# Muzzys Are Fun!



## hound_hunter (Jan 1, 2009)

So I haven't posted on here for quite a while, allow me to take this time to welcome myself back :welcome::_O=:

I bought my first muzzle-loader this year just for fun. The area I hunt general season rifle deer (Fish Lake) is insanely overpopulated with hunters, but my family has always hunted there, most still do, and I enjoy the tradition of it. I thought muzzy might reduce the number of hunters...not as much as I had hoped, I was able to actually HUNT deer though, not just look for a buck that got spooked up by someone else and probably wont be in the same area anytime after, so that was enjoyable. And it's hard to beat the weather that time of year! And those leaves! Gorgeous. This year I planned on backpacking in and hunting the entire season, holding out; what I didn't factor into that plan was that I would enroll in school a semester earlier than I planned on. I figured since I can't backpack in anyways, I might as well join my buddies on a fishing trip for Friday, then hunt Saturday and Sunday and just be happy to shoot whatever for the first time with a muzzle-loader and enjoy the fresh meat at college. The fishing trip turned out to be a lot slower than expected, but still a blast...



After spending all of Saturday working some cliffs, and not a single sign of deer anytime I got in them, then seeing at least a couple spikes/2points every single time I drove my car a little ways to new canyons/cliffs, I finally gave up working that area Saturday night. I was hungry since I didn't even take a lunch break, but decided to work some small pockets of aspens anywhere I could find a break from roads before calling it a night. This was unproductive time after time and as the night came to a close I finally spot a little spike and 2 point. I decide to see how close I can get just for fun before light runs out. Once I get within 60yds I realize there's another deer with them, the 2 bucks spook off cause I wasn't being that sneaky (thinking it was just those 2) but I can only see its body. It just stands there. I glass it a million times and assure myself there is actually a deer there, and start to pump myself up thinking it has to be a huge old smart buck who is smart enough to stand and hide until he knows his surroundings. Well he's more patient than me, after about 15 minutes (literally) of kneeling/sitting, I decide to make a move and just catch a glimpse. The first attempt I at least see antlers then get out of view so I don't blow it. Now I'm super pumped, 'how big is he!?' 'Think it's a shooter!?' 'Its gotta be a shooter if he's this patient!'. I give it one more look a couple minutes later and that triggers him to know something might be up, he takes a step forward, I see that it's just a small 3 point. I debate for about half a second then decide that that was an awesome experience and I'd be happy to pull the trigger. I have a perfect shot, still at 60 yds, sitting down and rested against a sturdy aspen...pull the trigger...CLICK!...WHAT!? I panic for half a second, I know everything is loaded, I know the primer is in, ok, re-****, be calm, pull the trigger again...CLICK. I'm lost now, I open the muzzy to visually check for the primer, it's there, slowly close, 65-70 yd. shot is still there, pull the trigger...CLICK! In a last ditch effort I think maybe it's not closed tight enough, I open it, slam it shut, and in frustration (not really expecting the gun to go off) jerk the trigger back as he is speedily jogging off, about 80yds, BOOOM...wasn't expecting that. He runs a little, then stops and walks, trying to look behind him as he walks away. I'm confused, I have no idea how the shot felt cause I didn't even expect it to go off, he doesn't look hit but at the same time he's not sprinting away. I figure he's probably just confused, check for blood, nothing, decide to look for a bullet, find it in a tree, it definitely shot over him but had to have been close, glad it was a clean miss!

After being frustrating and deciding I'm just going to shoot the first little buck I see the next day and get back to school to study, I of course don't see a single buck all morning (keep in mind I saw 8 2-points and 4 spikes the day before). I finally see a TINY spike, still with his mom, probably still had milk on his breath...I can't do it, haha. I decide then to head back to where that 3-point was and see if he's around. I park short 1 aspen grove short of where he was the other day, turn the car off, and as usual glass before I get out. I see him trotting away 100 yards from me! I can't believe it. I decide to make a long walk in the opposite direction, see if I see anything bigger, and if not I'll circle around and see if he settles back in there after being left alone. I don't see any other deer in under an hour (going slow, so not that far away), circle around to the trees he was in and SLOWLY SLOWLY work my way through them. Take 2 steps, stop, glass everywhere...take 2 steps, stop, glass everywhere...etc... I finally am getting close enough to see my 4Runner. It's gotta be over now, right? I speed up my pace but stop to glass another time, I glass and see the 3-point staring right at me at 80yds between me and my car! haha. I kick myself mentally, quickly but discreetly slip my muzzy off my shoulder (shouldered it thinking this stalk was over), throw it up and take the fastest shot of my life. He trots 15 yards then beds...I'M STOKED!!! Then I see that he's just bedded...no way, did I miss!? There's no way, shot felt perfect. But his head is up and he's looking around? I did shoot super fast, maybe I'm confused and made an error I don't realize. I sneak to within 50 being cautious that he might not be hit somehow. Then I see that he's super sick, I get to 40, see that the shot is in his lungs, but want to put him out so send a 2nd shot to his heart. I can't believe how much fun I had. He's a small 3-point but I couldn't care less, that was one of the funnest hunts I've been on (for general season deer in Utah that is). 

