This year’s deer hunt was unlike any of the previous hunts I have been on. In past years, I had always drawn a rifle tag, but this year I drew a muzzleloader tag for the first time since I am no longer considered a youth hunter.
Fortunately, my dad had planned and bought me a new muzzleloader as a graduation present: a CVA MR-X muzzleloader. Later, he received a non-powered scope from work, which we mounted on the muzzleloader. Over the summer, and again as the hunt approached, we took the rifle to the range several times to practice. Adjusting the scope for accuracy was somewhat tricky, but on the final day of practice, we managed to get some very solid groupings.
Normally, we hunt deer at Henefer Echo Wildlife Management Area because we have had success there in the past. However, the harsh winter a few years ago significantly reduced the deer population in that area. Because of that, we decided to hunt near the top of Farmington Canyon this year.
Unfortunately, I was not able to hunt during the weekend that Dallen had planned, even though he had also drawn a muzzleloader tag. Instead, I went the following week with just my dad. We planned to hike during the day and return to the Jeep each evening to eat dinner and sleep. The hunt took place from October 1 through October 3. My brother Dallen also planned to drive up after work each day that week to hunt for a few hours.
On Monday morning, we woke up around five o’clock and headed out. Within a few minutes of arriving, we spotted several bucks about four hundred yards away. The largest buck was a small three-point, and I would not have minded trying to take a shot at it with the muzzleloader.
We kept watching the three-point and the smaller bucks as they gradually moved farther down the mountain. Eventually, we decided to move lower and try to cut them off. We selected a position that would put us within roughly three hundred yards of where they were headed.
After a while, we lost sight of the deer in a thicker patch of trees. At that point, we carefully worked our way toward the area where we believed they were located. However, when we tried to move in a little closer, we accidentally bumped the deer. They immediately took off, and we could barely see them through the trees. The three-point briefly stopped in an open area for a split second, but we did not have time to range the distance.
It is amazing how fast deer—and even elk—can run. They can cover nearly a thousand yards in just a minute.
(Hiking on the first evening of the hunt shortly after we bumped several bucks out of the area.)
Bumping the group of bucks out of the area was unfortunate, but at least none of them were particularly large. Attempting to pursue them took up most of the day, and eventually, we slowly worked our way back up near the trail. Around that time, Dallen arrived, and we coordinated with him to see if we might be able to push some deer in his direction. Unfortunately, we didn’t bump any deer.
As it began getting close to dark, Dad and I started hiking back to the Jeep while Dallen headed off to check another area. When Dad and I returned to the Jeep, we discussed our plans for the evening and considered driving to a few nearby lakes to hunt around them the following morning. After talking for a few minutes, we suddenly heard a gunshot from the direction Dallen had gone.
After that initial shot, we heard several more. None of them sounded like hits except possibly one. Dad started driving the Jeep as it was getting extremely close to dark, while I tried to contact Dallen. I called a few times, but he didn’t answer. Finally, after a few more shots, he picked up the phone and explained what had happened.
Dallen said he had spotted a group of bucks that included two larger ones—one with a gray-colored body and another with a brown-colored body. He decided to target the brown one because its rack was slightly bigger and had a few forks in the back. Dallen explained that after his first shot at the brown buck, it didn’t run off with the rest of the group, so he continued shooting at it several more times. However, he couldn’t seem to connect with the deer, even though he had ranged the distance and adjusted his scope accordingly. All of his shots were taken while he was positioned behind a large rock so the deer would not be able to see him.
He suggested that we return to that area the next morning and keep an eye out for the brown and gray four-point bucks. That night, we parked on top of the hill and warmed up some stuffing and mashed potatoes, which would be our dinner for the remainder of the hunt until Wednesday night.
The next morning, we woke up early and headed down toward the rock, occasionally checking the opposite hillside as we walked. Along the way, we spotted a few smaller bucks and some does. Eventually, we noticed a nice four-point buck moving up the bottom of the ravine. If we had been about one hundred yards farther down from where Dallen had been shooting the night before, we would have been in an ideal shooting position.
We watched as the four-point cautiously bedded down, occasionally glancing in our direction as if it was aware of our presence. We were roughly three hundred and fifty yards away when we first spotted the buck, so we decided to try sneaking about one hundred yards closer if possible. We began slowly moving forward with our backs low, carefully working our way around the bushes and shrubs.
(The buck that gave me the slip.)
Unfortunately, there were no trees on that hillside to shield us from the buck’s gaze. As we moved closer, the buck watched us carefully until we eventually dropped out of sight along the edge of the hillside. Once we were close enough, we slowly rose to look again and noticed the buck immediately locking eyes with us. Just a few seconds later, the buck stood up broadside.
