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December 14, 2011 Muzzleloader season in WV. Due to work obligations, today was the first day I was able to hunt. The forecast was rain in the morning with possible showers throughout the day. I left before daylight under cloudy skies for the 40 minute drive to my friend’s farm where I hunt in Barbour County WV. I waited for day light as it was overcast and my eyes need plenty of light to see the iron sights on my .50 cal Davide Pedersoli percussion frontier long rifle (39” barrel). I had charged it with a.495 round ball using a prelubed .015 patch and 80 grains ff Goex black powder before leaving the house.
I had previously harvested a buck on this property during firearm season with the muzzleloader in my hand and decided to hunt the same area of woods as there was plenty of sign the deer were spending time in this area of the woods. I still hunted my way to the top of the hills in a light rain. Once on top the rain picked up a little but was not a hard rain. All I could hear was the rain on the leaves and no other sound except for the birds.
After two hours I was near the area where I shot the buck and ahead in the brush I saw deer running about 100 yards away. One ran to the right and then I saw one run to the left, the others were moving from right to left. There were maybe three or four. I stood behind a tree staring holes in the brush trying to see what was going on. I was trying to see what was causing them to move back and forth. After about ten minutes a deer snorted to my left and behind me, I turned and 20 yards away a doe was turning away running down over the hill and two others were quartering away, I grunted to see if they would stop but they had seen enough and were gone. I maintained my position by the tree and 20 minutes later an immature deer stepped out and looked me over and I didn’t even raise my rifle as I thought it was too small. I wanted a buck or a mature doe. The rain began letting up so I decided I would start to move.
After about twenty minutes I had still hunted out to where I saw the deer activity earlier. I hunted my way out to where I could look down into an open field. I saw through the brush a deer feeding along the edge of the woods below me. I worked my way down the hill until I was about 50 yards away and checked it out with my binoculars and determined it to be an immature deer. After watching it for a few more minutes I saw movement about 250 yards away at the other end of the field. Four deer were feeding in the open working their way in my direction. I kept watching them until they disappeared under the roll of the hill and I waited to see where they might step into view.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw movement and in the brush about 40 yards away to my left and saw a deer staring at me. When she turned her head away, I checked her out with the binoculars and determined she was a mature doe. She took a step to her right in a quartering away angle and stopped. I could no longer see her head or rear, only her body between two trees about a foot apart. With this small window I decided to take the shot, because only her vitals were exposed and she was well within range. I raised my rifle, set the trigger and squeezed off the shot. When the smoke cleared she was nowhere to be seen.
I reloaded and marked the spot and the two trees I had shot between. I worked my way through the brush and examined the area where she had been standing. I did not find any bullet holes in the trees, no blood or hair on the ground either. The leaves were scuffed up but that was all. Ten feet away was a small ravine that had path going through it. I started moving along the deer trail into the ravine scanning ahead and to both sides to see if there was any indication of a deer leaving the trail. Another ten yards and I saw her lying down about 30 feet away below me with her head up. I didn’t move any closer but administered the coup de grace shot through the back of the head; completing another successful muzzleloader season in WV.
The PRB was a complete pass through but because it was high in the chest cavity there was no blood trail to follow. The doe was estimated to be about two to three years old as she appeared to have nursed a fawn(s) this summer. When I started to field dress her I noticed the skin was torn in a large patch on her rear inside leg as if she had been cut. The muscle underneath the torn skin looked grayish in color. I wasn’t sure if the meat was going to be any good. I finished field dressing her and drug her over the hill to the truck.
After checking her in, I took her home and hung her up to begin the skinning process. The damage was worse than I thought. The whole rear ham on the inside was infected with puss under the skin and even along her side. I was concerned about the contamination of the whole animal, so regrettably I disposed of the whole carcass. It was a successful hunt with my muzzleloader but no reward for my effort. I will try to hunt during the upcoming bonus antlerless season to get one more with my .50 cal muzzleloader.
I had previously harvested a buck on this property during firearm season with the muzzleloader in my hand and decided to hunt the same area of woods as there was plenty of sign the deer were spending time in this area of the woods. I still hunted my way to the top of the hills in a light rain. Once on top the rain picked up a little but was not a hard rain. All I could hear was the rain on the leaves and no other sound except for the birds.
After two hours I was near the area where I shot the buck and ahead in the brush I saw deer running about 100 yards away. One ran to the right and then I saw one run to the left, the others were moving from right to left. There were maybe three or four. I stood behind a tree staring holes in the brush trying to see what was going on. I was trying to see what was causing them to move back and forth. After about ten minutes a deer snorted to my left and behind me, I turned and 20 yards away a doe was turning away running down over the hill and two others were quartering away, I grunted to see if they would stop but they had seen enough and were gone. I maintained my position by the tree and 20 minutes later an immature deer stepped out and looked me over and I didn’t even raise my rifle as I thought it was too small. I wanted a buck or a mature doe. The rain began letting up so I decided I would start to move.
After about twenty minutes I had still hunted out to where I saw the deer activity earlier. I hunted my way out to where I could look down into an open field. I saw through the brush a deer feeding along the edge of the woods below me. I worked my way down the hill until I was about 50 yards away and checked it out with my binoculars and determined it to be an immature deer. After watching it for a few more minutes I saw movement about 250 yards away at the other end of the field. Four deer were feeding in the open working their way in my direction. I kept watching them until they disappeared under the roll of the hill and I waited to see where they might step into view.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw movement and in the brush about 40 yards away to my left and saw a deer staring at me. When she turned her head away, I checked her out with the binoculars and determined she was a mature doe. She took a step to her right in a quartering away angle and stopped. I could no longer see her head or rear, only her body between two trees about a foot apart. With this small window I decided to take the shot, because only her vitals were exposed and she was well within range. I raised my rifle, set the trigger and squeezed off the shot. When the smoke cleared she was nowhere to be seen.
I reloaded and marked the spot and the two trees I had shot between. I worked my way through the brush and examined the area where she had been standing. I did not find any bullet holes in the trees, no blood or hair on the ground either. The leaves were scuffed up but that was all. Ten feet away was a small ravine that had path going through it. I started moving along the deer trail into the ravine scanning ahead and to both sides to see if there was any indication of a deer leaving the trail. Another ten yards and I saw her lying down about 30 feet away below me with her head up. I didn’t move any closer but administered the coup de grace shot through the back of the head; completing another successful muzzleloader season in WV.
The PRB was a complete pass through but because it was high in the chest cavity there was no blood trail to follow. The doe was estimated to be about two to three years old as she appeared to have nursed a fawn(s) this summer. When I started to field dress her I noticed the skin was torn in a large patch on her rear inside leg as if she had been cut. The muscle underneath the torn skin looked grayish in color. I wasn’t sure if the meat was going to be any good. I finished field dressing her and drug her over the hill to the truck.
After checking her in, I took her home and hung her up to begin the skinning process. The damage was worse than I thought. The whole rear ham on the inside was infected with puss under the skin and even along her side. I was concerned about the contamination of the whole animal, so regrettably I disposed of the whole carcass. It was a successful hunt with my muzzleloader but no reward for my effort. I will try to hunt during the upcoming bonus antlerless season to get one more with my .50 cal muzzleloader.
