Opening Day of Muzzleloader Felt Like A Monday

November 9, 2008

This past Saturday was the opener of Muzzleloader started with a big mistake on my part. As everyone knows I had trouble with my breech plug and once I got it unstuck last week I had to go sight the gun in for the season. Friday evening with the gun all sighted in I cleaned it to get ready for the morning opener. After cleaning it I decided to wait and load it in the morning which is not normally what I do. (For non muzzleloader’s a bit of information, you put two pellets of black powder substitute and then with your ram rod you push a bullet down the barrel and sit it tightly on the pellets. The gun is loaded but safe because it needs a primer to set off the load. Once a muzzle loader is loaded it stays that way the entire season with only the primer being removed to technically make it unloaded when not in a hunting situation.)

The alarm goes off at 330 am so I can get going to make it to my hunting stand before daylight. I get into my stand and with my head lamp I start looking for my stuff to load my gun. Reality hits hard when you realize your black powder pellets are 90 minutes away in your garage. How did I forget them I ask myself as I dump my pack out knowing that have to be here I’m just over looking them. Nope not here now what. None of the other guys I hunt with are planning to hunt here this morning. A Wal Mart is 15 minutes away but I’m not sure they carry black powder supplies. My only hope is that I left some in the back of my truck this past week when I was sighting in so I climb down out of my stand and head back to the truck. If I can’t find any my plan is to just return to the stand armed with my camera and observe what happens. As I’m cutting across the upper field in the still semi darkness before legal light I see something moving. It turns out to be Rick one of the guys that hunts with us he had changed his mind and decided to hunt here this morning. He gives me two of his loads and I thank him and head back to the stand getting there about the time it is braking day. I load my gun and sit and wait enjoying the show of a new day arriving.

It be great to say that I got something after that but that’s not how it played out. A warm day not much moving, I heard a coyote howl about 75 yards from my stand and the turkeys and other critters kept me entertained. I saw my first deer at the end of the day with the light fading fast two does and a fork horn buck popped out at the far end of the field. Much to far for my muzzleloader but a good sign that there are some deer around.

I have most of the week of muzzleloader off so hopefully I have some chances to get some meat for the freezer. My posts this week will be a bit intermittent as I spend a lot of time in the woods. The photos are some I shot on Saturday I hope you enjoy them.