2009 Multi-season tag comes to an end

[whacker1]

Well, yesterday I went out to try and fill the tag with the muzzleloader.  I have been doing a great job all season getting to where I want to be about 30 minutes before light, but yesterday I just couldn't get going.  I finally got to where I wanted to be about 45 minutes after it go light.  I went for a walk down an old road that had some overgrown reprod and drifted into some timber at the end of the clearcut.  All the sign was old, and it was looking like the deer were finall moving down in elevation.  I got back to the truck a couple of hours later.  I went for a little drive and tried to see if all the sign showed the same of moving down.  I saw very little sign up high, so I decided to go for another walk down low.

I found a gate that nobody had parked at yet for the last day or two, and off I went.  It was about 11:30, so I figured that I could be out until dark.  I started walking and immediately noticed coyote tracks in the road.  As I continued down the road it appeared that there were also wolf tracks in the road .  The wolf tracks turned from 1 animal to 2 animals and when we finally found fresh deer sign the wolves followed those.  I was getting pretty discouraged now.  The road I was on ended, so i just went across the side hill for a hundred yards or more until I cut another road on the other side of the hill.  The area I was in was all logged about 3 -4 years ago, but they left quite a few tall tamaracks and some 10 year old trees in the clear cut, so their was some cover.

[whacker1]

I had walked about a mile and finally ditched the wolf and coyote sign, but hadn't seen any more fresh deer sign.  I came across a little bowl and took a minute to glass.  I spotted some brown that didn't match the slightly snow covered surroundings, but I couldn't see the whole thing as it was blocked by some trees. I crept up a little further and could see through a gap in the trees that it was in fact a deer, but he had his ears in the brush, so I couldn't tell if it was a buck or a doe.  I took the opportunity to stalk in a little further.  I was 200 yards out now and not much cover to hide my stalk.  I tried to use the trees between me and the deer as cover and got to about 160 when a doe and fawn busted me at the same distance to the left and went running up the hill to the other deer.  This got the other deer out into the open and now I could see that it was a buck, but he was looking right at me, so I couldn't tell how big of a buck it was.  i couldn't get much closer, because i was out of cover.  The deer finally fed a few feet and got his head behind a tree. I stalked a little closer and ran out of cover.  When I looked up over the rise the buck was looking right at me.  I ranged and I was 140, and the deer was standing broadside.  I took the shot and the deer jumped, but only took a couple of steps.

His head was behind another tree, so I stalked in closer.  I made it to 107, and I took a side step and the deer took a step and was turned broadside to me, so I took another shot.  The deer jumped good and went over the hill.  I gave him 10 minutes and I slowly started working my way to where the deer had stood when I shot.  I made it to where the deer jumped, but no sign of blood.  Went to where the deer stood following his tracks ans still no blood.  I continued to follow his tracks over the hill, and 60 yards down the hill I see a deer spook out, but could only see the hind end.

[whacker1]

It was decision time - follow the tracks or try and cut the deer off up the hill?  I was only 10 yards from a road below me, so i followed the tracks to that point, and just before I got to the road a deer spooked out of its bed at 40 yards.  It was the buck and he was hobbled.  quartering away I took a shot toward the back end of the rib cage and down he goes.  I walked up and dispatched the animal with a 4th and final shot.  I was shaking so bad that as I started to collect myself and realized that I was out of speed loaders, because the powder was wet in one of them. 

I was about 1.25 miles from the pickup, so I called a buddy, and then gutted the animal.  I made it about 1/2 way back to the pickup before my buddy got there and helped me drag it the rest of the way. 

Anyway, sorry for the long story - not my biggest buck, and I was hoping for something better with the multi-season tag, but I got to hunt 15 days specifically for deer and passed on a small whitetail.  By far one of the more rewarding hunts to tag out late in the season on a successful stalk.

For those wondering 4 shots is not how I planned it, but when I skinned the animal I found all 4 holes.  The first 2 shots were a little far back, and gut shot pretty bad.   pics to follow shortly

[whacker1]

cell phone pic

[whacker1]

as he lays & and my big butt in the picture

[robodad]

And people say that hunting with the new muzzys isn't even a challange !!

Nice Job !!! 

[whacker1]

I was very impressed when I found the bullet.  I switched to the Barnes MZ expander in the 275 grain for the 54 caliber.  Thought you folks would like to see the after shot.
They were correct when they said that it retains 100% weight

[bobcat]

Great looking deer!

Do you have a side view of that bullet?

[huntnphool]

Congrats Whacker, thats a nice buck.

[Savage3006]

Great hunt story and congrats on a nice buck! 

[weathergirl]

I loved reading the story--congratulations!

[whacker1]

I took this pic of the bullet from upside down

[EastWaViking]

 Congratulations!  Great looking deer and bullet expansion!

[mtndew]

That's a good looking whitetail. Way to stay after him and finish him off. Great job!

[shoot-em-dead]

Nice buck, great story