nchawkeye

Smile!!!

We're having fun!!!

Rebstud

That's funny, I live in Florida, hunt in Ga. About an hour North of Valdosta. For some reason Rut comes a little late in our small 650 ac. lease. There's only 5 members, all related though. On this particular weekend there was only 3 of us. I was setting in a tree stand at the end of a clear cut, with a hard bottom to my right that looked to me, from scouting the area a few months earlier held deer as a staging area before coming into the clear cut to forage newly turned dirt. As the sun just stated to set behind me, it shined across the clear cut shining brightly in certain areas throughout my line of sight. The Doe surprisingly to me came from the center of the Clear cut just as I did two hours before. Stopping to bite the tops off the young briar vines growing along wood decks, and newly constructed debris throughout the clear cut, revealed, not only the lack of head gear we all hope to see, but lacking the evidence of a Doe that has a promiscuous Buck looking for a Doe willing to take on a boy friend. At this point the deer was close to 80 yards away about eleven o'clock to my location with a perfect wind to my left shoulder. I've killed my share of nice deer through my thirty five years of hunting, and fifteen of that being a longbow only hunter. At this point I don't mind telling you I wanted to smell some powder smoke. Still feeling a bit weird with a firearm, I let the Doe walk in to thee edge of the bottom. At this time shadows are starting to appear throughout the clear cut and darkness is swallowing up the bottom fast. With my Renegade laying across my lap, and catching glances of the doe meandering her way in, and out of the bottoms edge is only teasing me into dropping the hammer. Still watching and hoping for a 140 class buck trailer her, is becoming less,and less evident. Losing sight of the doe, starts my mind in motion for perpetration for gathering my pack and the other gear I have hanging about, when a squirrel commences barking and scampering about. Thinking it was me the squirrel was barking at, I stood up Renegade in hand tuned 180 deg., and hello the doe is standing thirty five yards dead in front of me. Squirrel barking, deer blowing while stomping her foot I raise my rifle while easing the hammer back,draw a bead on her neck, hoping to alleviate any night time blood trailing pull the trigger. BOOM. The mysteries over, it went off, smoke clears. Deer on the ground, not really noting what to do at thins time I pull out a quick load tube pop the lid pour it down the throat of my still smoking barrel, look up and the doe is on the move. Fumbling around for another conical, while watching her head down and walking broadside to me, I push the ramrod down tight and set my sights for a more practicable lung shot. BOOM! This time it's pay dirt, and the mature doe is mine. Being proud of my first black powder kill I text my son and let him know to bring the truck. And after a two hundred yard drag we throw the deer in the back of the track and head to camp. After gutting skinning, and boning her out, icing her down, it's time to grill fresh blackstrap and a few scotches on the rocks. Not to forget all the great advise I got from you guys from powder loads, to ball/ patches, to conicals. It's most appreciated, and the rewards are a memory made in the woods....Regards Wade