Preacher Dave
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- Aug 27, 2019
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I participated in a muzzleloader only deer hunt in Missouri at the Drury-Mincy Wildlife Management Area approximately ten miles east of Branson on the upper portion of Bull Shoals Lake this weekend, October 26-27. This WM was most recently managed for maximum deer population for archery hunters on its 4,089 acres. Unfortunately the deer herd has tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) decided to attempt to significantly reduce the deer population. To that end, there was a recent effort by MDC personnel to perform a cull shooting in which only thirty deer were taken. As a planned follow up there was the planned ML hunt I took part in after being drawn in a lottery pick, one of the lucky 200 hunters drawn.
There is a variety of terrain, from bottom land that includes food plots to hillsides, bluffs, and ridge lines. An interesting sidebar to hunting at this area is that there is a significant black bear population, too, besides the deer.
I had planned on using my Isaac Haines .54 flintlock, but wimped out at the last moment when rain was forecast for the weekend. I ended up using a .50 Hawken replica (Lyman Great Plains kit rifle with browned furniture) percussion with patched round ball over 90 grains of 2F Goex.
The weather was rain all day on Saturday and very foggy, 100% humidity, water dripping off of everything today. I went the weekend without firing a shot. Very few deer were taken due to the poor weather and hunters sitting up on food plots instead of in the woods where the deer were on the white oak acorns. Access was difficult to a lot of the hunting areas due to high water at the low water crossings. I talked with the MDC employees at the end of my hunt today and they were not too disappointed with the low numbers harvested due to the weather. They will likely use employees again for culling operations.
On a side note, this hunt was one thing after another going wrong for me, as some hunts just seem to be sometimes. Someone sideswiped my 2019 Ford F150 pickup on a sharp curve in town, crossing the centerline. The other truck was a newer Ram with oversize tires and wheels. His driver's side tire hit my running board, pushing me nearly off the road and breaking my mirror. He stopped down the road and then took off. The first day of the hunt my favorite pair of hunting boots (Made in America, yeah!) that were only 18 years old had their Vibram soft rubber soles disintegrate, leaving flat slick soles. Not good on steep hillsides covered in leaves and rocks! Today, going to my stand in the dark and wearing new prescription glasses I picked up Thursday, I tripped and fell, breaking my stand seat and plugging my rifle barrel with dirt. My glasses were smashed. Luckily for this old man, all I got was some stiffness, two black eyes, and my pride hurt! I was able to sharpen a small diameter stick and get the dirt out and continue the hunt after it was light. At lunch time my son was laughing and told me I had mud on my hat brim and head. I left it there as a reminder to being careful of dragging my feet in the dark.
So, no deer, lots of quality time with my middle age adult son and his friend, and weather challenges that were overcome. As a bonus I know several things I need to take care of before the regular deer season.
The bright red ground foliage is poison ivy. This area had a controlled burn a couple of years ago and the poison ivy came back with a flourish.
There is a variety of terrain, from bottom land that includes food plots to hillsides, bluffs, and ridge lines. An interesting sidebar to hunting at this area is that there is a significant black bear population, too, besides the deer.
I had planned on using my Isaac Haines .54 flintlock, but wimped out at the last moment when rain was forecast for the weekend. I ended up using a .50 Hawken replica (Lyman Great Plains kit rifle with browned furniture) percussion with patched round ball over 90 grains of 2F Goex.
The weather was rain all day on Saturday and very foggy, 100% humidity, water dripping off of everything today. I went the weekend without firing a shot. Very few deer were taken due to the poor weather and hunters sitting up on food plots instead of in the woods where the deer were on the white oak acorns. Access was difficult to a lot of the hunting areas due to high water at the low water crossings. I talked with the MDC employees at the end of my hunt today and they were not too disappointed with the low numbers harvested due to the weather. They will likely use employees again for culling operations.
On a side note, this hunt was one thing after another going wrong for me, as some hunts just seem to be sometimes. Someone sideswiped my 2019 Ford F150 pickup on a sharp curve in town, crossing the centerline. The other truck was a newer Ram with oversize tires and wheels. His driver's side tire hit my running board, pushing me nearly off the road and breaking my mirror. He stopped down the road and then took off. The first day of the hunt my favorite pair of hunting boots (Made in America, yeah!) that were only 18 years old had their Vibram soft rubber soles disintegrate, leaving flat slick soles. Not good on steep hillsides covered in leaves and rocks! Today, going to my stand in the dark and wearing new prescription glasses I picked up Thursday, I tripped and fell, breaking my stand seat and plugging my rifle barrel with dirt. My glasses were smashed. Luckily for this old man, all I got was some stiffness, two black eyes, and my pride hurt! I was able to sharpen a small diameter stick and get the dirt out and continue the hunt after it was light. At lunch time my son was laughing and told me I had mud on my hat brim and head. I left it there as a reminder to being careful of dragging my feet in the dark.
So, no deer, lots of quality time with my middle age adult son and his friend, and weather challenges that were overcome. As a bonus I know several things I need to take care of before the regular deer season.
The bright red ground foliage is poison ivy. This area had a controlled burn a couple of years ago and the poison ivy came back with a flourish.
