Free: Contests & Raffles.
Saturday!
Saturday, 30 minutes into the season.
Opening evening of muzzleloader season, October 26, Palouse region. Strong winds kept me out of my tree stand, so I walked over to a west-trending draw that connects valley-bottom hiding cover (aspen, cottonwood, hawthorn, and ponderosa pine) with a ridge-top field that had been planted to garbanzo beans. I settled in under a few hawthorns overlooking a small wet meadow crisscrossed with deer trails. Around 4:30 PM, the deer started moving. A doe and fawn walk through, and I smile at the antics of the little one, just about to lose the last of its spots. Around 5:00 PM, I shift around to adjust my shooting sticks and seated position. Wrong moment! I spot the flashing tail of a deer just down the slope. A bit annoyed at myself, I continue the wait. At 5:30 PM, I spot movement to my right. A deer is walking down into the draw, and a quick glance with the binoculars confirms that he is a young 4x4. I contemplate letting him walk, as he is clearly a 2.5 year old, but he is large-bodied, and I think of venison. He grazes facing towards me for 6-7 minutes, and then turns and walks up the draw towards my left. He is quartering to, and I stop him with a mouth grunt just before he gets into cover. At the shot, he turns around, runs 50 yards, and falls into the center of the draw. I am happy and grateful for this beautiful deer, covered thick with fat and with very good venison! Knight Mountaineer muzzleloader, Williams FPS peep-sight, Knight Bloodline bullets (300 gr), 110 grains of T7.
