I hunt as a member of Vance AFB's Rod and Gun Club on our aux field about an hour north. One of the rules is no rifles. For rifle season you use either black powder or shotgun. I went up there for the first time today and took along my muzzleloader. It rained a fair amount and the deer were really moving. I saw 10 total. 2 were out of range, another I stalked to within 15 yards, but he was on the wrong side of an 8 foot fence that marks the airfield boundary, and another was too small for our rules (at least 4x4 unless deformed). Right at sunset, a herd of about 6 deer went behind my stand. One looked to be a solid 8, maybe a 10 pointer and was a big boy. He was moving at a pretty good clip, so I yelled, "Hey Buck!" He stopped dead in his tracks right in a shooting lane. I promptly took aim and pulled the trigger. "POP!" The primer fired, but did not ignite the powder and the buck trotted off. I thought I had done a fair job keeping the muzzle down so rain wouldn't run down the barrel, but obviously it got wet despite my efforts. Approximately 30 seconds later, as I am fumbling in the cold and wet for another primer, a medium-sized 3x2, which I would have gladly put in my freezer, came from the same direction, did a half circle around my stand, and then walked DIRECTLY underneath me. I mean, I could've jumped out of my stand and landed on his back, he was that close. So...two missed opportunities for me tonight. You can bet that when I head out there again Thursday morning, and every time after that, I will have my Mossberg 500 and some slugs.
