Tommy and I set up in a thick creek bottom this morning. The fog was thick.

Tommy crossed a creek to get to his ground blind but I stayed on the other side because I didn’t have rubber boots on.

I set up the top portion of my Lone Wolf hand climber on a tree at ground level. This allowed me to use my 2 camera arms. Perfect setup.

Tommy was 10 yards in front of me. About 7:40am, 3 does come in about 40 yards. They caught Tommy’s movement as he waved to me.

They were blowing for like 5 minutes.

About 20 minutes later, another doe comes out at 34 yards and here’s me cough. Dang! Tommy turns and gives me a look.

5 minutes later, a deer with it’s head down comes in at 50 yards. I see Tommy pick up his muzzleloader, turn on both cameras even though all I see is him cause of the fog.

He raises the gun, and boom goes the dynamite. He stands up in a plume of smoke and I ask if he got it. He said either yes or no, no in between.

Then he signals that it was a big buck.

He says come over as he’s laying right there.

I get up to find spot to cross the creek. As I move he yells stop. He reloads and shoots again. Boom!

The deer is walking away. What the?

I get across the creek and then see him bounding off through the thick stuff.

What the?

We go to where he shot and fund nothing. No sign. At all.

How is this possible?

We give him time as we start to think it was a guy shot.

But can’t believe how he would drop, lay there ad if he’s dead and then get up and walk away.

The second shot was a miss btw.

We looked everywhere for sign. Nothing.

The theory we have is that he shot the buck between the spine and vitals and shocked the deer right in it’s tracks. After he got over the shock of the .45 caliber bullet, he made off like a ghost.

That’s deer hunting.

PS – Tommy shot the muzzleloader at 50 to see if it was off and was right on.

Now it’s time to pack up and drive to Arkansas to hunt w/ Allen.

Thanks for an amazing time Tommy. You are aces.