Charles County MD...1983 I was 13 years old during the late muzzleloader season snowing to beat all hell. I climbed out of my dad's baker ladder stand and took cover under a low hanging pine. Sitting on my bucket not wanting my dad to get mad at me. I was determined to stay on the stand(or sit) all day. Not paying attention at all figuring nothing moving in this stuff where visability was 50y's at best. I look over to my left and I see a deer walking right to me......T/C Renegade(still have it) on my lap under my blaze orange vest to cover from the elements. Looking left deer getting closer......now closer......It seemed like he was 15yds away......not being able to lift gun up to shoot.....i leave gun across my lap and squeeze the trigger........snap of hammer? Well it got caught in my vest. The buck as I see it is now within 10yds or so looking at me wondering what fool is out in this. I recock the hammer and POW.....SMOKE everywhere my heart beating out my chest(after the shoot always bothers me more). Once the smoke clears and my heart calms down I figured I must have missed. Then I get up and look where he was standing.......and BLOOD!!!!!! Wow I hit him. Followed a 75yd blood trail and hes laying near our creek. Well I was pumped up a nice 6 point 15in inside spread and my first buck and then to have killed him with a blk powder even better. Lunch time my dad comes and get me along with my brother and I tell them the story. Everyone in camp thought I was lying and I was making the hole story up. Then my brother looks at my vest and low and behold there is a burn mark on the underside of it. That evening my dad goes into that stand and finds my bucket... deer fur and guts where i said i shot and all the pieces fall into place. The deer was shot in the neck going into the body on a slight angle coming out his rib cage. 90 grains RS....425g buffalo bullet and a shot that my dad says was 7 yards. I am almost certain my eyes were closed when I pulled the trigger. But none the less I have him on our cabin wall and a picture in my gun room at home. And I have been hooked on blk powder season ever since.
Chuck