My last hunt of the whirlwind North Carolina hunting trip was spent in a ladder stand overlooking a big hardwood flat that was filled with raining oaks. Warm temperatures squashed deer movement again and a strong breeze rattling the clinging oak/hickory leaves probably didn’t help either.
With just 20 minutes of shooting light left, I could hear a deer approaching in the “potato chip” dry leaves. I was going to have to unload my muzzleloader when I got home so I figured if a doe showed up, I might as well make loading the muzzleloader worth my trouble.
Sure enough, it was a she. I gave her over 10 minutes for a romantic partner to show up but he never did. She was walking directly under the treestand at the extreme long range of 3 yards when she looked straight up in the tree and stomped her foot. Mistake.
Not sure if the powder burns or the big sabot killed her, but we blood trailed her over 100 yards to her final resting place. An average sized doe to cap off a tremendous weekend of hunting and supply some great eating venison.
She was kind of a special harvest because I hadn’t killed a deer with a muzzleloader in 7 years. The last being a piebald deer in 2002. Had plenty of chances to kill oodles of deer, but usually holding out for a big buck this time of year.
Deer #4 on the year and the vast majority of great hunting is still in this deer season’s future.
Kansas in 7 days…can’t wait!
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