Ed the rut is the ONLY reason he came home with me. I've hunted muzzleloaders for a good while, always my firearm of choice in any gun season. So I know how to care for them and hunt them. Never had a misfire, until last night. I had a bunch of frisky does around me and he come prancing in at 25 yards trying to get closer to them, I put the bead right on his ribs and "pop" goes the cap. He bounds off, but very slowly. The does stay put and continue chasing each other and dinking around. I put another cap on, sit down and start swearing. Deer like that are rare for me. It was snowing hard all night and I had my hand over the lock the whole time. No reason for damn mis-fire, just none. I never in 30 years of hunting expected him to return. Maybe 30 minutes later I hear another doe grunting her head off behind me. I turn my head and see her acting all funky and twirling, in heat I'm sure. Just behind her another 100 yards is this guy, again. He couldn't help himself. Eventually she made her way past me at 75 yards and hopped the fence into the native grass patch. He put his nose down, tail half way up and started on her path. When he got to the fence I shot. He was gone is less than 5 seconds. I sat back down, this time not swearing mad. But thankful, dismayed, and flabbergasted! Deer like him NEVER come back. I cant tell you why my damn gun mis-fired, as just the same, I cant tell you why he returned like he did.