Figured since I've got a new muzzy I might as well buy an OTC elk tag this year, right? I remember seeing a picture of my dad with a spike elk when I was in elementary school, I was fascinated by whatever animal that was and didn't believe it when he told me it was an elk, haha. Ever since then I've wanted to hunt one as much as I have a big bull (I know, weird, but it's true). Well I've shot a 5 point bull before, but never in my life have I worked harder than for this spike! And I can't wait to do it again next year, SO much fun! Missed 2 classes on Friday cause I couldn't wait any longer, wish I would have missed 3 classes that day because I located a big herd right away from the highway, but the place I had to hike in after them made it quite a chore and I got into the elk right after sundown. I can barely see, and the elk are on to me, so I decide to just bust into the meadow they were in and let them file past me. They're running by about 100yds from me but I can't see anything. With my binos I can barely make out their heads, cow...cow...cow...the last one looks like a spike! I take the binos off, sight in on him, and I can't make out clearly what it is :/ I don't shoot and I kick myself for not being there even 20 minutes earlier. Hiking out in the dark was not fun, it was steep with lots of volcanic rock & snow covered (slippery and hard to determine what's a good stepping surface). The next day I avoid that area even though I know it's secluded enough that they will still be there. I only see 2 big bulls the whole day on Saturday, decide that night that I better just go where I know they are, even if it's going to be horrible getting him out. I spot them from the highway again to try to talk myself out of going in there...doesn't work, after about 5 minutes I spot the herd in the trees, starting to feed out. I get in there and sneak to 40 yards of the first elk in the herd. a few cows feed past me at exactly 40 yards, AWESOME! This might happen! I decide to sit there for a few minutes before trying to move and see if I can get on a spike, then I see the end of an antler poking around out of the sagebrush!!! He steps a little higher and I see that it's a spike for sure! I can't believe it, I have a spike at 40 yards, this is going to work! He steps broadside and I almost pull the trigger, I'm so glad I talked myself out of it cause I could only clearly shoot his spine...not worth it on a standing shot, don't rush it. He's behind some oak brush now and I'm psyching myself out that it might not work out, I impatiently take the initiative, scoot over 2 steps to make sure he is still there, then he steps out 1 and BOOM! I see hair fly and I'm losing my mind! 20 yards later I hear the crash!! I reload, then walk after him, and he is OUT. Such a fun hunt. I gut him and drag him to the bottom of the mountain that night (it was super steep, so manageable to do alone...with a lot of sweat) then the next day my dad hikes in with me and we quarter it/pack it out along the flat ground. Such a sweet experience! I love muzzle-loading now, thinking about blowing my 10 points for Utah LE elk for a muzzy tag...idk...any advice there?


_The elk are on the other side of that knoll, I climbed up and over to come in on top of them_

I'll add as a final note...my dad, of course, had to outdo me and shoot a bigger 3-point on his rifle hunt...just wait until next year Dad :thumb


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## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

IF you think that was fun, you should buy yourself a bow and try that hunt! Anyway, congrats on your success!


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## Bears Butt (Sep 12, 2007)

Great series of story(S)! Congrats on one very successful hunting year...now get back to the books!


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## Bo0YaA (Sep 29, 2008)

Congrats, I put the muzzy away this but sure did miss it.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

This was one of the better Muzzy hunt years... we had fantastic weather for it. Years prior its been rough as we've had nearly 90 degree temps by late morning and most deer are nocturnal. Muzzys are fun and on a year like this one, even more so.

-DallanC


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