killed a tree

Folks who have not hunted a lot will have a hard time understanding how much I enjoyed my week with Harvest Outfitting, considering I didn’t kill a Moose.
Matty worked his tail off trying to get me on one and about half way through the we i had my one and only chance.
I had a bull facing me at 30 yards. Sight was floating on his throat as I squeezed the trigger…… Click….. the flint didn’t spark and set the flintlock off. He spun to leave and I never took my eyes off him as he trotted trough the timber. I cocked the rifle, closed the frizzen and swung on him like I was shooting a duck. As the sight reached the front of his chest I touched it off again and this time it fired.
The shot felt great but we searched and found no blood. After a bit Matty found I had killed a tree between me and the Moose. I was so focused on the Moose, I never even saw the tree.
We hiked the woods and swamps for the rest of the week 12 hours a day but just never found another bull that wanted to come to the call.
All that said, I really enjoyed the trip and met a couple of other hunters that were great to be around at night. Both killed a Moose. One fellow killed his 3 hours into the first day. So there was plenty of Moose around, just didn’t come together for me.
When you decide to hunt with something more challenging than a center fire rifle, you have to except that the harder you make it the less likely you are to get your critter. After 50 years of chasing animals all over the world with a recurve bow, A flintlock is for sure a step up and the .62 I was using has never miss fired before or since. Just how things worked out in that second.
I am already booked to take that same rifle to Africa next year but you can bet I will be sending the lock to Cabin Creek Muzzleloading to have it checked out before I head to the woods with it again

That one falls into the s**t happens category! Looking at that tree...what a hole! Great pics.

Buff1958 said:

After a bit Matty found I had killed a tree between me and the Moose. I was so focused on the Moose, I never even saw the tree.

Click to expand...

I have to believe there was minimal tracking of tree hit like that. That kind of shot should have planted it right where it stood. Not that I know anything from personal experience.

My son did that his first shot ever at a deer!! It was a small buck and he put the PRB dead center of a 3.5” diameter tree that was right on the edge of the kill zone!!
Sorry it didn’t work out this time!!

I have done the same, too many times. It's hard to see a sapling when your eyes are full of deer.

Richard/Grumpa

Back in the day fighter pilots called that called that target fixation.

Same thing happened to me when I took a shot at a nice 8 point buck years ago seems you will always remember it happening I was using my 50 cal T/C Hawkin

Do that while bowhunting and it can be darned hard to dig the broadhead out! At least that's what others have told me!

P.S. I've never dry-balled either!