip) - Upon further examination, it was a young shed buck. And as I looked further, it was not doing well at all. The whole back 1/3 of the deer was crushed - either from a car or a slug. There was meat coming from the leg and it was all deformed. You can see in the picture.
I called my dad and he advised (as Chris and I already knew) that we were not going to be able to eat any meat off this deer. It was suffering so much and it seemed it was a little gangrenous as well....
Nevertheless, I was proud. My uncle would have been proud. I put my anysex tag on the deer knowing it was going into the creek. I don't know why, but to me, it was the right thing to do. My uncle would have gladly put his tag on a suffering animal...
So, I leave you with a picture...and a long story. Of how I felt I was to harvest a deer with my uncle's gun on my uncle's property to help put some meat on the table....but ended up putting my tag on a deer that needed it's suffering to end. Our plans don't always shape up how we think they should...somehow, God knew what our purpose was tonight. I was glad to be there to do my part. What a season. I was blessed to be a part of this story...thank the good Lord.
Thanks for reading...
Well, it's been a long late-season - and my story is not unique or different than many of yours...definitely had my sites set on this guy after seeing him on the hoof but with all the traffic, it just wasn't going to happen.
I had this buck at full draw last year for over a minute and a half (on the DVD) and it just didn't work. I'm kind of glad...he blew up into a 160" ten. Got some video and hope to find a shed of his, but not optimistic.
Late season really wears me down. My best spots are morning spots and getting up early in the cold is not easy. I start to lose some of the enjoyment when I'm that tired and that cold. That's when you know you need to hang it up. It just isn't worth it.
So, my last day rolls around. Today. I start thinking back to my buck I shot earlier in the year and when my uncle passed.
I shot that buck in his memory and I'm hoping it will be a good tribute to him on our DVD coming out in late February. In his passing, he left some guns to his kids and my dad. My dad got a CVA Wolf muzzleloader that has never been fired. He knew I was wanting one and passed it to me and kept the others. I was very honored to have the gun and immediately went to work, researching the "right" loads to put in it - eager to start firing it. My dad bought me a Nikon Inline X BDC redicle score for it and I got some blackhorn 209 and Barnes T-EX 250 bullets. I had some problems with misfires and hangfires - but did some research and ended up buying some little rubber gaskets to put in the primer hole to seal the primer. Works like a charm now...
Ended up with about a 3" group at 100 yards, so I felt good...well, good enough to shoot a deer at that range.
So, only being out once with the gun, and today being my last day, I had the thought of heading to my uncle's farm to try to shoot a doe with his gun... It felt like the right thing to do, all the while spending time with family. So, I made the trip hoping I could honor my uncle and 'do him proud'.
His son (my cousin) Chris assisted me as he had an unfilled legal tag for this season. He meandered around for me trying to push a deer my way calmly. I saw a handful but never got an opportunity. I decided to sneak up on a patch of timber in hopes of catching one on a south-facing slope. Sure enough, there was a doe in there as she took off and I pulled up and fired at her running at about 75 yards. Terrible shot. Don't know what I was doing. I thankfully missed her. I was so anxious to shoot one as I've been using the bow for the last 8 years or so. Very dumb.
So I walk up to our rendezvous point and I look up and there stands a doe about 50 yards in front of me, broadside. I pull up and.....she runs off. I'm starting to think this just isn't meant to be. I was even looking forward to making some 50/50 ground deer/beef to throw in some chili...
I meet up with Chris and he tells me there is a doe down along the creek feeding...and she has a limp. I look at him and we walk to get a better view. Sure enough, there she is. I told him I was going to hop in the creek and sneak up on her....he said, "I'll watch!"
Man, I trudged through the snow and creek for 30 minutes. She kept feeding away from me. Finally, I didn't think I was going to be able to get any closer, so I bellied up on the bank, put my hand warmer/muff under the gun and steadied. This was my last powder load. I put the new scope on 9 power and held as steady as I could on the front shoulder. To say I was nervous was an understatement. I was about as excited for this deer as any deer I've shot... I squeezed off. The smoke cleared and there she lay...
I threw my hands up in celebration and said a prayer of thanks and Chris came down from the timber. We celebrated and drove over to the deer...I had to finish "her" off as my nerves caused a neck shot. (Ear muffs Skip) - Upon further examination, it was a young shed buck. And as I looked further, it was not doing well at all. The whole back 1/3 of the deer was crushed - either from a car or a slug. There was meat coming from the leg and it was all deformed. You can see in the picture.
I called my dad and he advised (as Chris and I already knew) that we were not going to be able to eat any meat off this deer. It was suffering so much and it seemed it was a little gangrenous as well....
Nevertheless, I was proud. My uncle would have been proud. I put my anysex tag on the deer knowing it was going into the creek. I don't know why, but to me, it was the right thing to do. My uncle would have gladly put his tag on a suffering animal...
So, I leave you with a picture...and a long story. Of how I felt I was to harvest a deer with my uncle's gun on my uncle's property to help put some meat on the table....but ended up putting my tag on a deer that needed it's suffering to end. Our plans don't always shape up how we think they should...somehow, God knew what our purpose was tonight. I was glad to be there to do my part. What a season. I was blessed to be a part of this story...thank the good Lord.
Thanks for reading...
