The Virginia Muzzleloader Deer Season is off to a great start. Here are some of the highlights--and a couple lowlights--from the first few days of the two-week season, which began Saturday.
Nick got to come out with me for the first time this year. He has really matured since the 2010 season and is able to stay still and quiet for much longer periods of time. Nick also did a great job navigating some tough terrain on our way to the stand. His first hunt of the year almost came to a thrilling end when Nick put the crosshairs on a monster buck at 91 yards.
"Do I have the green light?" he asked me.
"No, let it come a little closer."
That distance is never an easy shot with a muzzleloader, although I know it's more than doable. But this would have been Nick's first shot at a live animal, and I wasn't about to take a chance on ruining it for him by letting him take too difficult a shot; even if I did want to see him take that trophy buck as badly as I've ever wanted to shoot one myself!
Tough thing about it was, right after I told Nick to wait, the buck disappeared into the woods. Even tougher, about 20 minutes later a shot rang out on the neighboring property. That guy is a trophy hunter, and I knew he wouldn't take anything but a wall hanger on opening day. I figured he'd gotten Nick's buck. More on the not-so-friendly relationship I have with that guy in a minute...
Meanwhile, Jake's friend Jake, who hunts a property not far from us with his dad, killed a huge 10 pointer. I've seen a picture of the 10-year-old hunter and his deer; it's amazing. I'll post it here later in the week if I get his dad's permission...
My son Jake actually had a couple chances as bucks but elected to pass on the young four pointers, even though one of them practically begged Jake to shoot it. This deer hung around us for at least half an hour and several times stood broadside at less than 20 yards. I was surprised that Jake, who killed his first deer earlier this season but has yet to harvest a buck, elected not to shoot, but I'm proud that he trusted his instincts, made his decision and stuck by it...
My instincts had told me to go ahead and squeeze the trigger when a doe stopped by my tree stand at 6:45 a.m. I shot, and the doe ran off toward the south. Pretty sure she was down, I figured I'd stay in the stand for a half hour or so and see if anything else came along. Something did, but it wasn't a deer. It was that hunter from the neighboring property.
He asked me what I was shooting at and then moaned and groaned about quality deer management and "cutting him off" and how my stand (which was put there by my predecessor in hunting the property) is too close to the property he hunts. I tried really hard to be friendly with this guy, and he could probably have a great hunting neighbor in me if he would just relax a little. Unfortunately, I don't think this guy has a friendly bone in his body...
But enough about that (at least for now); I should also mention that my cousin Tom shot two deer on opening day. Like I said, the season if off to a great start. Hopefully by this time next week I'll have some even more exciting tales to tell!
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