shooter50

I had a great archery season this year. I took 4 deer with my parker crossbow and one being my best archery buck to date which was a high racked 7 point (only 13" wide). Anyway the last 2 weeks here in Va early muzzleloader season has been in and I passed on several bucks the first week waiting for a big un' with no success. This past week I have taken 2 shots at 2 bucks and two misses. I tried blaming it on my renegade and the scope being off....Dead bull at 75 yards off hand, so I couldn't blame the gun. After being very puzzled because I don't usually miss I did a little investigation yesterday up on the mountain. I went to the spot where I missed the first buck and about 10 yards in front of where the deer stood I found a sapling about the diameter of a dime busted in half and then I went to where I missed the 2nd buck and found a limb the size of a pencil in diameter 20 yards in front of where the deer stood freshly broken. Now I want to believe that those two limbs would not effect my 320gr Maxi-Ball but I know better....it did. Though I still feel sick, I'm glad they were clean misses and glad they didn't hit the deer poorly injuring them, and I'm also glad that now I have an excuse. Rifle season came in here today in Va, but I was at work. I plan to continue using one of my 3 renegades or my new T/C Big Boar (need to sight it in) when the weather permits (calling for rain here Mon,Tue,and Wed) because there is no bigger thrill than pulling the trigger on a deer with one of the old sidelock's and seeing and smelling that smoke bellow out the end of the barrel!

MountainDevil54

Well all those misses mean is that you didn't get to put any meat in the freezer, but the biggest story, it says you just need to get out there a bit more and practice hard like you do with that bow. You'll get there! Just takes practice and a cool clear head to get the job done.

As you said, when that smoke bellows out and fills the air around you and you get to start looking for blood and then finally the animal down in the brush, its a thrill of a lifetime! Good luck to you next time out.

shooter50

Thanks I need all the luck I can get right now. That is the only bad thing about the area I hunt is that whole ridge is nothing but laurel thickets and alot of under growth my bullet seems to find. I missed a doe last year up there hunting the field edge and my bullet hit the farmers electric fence (I repaired). My projectile whether it be an arrow or a bullet has a tendency to find anything in it's path on the way to the deer. I have off all next week of course I will only get in a morning hunt on thanksgiving day and an evening hunt the day after. I'm not sure how my wife cons me into doing that black friday shopping crap! Nevermind I do know why......because if I am there I can keep her from spending all of our money!

MountainDevil54

LOL at least you were nice enough to repair the fence. Most would grunt and complain about that it wasn't their fault. Not that you did it on purpose mind you, but you did the right thing and fixed it for him. That keeps farmers happy and keeps you on the land.

doetrain

Your season sounds like mine last year,2 Does with my bow and 1 miss with my ML. This year was the first year I killed a deer with a firearm it was last Saturday. Nailed a nice 8 pointer thursday unfortunately I'm still looking for him. The ML did it's job but I'm still trying to do mine and find this my biggest Buck ever for me.