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 Member Posts: 2680 Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | Just got back from my 3 day visit and 2 day Muzzle Loader hunt at my buddies house in Onaway, Mi. trying to fill my Doe Permit license. I had a feeling things might turn out alright when I arrived at 4:20pm Tuesday afternoon and there were 6 deer eating under the neighbors bird feeder across the road and 4 deer in my buddies back yard eating under his. Of course this is Cheboygan County and we were going to hunt in Presquile. Anyway the next morning we seen several deer crossing the roads in the pre-dawn light as we made our way around Black Lake and to my buds father-in-laws farm. We walked through the 20 inches of power snow first down a tractor road then down the trail leading back trough the wood lot. I went one way towards my blind and my bud went to his 2 fields over. I started seeing deer only 20 minutes after getting situated. I seen 12 by 10:00am and could have shot 4 that were close enough, all does but all to small for the standards I put on this my first hunt in years. My bud seen as many deer but didn't crush a cap on any of his either. We went back to town for a great breakfast at the WoodWinds Restaurant in Onaway. Then back to his place for a totty and a 2 hour snooze. The afternoons hunt on day one seemed like we seen the same deer with a few added, except going in the opposite direction headed back to the fields. Again a few in range but not that big. Hunted till dark then back to the ranch for some relaxation, more totty's and a huge batch of my Walleyes fillets with my magic batter that I cooked up for my bud and his wife for supper. Next Morning I did see a buck some 250 yards away behind 7 does sneak along and between the fields, but he looked to be a small 6 or a so-so 8. He was darker then the does, but not much bigger it seemed. Again, back to town and breakfast. Briefly back to the house but decide then to take a ride out to another 80 acre property of his father-in-laws 4 miles east of Black Mountain, but still in Presquile County. As we were nearing the locked gate to this property a nice 8 pointer jumped the road ahead of us and headed right back to where we were going. This 80 acres is a knarly, isolated Cedar and Spruce swamp, where my bud had just this past season cut in an access road, shooting lanes and erected a brand new blind. His step son had shot a decent 8 point there 3rd day of the season. This thick swamp area also doubles as a deer bedding area, being across the road from a more open 800 acre wooded State Land area with a few croped fields spread around near it. I got the direction to the blind and trugged off down the trail in the even deeper snow then the day before while my buddy headed back to his place for the evening hunt. Got set up and was quietly watching the lanes by 2:00pm. Nothing is as quiet or as beautiful as a thick Cedar Swamp in heavy snow. I dosed off a few times in the blind but right around 4:40pm I opened my eyes just long enough to see a big deer jump the lane. Then 2 smaller ones came out and crossed the lane slowly. I could have shot either one, as by now my food enduced stuper was gone and I was watching things through the scope. Then I seen a BIG Doe just stick her head and neck out on the left side of the lane. I took a picture of her with my cell phone, as she just stood there it seemed like forever. You can barley make her out in the photo. When she finally came out in full view, she was probably 180 yards down the lane. Down went the cell phone and back behind the scope. Un-like the other deer she started walking down the lane towards me in the blind. I sized her up and knew she was big and if she kept coming and gave me a broadside I'd squeeze the trigger. I wasn't going to take a long shot on anything. She got to where I thought it was roughly 150 yards (ended up being 136) where she stopped to nibble on something just off the lane. Put the scope on her right shoulder and squeezed. The whole thing to me seemed seamless and the shot surprised me when it went off. Whenever a shot surprises you when it goes off, it's a good shot. She disappeared behind the smoke cloud, crashed through the brush and piled up maybe 80 yards back in the thickest part of this secluded swamp. Lost the ram-rod to my muzzle loader and almost poked my eye out on a stick while dragging her out after dark in this tangle, but the whole trip was great. Good food, good friends and good hunting. Health permitting, I'll be back.
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