The buck remains elusive...

I've had 3 sightings of a shooter buck and have not been able to get a shot off at him yet.  Here's the blow by blow:

After raining continuously for 24 hours on Tuesday, it got cold, snowy and windy on Wednesday.  Kristen and Leo decided to extend by 24 hours in an attempt to get Leo a deer of any sort.  Of course more chances at a buck were also welcome.  My friend Mike arrived on Wednesday afternoon and stayed until Friday mid-day.

On Wed morning, I hunted the highrise stand, Kristen the turkey blind, and Leo the driveway stand.  It was 25 degrees with snow showers and 15 mph winds.  We got cold and nobody saw anything.

At breakfast, Joan awarded Kristen the "deer camp veil".  It's a tiara with a camo net veil.  Kristen and Leo will be getting married next year during this same week.  After two weddings in our family this year and Kristen (the fiance) in camp, deer camp had a decidedly different flavor this year.  We read wedding magazines, watched wedding videos and discussed wedding plans. We're looking forward to the blessed event next year and we need to get our bucks in archery season since we'll be in Florida during gun week.

Our camp cook, Joan, deserves special recognition for the fine meals we've been having.

At noon I walked out to get in the highrise stand for a mid-day hunt.  Just as I was about to enter the stand, I heard a noise behind me.  I turned around and a huge buck was bouncing across the field toward the orchard.  I'm pretty sure that he was the "backward buck" which is a wide 12 point. He ran right past the orchard, across the driveway and into the woods on the other side.  I never had a chance to take a shot.

In the afternoon, I was in the highrise, Kristen in the turkey blind, Leo in the barn stand and Mike arrived and made his way out to the driveway stand.  I saw the same dumb 4 point and a lone doe (I think the sister to the one Kristen shot).  I was running out of light and decided to take the doe.  She was about 40 yards out and broadside.  I have no idea what happened but I just plain missed her completely.  Should have been a sure thing.  I was shooting downhill at close range with a gun sighted in at longer range so my guess is that I just shot over her.  This made me very insecure about whether my scope had moved - I tightened the base bolts since sighting it in and one of them moved about 1/8 turn.

Once again, Kristen and Leo didn't see any deer.  Mike saw 6 does and a glimpse of a buck in the treeline.  He was waiting for the buck and decided not to shoot a doe.

Leo skinned and butchered Kristens doe on Wednesday night.  I have a few pictures from that process and I will post them later when I have a better connection.

On Thursday morning it was Kristen and Leo's last chance before hitting the road.  Kristen went to the turkey blind and Leo to the barn stand.  Mike went back to the driveway stand and I went to the ladder stand.

At 7:45 I saw some deer movement.  first two small does came up the hill to the source of a creek.  They were followed by a 4 point buck.  Trailing way behind and proceeding cautiously was a larger doe.  I let the first 3 deer pass hoping that a large buck would follow in the procession.  When the larger doe got directly in front of me I couldn't see any more deer coming so I decided to take her.  She was quartering toward me at about 80 yards when I shot her.  She turned around and ran 20 yards back before collapsing.  The three deer turned around and went back to check on her.  I started to prepare to reload the muzzleloader while watching the 3 deer (trying not to be busted by them).  All of the sudden a shooter buck came up the hill from below the downed doe.  I hurried to reload and got it done while he was still in the area but starting to walk away.  He was moving between trees at over 100 yards and I was losing sight of him as he went below the crest of the hill.  I got the gun up and on him but never had a shot before he went out of site.  I just sat still in case he circled back around.  The four point and the two does did disappear and then come back but the shooter buck never did.

I got down and checked the doe.  The shot hit her right where I was aiming so that answered the question about the scope.  I must have just yanked the shot the night before. She fell about 20 yards from the atv trail which made the recovery very easy.  The doe weighed 97.6 pounds field dressed.  Not huge but nice and healthy.



Kristen, Leo and Mike didn't see anything.  Kristen and Leo had to pack up and leave with unused tags burning a hole in their pocket.  It was really just bad luck with the weather or stand selection as deer were sighted most days in whichever place they weren't located.

Here I am walking in after shooting the doe.

This is an earlier picture of Leo accessing the ladder stand.  I have lots of Trailcam pictures to post but the connection is too slow out here at the farm.

Mike and I hunted Thursday night and Friday morning.  Mike was ready to take a doe now but he never really got a good shot.  I had 6 does in the clearing in front of the valley stand (at 20 yards) but I was hoping that the buck would follow them in.  He never did.

The dogs and I are getting a little cabin fever but I think that I'm going to stick it out and try to get that buck.  Gun season ends on Sunday.