Opening day of MuzzleLoader season
I missed it! had schoolwork and bark to boil, couldn't make it out.
Disclaimer: The following is a tale brought on by levity, overworked brain cells, legs, back and arms, 36 ounces of fermented grain and sleep deprivation.
So, I figured I'd take my ML with me to quickly check the stand, figured a bandit would've run off with it by now, but they didn't. Deer sign everywhere, so I decided to do a quick loop around the main trails, no camo, smoking and all.
I've been seeing hunter's orange in a spot for 4 weeks now and it got my curiosity. I followed a freshly used deer run directly to it. It was a boggin stuck in some briars. I lit a smoke, flipped a coin and decided to continue down the deer run rather than head back out to the main trail.
10 noisy paces in the woods exploded with busting branches and a white flag, a deer bounded off, I squatted down on the main trail hoping another would follow, thinking to myself "why didn't you be more quiet?" no others followed, but the one that bounded off stopped and slowly returned in a most alarmed yet curious stance.
The deer was eyeballing me intensely. And her I am smoke in mouth, gun resting on lap, and fully exposed just 30 or so yards away on the main run in a small clearing. The deer was just behind some small shrubs and a little cherry tree. It would move to the right 10 yards and then stand and eyeball me moving it's head from one hole in the bushes to another trying to get a better angle on me. Then it would move to the left and repeat the whole process. At times I couldn't even see the deer eventhough I knew exactly where it was and only a few sparse shrubs separated us, that's good camo.
This went on for over 20 minutes, never getting a clear shot and not being able to see a rack I waited, still. My smoke was burning down, and stuck to my lip. I tried to flick it off with my tongue hoping it didn't fall in my jacket and the deer wouldn't see. It worked, the smoke was free. I could see one eye peering through the brush at me, this deer did not take it's eye off me for one second the entire time. I blinked, the deer snorted and bounded off once again, and then returned stomping his front hooves and letting out a snort or two more, OMG.
I've only had this curiosity once before and it was from a young forkhorn out of season. I was almost sure based on it's movements this was a young buck, but had to be sure beofre shooting, no doe permit left, already used it. I've had 10 or 20 broadside shots on this deer already, but couldn't see the rack and the deer wouldn't look a way so I could raise my rifle. My leg was falling asleep and I wanted to adjust it, but knew I'd be busted for sure if I did, the deer freaked just from me blinking.
I now saw a slight chest sized opening in the brush and the deer would make it's way to it and then stop, turn around and go back the other way, it was like watching a tennis match in extreme slow motion, back and forth.
But, finally the deer looked away and I was able to raise my rifle, a second later he was back on me. By now it's been a good half hour, or at least it felt like it. FYI, if this ever happens, do not look the deer in the eye, it will bolt off and be gone, especially if it's a buck, they can feel your stare and direct eye contact sends em running.
Now the rifle is up, the smoke is gone and my leg is beyond asleep. Move into the opening, I thought. It would not! But, after another long game of slow tennis it moved ever closer to the opening. First, it's head appeared, a spike, and then ducked back in to the brush, then a neck, a shoulder, a chest, BOOM!, Smoke..... I saw right through the smoke as the wind took it off the left. The deer fell in it's tracks, waved it's neck up and down a few times and went still. I waited for motion and there was no more, the tennis match was over. At this point it seemed more like sudden death in overtime of the Stanley cup finals. i'm the away team. The deer had many opportunities to escape, but curiosity got the best of him. And my curiosity led me to him.
I approached the deer cautiously, poked it in the eye with the tip of my ramrod, and it didn't blink. Dead deer! Tag it and gut it out while it's still twitching, literally. High heart shot, pass thru and the impact must have affected the apex of all those nerves up by the shoulder. The heart was gone! I've never had a deer drop like that from a heart shot, but it did.
After packing the kidneys and liver, wiping my hands and Sarge's knife off I looked up to where the deer initially bolted from, a tree stand in plain view of where the deer lay. That's one hunter that should have been in his stand.
Then I realized this is my first deer in ML season ever, and my 2nd ML deer. My first was the doe I took in Regular firearm season 17 days ago. I'm really starting to like this rifle. Also, this is the first year I've ever shot two deer in a season. WooHoo! Bad for them, but good for me.
After the rush and letting all those stray thoughts run through my head to wind down a bit I drug it under 1/4 mile to my still somewhat warm car, I think the elapsed time was probably 2 hours from me getting out of my car until I threw it in the trunk.
Once home I immediately cut the skin from the neck, hung it, removed the inner loins and began fisting. This skin is clean as a whistle and much bigger than the other, two small holes and the only blood on it is from my hands doing the fisting. Not one ounce of fat or flesh on this skin. That fisting technique works awesome and I think I like hanging them by the head now, much easier to quarter out.
I got the skin off in one hour, took my time and did it right, quartered it in 15 minutes, removed the back silverskin, backstraps, ribs, and all trim meat in about 1 hour more. Then spent a half hour removing ears, skull cap, and brains. Also, this time after skinning I immediately removed the scent glands, two bits of fat about as big as a tablespoon, wiped off any blood around the edges from my handling, and wrapped the skin flesh side in on itself, placed it in a plastic garbage bag and stuck it in the freezing cold shed.
It all fit just perfectly in my 48 quart cooler. Now I have about 40-60 lbs. more meat once boned out, 4 more hockskins, bones, tendons, a real nice skin, brains, and some more sinew that the cats won't be getting this time. I also saved the tail bone, the socket where the hip meets it looks like it might work good for a bearing block.
Once it was all finished I thanked god for a lucky, but succesful and safe hunt. I thanked him when I tagged it too, and prayed that I'd get it out of there safely. I try to do that always as a lot of bad things can happen from the time you step out to the time you put the deer on ice, fortunately, I've yet to experience most of them.
But, that was yesterday and now it's today. No rest for the weary. I still have one and a half more school projects to complete and a whole lotta meat to cut, grind and pack.
Anybody know of an inexpensive, small, but good chest or upright freezer for around $140.00? I figure that's the cost of two processings and I need the storage space for my skin, brains and extra meat. Besides, I still have one more tag to fill. :devil2:
