I normally only post on the archery portion of the forum but since this is a BP kill I'll post it here with the story.

I was hunting my Father's homestead in South-Central VA and was hunting a spot where I had killed a 13 pointer two years ago. I hadn't been able to hunt there last year due to my oldest son being terminally ill with cancer. I was really looking forward to spending time there and hoped for a positive encounter. I picked a spot in the dark and set up on my stool, I've been getting away from hunting in trees all the time lately for a host of reasons. At 6:40AM I heard a deer coming my way and made a rookie mistake of moving right away, not too drastic, but enough. A buck, with what looked like a decent rack was headed straight for me through some thickets. He saw my movement and turned to his left. I was able to stop him with a voice grunt within a few strides. It was real thick and difficult to make him out. It took me several seconds to figure out where he was in the scope and fire the shot. I ended up hitting a 3" sapling and another behind that. He took off. No blood, no hair, no hit.

I decided to move my location and after a good bit of stalking and looking for good sign I set up in a small oak lot off of an old field that was going to pines. Good sign and a couple of big rubs. I set up at the base of a big oak that had a fallen treetop adjacent to it. I incorporated that treetop into a blind adding some more branches and some limbs with leaves. I tried a rattling sequence around 10AM. I heard what sounded like dog hunters off in the distance (rabbit hunters who later trespassed on our property) and was verifying that with a hunting buddy on the radio when six turkey came in the oak lot. They were across the treetop in some thicker stuff. Theylooked nervous and I suddenly remembered I had my orange knit cap on. I quickly took it off (not required in VA during BP season but I'm extra cautious). I saw a tom head and put my sights on him and fired. Turkeys scattered everywhere but one was stumbling across the ground. I ran and secured him.

I radioed to my buddy that I had the turkey and would do a push drive to him to let the area settle down a bit. I reloaded and then started packing up my gear. I was zipping up my fanny pack when I heard footsteps. I looked up and saw a wide racked buck a mere 18 yards away. I grunted him to a stop and raised my gun. *CLICK* The cap doesn't go off. The buck stays there. I recock the gun and *CLICK* still no shot. I open the bolt (CVA inline) and pull the cap off with my finger and load another of the same make. The buck has taken a couple of steps and I stop him with another grunt, put the crosshairs on his shoulder, *CLICK*. I'm getting panicked now and can't believe the buck's still there. (rut dumb I guess) I have one last cap in my quickloader, it's a different make from the other two and the same that had worked for my earlier shots. The cap gets turned in the loader and I have to straighten it and get it loaded on the nipple. The buck has come around the treetop now and is within 10' of where I shot the turkey. I stop him with another grunt and thankfully the shot goes off. He runs hurt but I can't hear him go down. 10:50AM! I start shaking now as the tension of the moment hits me. I go check the spot where I shot and find some blood and mark it. I wait for my Dad to come to go track him. He didn't go more than 50 yards. He was a nice 8 pointer with 16 1/2 inside spread and 21 1/2" main beams but the end of one main beam was busted and the G3 of the other side was broke off as well. His brow tines are nubs as well but he's a great buck. I'd love to find his sparring partner.