What would you do? (Scenario question)

[longstevo]

Alright, so the story unfolded like this:

I skylined over that open ridge, and was shocked with I glassed that buck looking right at me!  I hunkered down and remained still for several minutes until the buck moved his attention elsewhere.  Then I shed my day pack and began the long creep towards a closer shooting position.  Foot by foot I crawled and crab walked down and across that bald face with little more than grass and rocks to cover me.  I'd go a foot, then stop.  Then risk another one, and stop.  The whole time, the buck didn't notice me.

It seemed like it took an hour and I covered one hundred yards, but in reality I only covered about forty yards in half an hour.  But thats a long time with adrenaline pounding in your ears and dealing with cotton mouth.  But everything was working out perfectly.

I finally got to a spot where I was sure I couldn't go any further without being spotted.   I guessed the range to be 150, maybe a little more.  I had a good rock to lean on for a shooting bench.  The sights were steady as I aimed high and fired. 

Nothing.  The buck didn't move at all.  The faint breeze coming from the canyon blew the smoke away immediately.  As I begin the customary "Muzzleloader Curse Chant" while reloading, the buck never moved.  A second shot got nothing.  The buck didn't move.  The third shot finally got his attention and he leapt to his feet.  With a fourth shot, the buck finally had enough of the thunder and made his way quickly, and healthily, downhill.   I saw him go down into the draw opposite me and didn't see him come out thanks to a pause in the breeze that concealed him. 

I scoured the area for signs of blood and found nothing.  I followed the draw he disappeared into all the way to the bottom of the canyon and back up again and found zero sign of anything.  So with it getting dark, I made the long and lonely trip back to the truck.

Stretching the range of a muzzleloader, its what I'm good at.  Now this buck will haunt me for the rest of my life and what I could have done differently. 

[Encore 280]

That's one of the things I hate about the front stuffers, limited range If ya woulda had a center fire, dead deer the first time ya spotted him. Now ya got all winter, spring and summer to think about him before ya head back to that spot next year for modern.

[Gobble Gobble]

If it makes you feel any better I spotted a doe at 100 yrds and closed to with in 35 and passed my arrow through both of her lungs at 40 yrds   

[Black Plague]

"Stretching the range of a muzzleloader, its what I'm good at."    lol .....ah man, sorry to hear you had to reload that many times...thats kind of a pain.....lol....well, maybe next time 

[benhuntin]

If it was 150 you probably shot over but you did not say if you checked the range for sure maybe it was closer than you figured.  Thats why we invented rifles

[longstevo]

If it was 150 you probably shot over but you did not say if you checked the range for sure maybe it was closer than you figured.  Thats why we invented rifles

Amen to that.  Next time we go back in there I'm bringing the rangefinder and I'll crawl back down into that hole and range it, just for kicks. 

I'm sure I did overshoot. 

[benhuntin]

How big was the buck?

[boneaddict]

    You're right Cedarpants.   I was sitting there minding my own business trying to get this photo when all of a sudden I heard something whizz by my ear.  2 seconds later a big boom in the distance....

[gaddy]

 :chuckle:sorry to hear about your close call bone. maybe we should require orange for photographers for thier own saftey

[Encore 280]

I was thinkin, after that many shots, pick the damn gun up and throw it at 'im!! 

[Helix]

Aww dude that sucks.  sorry to hear that.  I bet you remember the range finder and the camelback next time.  When I was reading about all those shots I was thinking Measure twice Cut once. 

[longstevo]

   You're right Cedarpants.   I was sitting there minding my own business trying to get this photo when all of a sudden I heard something whizz by my ear.  2 seconds later a big boom in the distance....

Damn!  I thought I saw something else moving along that ridge!  You should have waved hi, Bone!

[longstevo]

How big was the buck?

He was a very good 4x4 blacktail.  And tall too. 

[the1rod]

blacktail?! wow, those pics looked like the east side. it the west side wont even give you a tree to hide behind, then you must really have some bad karma.

[longstevo]

blacktail?! wow, those pics looked like the east side. it the west side wont even give you a tree to hide behind, then you must really have some bad karma.

Haha, I know, right?  Unit 578 is right on the border of the west/east side.