Will I Ever Get Another Chance Like This?

[Jaeger]

Well, a year has passed since deer season 2013, and I guess my pain has abated enough for me to tell the tale of my missed opportunity of a lifetime. It was the second day of firearm deer season in Michigan last year, and I was sitting in a blind made of deadwood and old branches, etc. on public land. It is a place I've hunted many times before. I had just finished pouring myself a cup of coffee from my thermos, and my flintlock was propped up across from where I was sitting...about two feet from my hands. It was about 7:30 am, and about an hour after daybreak. I saw movement off to my left, and a couple things became apparent. A deer had stepped out from behind some trees, and the deer had antlers! He was also walking straight toward me, and looking in my direction. I froze. He was upwind from me, so I was okay there. He got closer and closer to my blind, and his magnificent rack was more and more obvious. I estimate an 8 or 10 pointer. He walked right up to my blind, and at that point was probably not more than 2 or 3 yards from me. I knew I had to wait until he walked past the blind and got further away from me before I made a move. Then....my lapse in judgment: He was so close, he was actually out of my sight because he was behind the brush and logs that made up the wall of the blind. I slowly leaned forward and reached out my arms to grab hold of my flintlock.He bolted immediately and bounded off. I figure he saw a tiny movement between the logs and it spooked him. I uttered a few bad words. My buddy and I later decided he had been trailing a doe that had walked the exact same route the day before when my buddy was sitting in this blind. Sooooo...what did I learn from this sorry experience? How about: patience, patience, patience! Keep your rifle in your lap, or right in your hands! If you spot any deer, cock the flintlock and get ready! If it's not a target, immediately return it to half-cock. The problem is, I haven't seen that many antlered deer in my years of hunting on public land, and I'm afraid I blew a very nice opportunity. Aaaarrggggh..