I was not planning on hunting today after work. I was going out to light a cig, grabbed my ML. just thinking what the hell maybe I see something. walked out the door getting ready to turn to the deck. There stands a BUCK under a apple tree! But all I had was a frontal. I did raise the gun and thought about the shot. but I waited about 10 mins. he did not move. raised the gun and thought about it again. he ran.

After miss 3 last year. I really want to get a deer. and with me having to do a last minute load change. I was wanting a the wide shot. but it was only 15 to 20 yards.

Would of you taken the frontal? Did I do the right thing?

I would have nailed it. It all comes down to weather or not you could have did your job at placing the shot.

Frontal Shots are not all that bad of a shot if you place it. I took one last year with open sights at 52 yards shooting a flintlock. I probably would have taken the shot. At 15-20 yards a neck shot would have been almost a give-me with open sights or a scope. When they had their head down, not looking at me, it would have been all over for them. Remember, break their neck, or penetrate the brisket and there is heart and lungs there that you can take out. Also if you were shooting an XTP with a reasonable charge, it would have penetrated, expanded, and did the damage.

BUT

Let me commend you for not taking the shot. From your question and your actions its apparent that YOU were not comfortable with the shot. And based on that fact you made the wise choice. You wait, hoped for the shot you wanted, and took your chances. You were not comfortable with what was presented and because of that you did not shoot. My hats off to you.

corey012778

with my experiance - I would have not thought about it much at all.... but I think cayugad covered the whole topic quite well... especially for what he wisely said after the but:

congrats to you...

caygad said it all and I agree 100% with his statements. Good on you for holding off.

A brisket shot is a good shot when your that close, right to the right fo the center of the deer. This Nosler hit a buck last year at 35 yards in the brisket and went the entire length of him, I found the bullet on the underside of the hide in front of the hind quarter. It has penetrated about 30" of deer. Now, that said about the brisket shot, would I have taken it outside my house, no. Why, too easy. I enjoy hunting, not "opportunity shooting", just me however. Some would and never think twice. I have shot deer behind my house when I lived on 5 acres with a bow from a Tree Stand, but not from my porch and not with a rifle or a ML.
Chap Gleason

Hey man...You did the right thing...One thing bow hunting and hunting with flintlocks over 35 years has taught me, listen to your gut....I absolutely hate to take somebody hunting to one of our farms, hear him shoot, and while looking for signs of a hit having them question out loud about taking the shot...

OK, I'll respectfully disagree with my older and more experienced friends, Cayugad and Sabotloader on this one. On my first reading, I was thinking just like you guys. But then I read it again. 15-20 yards!!!!!

Corey, ya shulda busted him man!!!!!

IF you don't have the confidence in the gun to make a 15-20 yard brisket shot on a buck that is standing still looking at you, then you shouldn't be out there period. My guess is, that you do have the confidence in making that shot, you were just worried about it being a frontal shot.

Put another way, do you have more confidence making that frontal shot at 15-20 yards or a broadside shot at 100 yards? I think even though you have a new load and are not extremely confident, you had about as easy a shot as you might expect to get.

cdad

Sometimes you are really hard to understand, UC has it figured out but I kent tel ya whut he say,,,, but I actually think I understand where you were going with this...

I think you might be right he had the confidence to make the at the brisket but possibly wondered if that was a GOOD shot placement location... So what you did not say is that a brisket shot is a terminal shot.. I will say it is - brisket shots will devastate the vitals cavity and you will have your deer.

whadayathin?

I gotta say. Its a tough decision.I think I would have to go with cascadedad. If it had been at 35 to 50 yards then I would have passed if I wasn't comfortable. But I gotta look at the facts. You would have about a 5" to 7"square area in the center of the chest that you could have shot him at and it would have been a kill shot. I've taken the same shot and killed deer. You could have done it.

On the other have if you didn't feel comfortable then you probably made the right decision.Don't worry. If he was there once then maybe he'll be there again. This time have your muzzle loader and be ready to shoot.