I hunt a mountain top area that generally has little hunter pressure other than my nephew and I. On the opener we saw maybe 25 deer between us. I got the buck so I’ve been poking around looking for a doe. On Sunday when we hunted we saw a total of two deer at distance, nothing close enough to ponder a shot. Monday, zip. Yesterday afternoon, one far away buck working a bit of brush with his antlers. About 4:30 I deceided to take a peek at a stubble field adjacent to the property I hunt who’s owner doesn’t mind my snooping along the fields edges and cover. The field is a rolling one with high areas and fairly deep swales so deer can be there but not be seen. Such was the case yesterday, but what shocked me was the number of deer.
As soon as I hit the field I could see a regular bonanza of deer about 500 yards away in a corner where the wind wasn’t hitting them. There are a couple houses nearby and an older farm site with out buildings and a lot of brush lines but not much for woods. I knew deer would hole up near those houses but as I sat and glassed them I counted 21 does and fawns, not an antler to be seen. It was running up on %:00 by then and I figured I best just head out so I stood up only to find 10 more deer less than 50 yards away fully addressed to my blaze orange. Most of these ten were very decent sized deer. I found one does fully broadside and got the crosshairs on her and pulled the trigger only to hear a “pop”. And a second later the kaboom. Yup….a hang fire. In all the years of muzzle-loading I have never had a hang fire while hunting. My fault. In my haste to get going yesterday I failed to run some primers thru the plug on an empty barrel to be sure the plug’s flame channel and fire hole were completely clear of cleaning agents and carbon. A little assumption cost me a doe.
I guess what amazes me most is the number of der that flood into “people” places when the shooting starts. I’m half tempted to stop tomorrow as I drive into the property to hunt to stop and see if I can set up along a fence line in one of those yards. 31 one deer inside of 500 yards is ridiculous. I mean, sit in the wind for four hours only to find all the critters just over the hill and in someone’s back yard almost is crazy. I’m half tempted to go sit ahead of this snow that’s predicted….somewhere close to where these fool things are coming into this field but I don’t like to hunt close to places without them knowing I am there even if I have permission to be. This sure poses some challenges. Why houses? lol