We quickly sat down, and Dad ranged the distance at exactly three hundred yards. As I brought the muzzleloader up toward the buck, it trotted slightly higher up the hillside and was about to move behind some trees. I estimated it was now around three hundred and fifty yards away, so I adjusted my aim accordingly and fired.
As soon as the shot rang out, I immediately noticed that it didn’t sound like a typical hit. This surprised me because the shot had felt well placed. I looked back toward the deer, and it appeared confused, glancing around before jogging into a stand of pines. After the shot, another smaller buck also ran off. We watched the area to see if the buck I had shot at would emerge from the trees, but we didn’t see anything. We decided it would be best to wait before heading over to look for blood.
After about an hour of waiting and eating breakfast, we made our way over. As we approached the spot where the buck had been bedded, we carefully scanned the area for any signs of a hit. We even checked the top of the ridge and the opposite side, but there were no signs of the buck.
After concluding that it was a clean miss, we stopped to eat lunch. I was disappointed and confused, since the shot had felt good. Dad reassured me by explaining that both he and my older brother, Dallen, had missed several bucks with muzzleloaders over the years—even at much closer distances. He finished by saying that unpredictable things can sometimes happen with muzzleloaders. After hearing that, I felt a bit better as we crossed the ravine and returned to the spot where I had originally taken the shot.
By this time, it was a little past noon, and we were feeling tired. We decided to take short naps while occasionally scanning the area for any deer that might appear. Eventually, it became too hot to remain there since there was no shade on the hillside. Around three o’clock, we hiked back across to the other side and rested beneath a massive tree whose branches stretched over us like a large umbrella.
After less than an hour there, we spotted a small two-point buck running down the hillside to our left before bedding down less than fifty yards from us. Around this time, Dallen was hiking down toward the area where we had previously been sitting.
We hoped that other bucks might follow the same path as the small two-point, but unfortunately, none did. Later, we took a shortcut up the hill by hiking through the bottom of the rocky ravine. That evening, we decided we would return to the same area for the final day of the hunt since we had seen a good number of deer there.
The next morning, as we hiked down, we immediately spotted several deer on a ridge to our right. Among them was a decent three-point buck along with a few smaller bucks and several does. We decided to pursue the three-point, which was a little over three hundred and fifty yards away. We planned to sneak a bit closer before taking a shot. However, as we approached, several ATV riders sped past on a nearby road and spooked the deer, causing them to run over the ridge.
We quickly crossed the ridge, hoping to relocate them, but we couldn’t see the deer. We moved farther to the left to look down the canyon, but we accidentally bumped them again, sending them running much farther down. It was unfortunate that the ATVs had pushed them out of range before we could close the distance.
After that, we sat on some rocks and ate breakfast. We then hiked back up and returned to our usual spot. For most of the day, we didn’t see much—only a few does—until Dallen arrived later that evening. As we talked, we finally figured out why Dallen had missed the four-point buck earlier in the hunt. When he had used his rangefinder, the distance it showed did not match the yardage on Dad’s rangefinder.
(Dallen and I are glassing the last night of the hunt.)
The issue was that the rangefinder had been set to meters instead of yards. While it was frustrating news, it was helpful to finally understand why Dallen had been missing his shots. We spent the rest of the night observing deer in the canyon. Unfortunately, we didn’t harvest any bucks on this trip, but we had several good opportunities.
After the hunt, we returned to the shooting range to test our muzzleloaders. We set up a target at the exact distance of the buck I had missed. After shooting at it, we immediately noticed that the shots were striking several feet high. This explained the buck’s reaction: the shot had gone over its back into the trees, and I hadn’t seen any dust kick up near it. Dad mentioned that we needed a new scope for the muzzleloader.
Dallen then tested his muzzleloader using a Leupold Freedom RDS scope, which allows him to dial in the yardage. After testing, he realized that the yardage listed on the sticker was incorrect, so we adjusted it accordingly.
Dad decided to order the same scope for his muzzleloader. This scope, a Primary Arms SLX 1X MicroPrism, features a chevron aiming point and an illuminated reticle that can be adjusted using a dial on the side. I liked that it offered two aiming options, and it performed well at the range. The scope's color, FDE (a beige tone), matched the muzzleloader nicely.
Hunting with a muzzleloader has taught me that it requires patience and being in the right place at the right time. Success often depends on predicting where the deer will move. It is more challenging than regular rifle hunting, but I am confident I will improve my skills as I continue hunting with muzzleloaders.
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