I used to deer hunt a lot here in VA when I was younger mostly with a bow of some description. I finally broke away from bow hunting only and bought a Thompson Pro Hunter muzzleloader around 2009 and took a really good deer in 2012 with it. Since then I never expected to see a buck of that caliber ever again but I still went several times a year during the rut just to watch the deer activity. I have a good friend that has a huge mountain property that he lets me and one other fellow hunt on. The other man is a trophy hunter and has let deer walk by that would score upwards of 150 inches or better even. So sets the stage of respectfully following the same guidelines as I’m not eager to shoot a deer just because he has a decent sized rack. I had told him that I wouldn’t shot a deer unless it made my eyes pop out of my head.
Well at 9AM on 11/11/2026 i encountered just that. I had chosen to move my climbing stand about 100 yards across a small gully to the edge of the opposite ridge just as it was breaking day. I had seen more deer on that side previously and it would be a different view anyhow. Nothing but squirrels, chipmunks, and woodpeckers were active until 8 AM, then I saw the first deer ( a 120 class 8 pt just cruising). By 8:45 I’d seen 3 bucks, all just walking and sniffing. All had come from different directions - deer were certainly up and walking.
I have to keep my head on a swivel since I can’t hear certain decibel levels very well anymore, softly crunching leaves being one of my auditory issues. I had turned to check behind me and noticed what looked like a deers body standing broadside at about 90 yards. I raised the muzzleloader to scope the object and sure enough I could make out a deer’s body with its head obscured by leafy limbs and a tree. The deer turned and started walking my way and i immediately noticed it wasn’t “small”. I stood up and faced that direction with peaked interest as to see exactly what this was approaching me. As it closed the distance I scoped it once more and that was the exact moment that my eyes popped out of my head. I never saw rows of tines like this before and I was all but in shock that I actually had a shooter closing the distance. Now he was 50 yards and still coming straight towards my tree. I don’t remember cocking the hammer back but I do remember desperately trying to find an opening for a shot.
It’s amazing how you can have a relatively open block of timber but a deer can literally walk behind every single tree that’s standing. At approximately 25 yards he cleared a big double poplar hard quartering towards me. I had the scope on 7 power and even at 22 feet high it looked as though he was coming through the lens. Hurriedly I dropped the green triangle of the Trijicon down on his shoulder and smoke blew everywhere. Through the back half of the report I could hear galloping steps in the leaves. Realizing that sound was getting louder I looked straight down to see him standing one yard from the base of my tree. I was looking between my feet through the treestand floor at him. I was examining his sides and nose for blood but all I saw was a clean coat and a curious look on his face as he stared back in his previous direction. My heart sank all the way to the forest floor as I came to grips with the fact I had shot over him. I stood motionless while looking down at a giant of a lifetime. For no reason he then lifted his head and looked straight up at me surprisingly without the instant expression of fear that is normally seen. I expected him to bolt but instead he turned and walked slowly up the hill away from me. At this point I was reloading as quickly and quietly as possible - one eye on him the other on powder and bullet. I extracted the primer and dropped another in as I saw him stop at 50 yards turning broadside right on the edge of the ridge. My next vision was the green triangle in the crease of his shoulder. I didn’t hear the boom or even see the smoke but I did see his rear end fold under him and his mass of antlers slam the ground then everything disappeared over the edge.
I was again motionless and listened for a good minute but heard nothing. A small 5 point buck appeared, a deer I’d previously seen 20 minutes before, and walked up to the exact spot the buck had been standing. He just stood there curiously looking down over the edge the whole time I was coming down the tree. The 5 pt finally ran off when I started towards him. Making it to that little opening I could see why it was a popular place to visit - a large well used scrape was there. I slowly peaked over the edge and 20 feet down the slope I saw a white belly and a heck of a lot of horn tangled up in a bundle of saplings. I could not believe the turn of events that had just occurred. With my hat in my hand I looked up and thanked God for something that I never believed would ever happen again.
Well at 9AM on 11/11/2026 i encountered just that. I had chosen to move my climbing stand about 100 yards across a small gully to the edge of the opposite ridge just as it was breaking day. I had seen more deer on that side previously and it would be a different view anyhow. Nothing but squirrels, chipmunks, and woodpeckers were active until 8 AM, then I saw the first deer ( a 120 class 8 pt just cruising). By 8:45 I’d seen 3 bucks, all just walking and sniffing. All had come from different directions - deer were certainly up and walking.
I have to keep my head on a swivel since I can’t hear certain decibel levels very well anymore, softly crunching leaves being one of my auditory issues. I had turned to check behind me and noticed what looked like a deers body standing broadside at about 90 yards. I raised the muzzleloader to scope the object and sure enough I could make out a deer’s body with its head obscured by leafy limbs and a tree. The deer turned and started walking my way and i immediately noticed it wasn’t “small”. I stood up and faced that direction with peaked interest as to see exactly what this was approaching me. As it closed the distance I scoped it once more and that was the exact moment that my eyes popped out of my head. I never saw rows of tines like this before and I was all but in shock that I actually had a shooter closing the distance. Now he was 50 yards and still coming straight towards my tree. I don’t remember cocking the hammer back but I do remember desperately trying to find an opening for a shot.
It’s amazing how you can have a relatively open block of timber but a deer can literally walk behind every single tree that’s standing. At approximately 25 yards he cleared a big double poplar hard quartering towards me. I had the scope on 7 power and even at 22 feet high it looked as though he was coming through the lens. Hurriedly I dropped the green triangle of the Trijicon down on his shoulder and smoke blew everywhere. Through the back half of the report I could hear galloping steps in the leaves. Realizing that sound was getting louder I looked straight down to see him standing one yard from the base of my tree. I was looking between my feet through the treestand floor at him. I was examining his sides and nose for blood but all I saw was a clean coat and a curious look on his face as he stared back in his previous direction. My heart sank all the way to the forest floor as I came to grips with the fact I had shot over him. I stood motionless while looking down at a giant of a lifetime. For no reason he then lifted his head and looked straight up at me surprisingly without the instant expression of fear that is normally seen. I expected him to bolt but instead he turned and walked slowly up the hill away from me. At this point I was reloading as quickly and quietly as possible - one eye on him the other on powder and bullet. I extracted the primer and dropped another in as I saw him stop at 50 yards turning broadside right on the edge of the ridge. My next vision was the green triangle in the crease of his shoulder. I didn’t hear the boom or even see the smoke but I did see his rear end fold under him and his mass of antlers slam the ground then everything disappeared over the edge.
I was again motionless and listened for a good minute but heard nothing. A small 5 point buck appeared, a deer I’d previously seen 20 minutes before, and walked up to the exact spot the buck had been standing. He just stood there curiously looking down over the edge the whole time I was coming down the tree. The 5 pt finally ran off when I started towards him. Making it to that little opening I could see why it was a popular place to visit - a large well used scrape was there. I slowly peaked over the edge and 20 feet down the slope I saw a white belly and a heck of a lot of horn tangled up in a bundle of saplings. I could not believe the turn of events that had just occurred. With my hat in my hand I looked up and thanked God for something that I never believed would ever happen again.
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