jduckhunter
AH elite
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2012
- Messages
- 1,073
- Reaction score
- 2,591
- Media
- 134
- Member of
- DU, JSA, NAHC( Life member), NRA (Life member)
- Hunted
- Namibia, Zimbabwe, USA (PA ,WY,TX,MT,AK,NJ,DE,VA,WV,SD,MA,NC,FL,MD,CA) Canada (QC,NF,ON,NT,NWT,BC), New Zealand
My 2022 PA deer season started off well enough with me in my stand early on opening day, but soon went downhill fast. After day one I came down with this nasty virus that has been going around, it might have come from babysitting grandchildren that were too sick to go to school the week before. It seems like the old saying that no good deed goes unpunished came true and bit me in the butt. Any way I got really sick and finally on the following Friday I felt well enough to venture back up into my stand at about 4:00 in the afternoon. There were deer running around all over the place, the young bucks in the area were still feeling pretty spry and the does were getting a good workout trying to avoid them. After about 20 minutes in the stand a doe came running down the hill and decided to hide in the brush right across the creek from me. And it didn't take but a minute or two for a pair of bucks to come looking for her, slowly sneaking downhill hiding behind one big tree after the other seeming to be very careful to keep their vital areas behind cover. At about 75 yards from me the first buck ran out of cover and stepped out facing me head on. I had turned my scope up to 9 power when this all started so that I could count points quickly and confirm the required 3 points on one side, having left the house in a hurry and forgetting my binos. 3 points were quickly counted and on 9 power his chest appeared huge so I settled the crosshairs on the center of his chest and squeezed the trigger. I can't say that the gun went bang because a suppressed, bolt action, 300 BLK shooting sub-sonic loads doesn't go bang, it makes a weird noise closer to a pellet gun then a high-power rifle. But whatever noise it made the buck made a leap and ran maybe 30 yards downhill, collapsed and that was that. The other buck and doe seemed perplexed at what had just happened and after standing around for a few seconds melted back in the cedars. After field dressing the buck, I soon found out that I was not as healthy as I thought I was, after dragging him a few yards toward home I made a decision to leave him there and come back with the SxS. I got him hung up in the garage and spent the next day back in bed (this virus is no joke) I'm hoping to get him cut up later today.