Ghost Bucks and Other Myths

About three weeks ago I eased into my trusty hand built deer blind (cleverly disguised by yours truly to look like a country outhouse in order to facilitate my BS hunting stories) well before the crack of 6AM (still dark another words).

Legal shooting light (30 minutes before sunrise) was 6:30A. Near bout 6:34A, my feeble eyes determined that a deer was back in the trees at my corn feeder. Further examination with my binoculars allowed me to see that the "deer" had horns which included multiple points.

Life is full of choices and roads taken - or not?

I decided to take the "shoot the deer now" road while barely able to discern it in the rifle scope rather than risk having it "escape" before the light increased.

Taking careful aim I fired, causing the muzzle blast from the round to blind me temporarily due to the darkness.

I heard brother deer crashing thru the brush on my neighbors land (I thought), but for a few moments I was as blind as a bat (muzzle blast remember). I then spent the next hour struggling thru the dense brush on my neighbor's land trying to find some evidence of the deer, but finally decide I "missed" the shot. (Now sports fans, this is a significant and sobering point because at the ripe old age of 57 with probably 50 deer killed, I had NEVER missed a deer???????????)

Anywho, fast forward three weeks and a buddy of mine goes to the Tin Star to hunt and sees a bunch of vultures on the ground and investigates. Yep, about 25 yards from where I shot the buck, a deer was in the middle of a patch of dense brush (ON MY LAND!!!!!!).

Talk about mixed feelings:

1. I felt inadequate due to my ineptitude at "tracking".
2. I felt vindication as I can still say I have never missed a shot at a deer.
3. I felt sad that one of God's creatures was eliminated without providing sustenance as food.
4. I felt proud to have the horns to display as my first TIN STAR RANCH BUCK

The rack has nine points with a 12 inch inside spread and fairly heavy beams. Not a trophy by any standard, but it is symetrical and will look good with a European mount (skull and horns attached)(if my dumbutt ever figgers out how to put pics on this blog, I will add one of ole bucky?)

During December I am going to spend as much off-duty time as possible pursuing a venison supply in order to lay in a store of Tin Star Ranch sausage for the coming year (more blogs later on the continuing exciting episodes of the ole gray fat boy and his adventures overcoming failing vision and the wobbles while on safari at his beloved Gabriel Mills ranchito)