Muzzleloader Buck...a production of K&J Barwick Enterprises, LLC

Georgia’s muzzleloader season has come and gone, and so has another buck! I was very fortunate to take 2 bucks this year, with my muzzleloader. More importantly, I took these two deer with my nephew, Ethan.

Midway thru the week the weather finally turned a little cooler, around 46 degrees, and we were out there ready to go. I dropped Ethan off at good spot where we had found a lot of acorns dropping, and I had previously killed a buck (2006), and I went about 120 yards farther down the creek bottom.

The spot I had scouted for myself was a small point of land, coming off a thicket, that leads deer easily to the creek area of the swamp. This point of land has several oak trees, white and water oaks mostly, and they were dropping nicely.

In the darkness, waiting for the woods to wake, you have time to think about many things. Too often, these thoughts take away from the hunt and are a distraction. Today, I was full of memories about those hunts of the past....and was very proud to be toting an old Buck 110 folder on my belt. Daylight came quickly this morning.

After daylight, I heard and saw a flock of turkeys down past my position, got them on video too. The turkeys passed out of sight and I heard footsteps to my immediate left. I couldn't turn and look for fear of it being a deer. Sure enough, it was a deer, but I could only get a skewed look from the side. White oak acorns were surely on the deer’s mind this day, because I could hear the acorns being crunched.

Behind my ground blind, I reached up and turned on my video camera, mounted to my rifle with a Deer Ridge Innovations Gun and Bow Camera Mount. The deer still had no idea I was there, and was feeding at about 9 yards from me. There was a big tree right next to the deer, but I could not tell from my angle if the deer would pass on the other side of the tree, or on my side. (the video really shows how hard I was breathing at this point). Thankfully, in just a moment the deer walked by on the other side of the tree….giving me a chance to raise the rifle and get ready. The first thing I saw come past the tree were antlers, then head and neck, and then chest…nothing else came past the tree because I shot very quickly. The buck dropped where he stood.

After checking out the buck, I walked down to get Ethan and start the work of getting my deer out of the woods. That was one happy kid when we reached my buck and this made me really glad that I squeezed the trigger. Sure, I used my second and last buck tag on this deer, but killing it with Ethan present made it a great day for me.

The video for this hunt will turn out great, though I only have about 5 seconds of live footage before the shot. Please check out the video and pictures. Ethan was very happy for my success, and gladly ran the video and still cameras to get some memories down for good.

Throughout our lives, change seems to constantly surround us and cause us to make alterations to our life plan. Suddenly, we grow apart from those we are supposed to be closest to, and see one another less and less over the years. Hunting, for us, has become the bridge that really joins us. Now, I make a concerted effort to hunt and fish with my guys (On the Ground, Outdoors Field Staff) several times a year. Also, throughout the rest of the year we stay in constant touch......trail cam photos and our theories take up alot of cell phone minutes. I would be lost without my hunting time with these guys.....Brian, Ethan, Will, and Farrell (all Field Staff). They have added more value to my life than they could possibly know. My advice, hunt with someone close to you, and you won't grow apart. Please enjoy the video and pictures......I hope they make you want to get out there after em'.







Thanks for hunting with us today. Please come back and we’ll go again. Good luck this season, and when you can take someone your close to hunting, it could be the best day of your season.

Jeff
Hunting Our Heritage, One Memory at a Time