The opening of the Oklahoma muzzle loader season is always great. This year’s hunt was the best ever for me. My climbing stand was perched 18′ up in an oak tree overlooking a river bottom full of post oaks that were loaded with acorns. Between being entertained by a small doe, river otter, skunk and armadillo I was watching a storm front move in from the North. With only a few minutes of legal shooting light left this non-typical emerged from a thicket to my left. He was grunting and trailing a doe that had passed my stand about 20 minutes before. At 40 yards I squaring the cross hairs just behind his shoulder and took a deep breath. I slowly exhaled and squeezed the trigger……(BANG). The muzzle loader misfired. In sheer amazement the buck didn’t so much as flinch. Instead, he just kept walking with his nose to the ground. By the time I found my primer tool, removed and reloaded the primer, closed the action and flipped the safety off, the buck was standing 15 yards directly in front of my stand with his nose to the wind. I was in slow motion as I leveled the gun. The buck saw movement and looked straight at me before turning and jogging 25 yards away. I squeezed the trigger again. This time the muzzle loader fired, piercing the buck’s vitals. The buck stumbled and ran up a steep bluff before expiring in the middle of an access road.

The buck field dressed at 162 lbs and was green scored at 171 3/8". This is the buck of a lifetime for me….the buck that almost wasn’t.

Field dressed he weighted 162. Andy green scored him at 171 3/8 as a no-typical.

Name: Micah Hunt
City: Denton
State: Texas