Good morning y'all.

I had a situation several years back that challenged my muzzleloading limits....

Rules: In Alabama during Muzzleloader and/or gun season one can kill a total limit of 3 bucks for the season (but only a limit of one buck per day). However. one can kill a buck and a doe a day until the buck limit is met. Also, at that time, instead of a buck and doe, one could kill 2 doe per day.

Equipment: .50 flintlock Chambers Isaac Haines flintlock muzzleloader and my wits (which can be lacking on occasion).

Several years back, I had completed extensive scouting in an area where I had observed much scraping activity the year before. This was a thickly wooded area with considerable underbrush. I found a location close to a good cross trail which afforded a couple of good views to the trails, I set up my stand about 25 yards from the cross of the trails. I planned on hunting the stand later only with the correct wind direction for that particular hunting situation.

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To digress; I had practiced my reloading skills extensively and planned exactly what to do. I worked out my reloading strategy and timing to perfection (At least on the range).

Back to the Hunt:

Early on a beautiful frosty November morning, I loaded my rifle minus the flash powder with cut off toothpick in the flash hole. I arrived to the stand about an hour before sunrise. The World is silent at that time of morning with the exception of an occasional hooting owl or canine barking in the distance.

Once in my stand, I organized my muzzleloading paraphernalia. I wear a vest with many pockets added for muzzleloading convenience. Each item placed in its proper pocket for finding them in the heat of a imagined situation. Powder in this pocket, Ball and patch in another pocket and priming powder in it's pocket. Vent pick, if needed, mounted under cheek piece.

I checked the flint and pan to make sure there was no moisture, removed the cut off tooth pick from the flash hole, primed the rifle and settled in waiting for the morning events to unfold.

To Digress:
I was in a lock-on tree stand about 20' in a tree with a 38" barreled Jim Chambers' Isaac Haines flintlock.

To the hunt:

It was a quiet beautiful morning with no moon and I was watching a magnificent meteor shower going on above my head prior to first light. At first light, the fog was beginning to roll in. At first the fog was thin then thick, thin then thick.
The sun was rising most beautifully. What is that I see?!! A ghost of a figure on a trail oozing one cautious step at a time towards an open spot in the woods where I can get a shot. I later learned there was a fresh scrape in that spot under a limb. The fog gleaming in the first light of the sunrise and going from thin to thick in the breeze was hindering my view.

As the moments pass, I quietly and carefully positioned myself for a shot. One cautious step at the time, the creature moved into the edge of the open spot. With the fog and the early light, I could tell that it was a deer but could not determine it's sex.

To Digress:

I was hunting along a 200' bluff along the Chattahoochee River where the breeze pushes the fog and it backs up against the bluff and slowly oozes over the bluff to where I was positioned in waves of thick and thin.

Back to the hunt:

All of a sudden, I realized that the deer was a doe. This was fine with me as I enjoy eating a tender doe. I cocked the hammer, took careful aim at the vitals behind the front shoulder and all so gently squeezed the trigger. BAM, the rifle fired fast. The smoke and fog prevented me seeing the doe for the moment. I then heard the doe collapse about 30 yards away.

What's this???? I saw another ghost of a figure oozing along the trail toward the same spot.

As this Ghost was oozing down the trail. I realized that somehow I needed to reload my flintlock. Try this having just shot a deer with 1,000 mg of adrenaline pumping through your veins in a space limited lock-on tree stand 20' in a tree quietly and quickly!!!!!!

Hands shaking from excitement and adrenaline, I reached in the appropriate vest pocket for the powder. There it is... pre-measured in a HC plastic vial. Dump the powder down the barrel. put the HC vial away. Now grab a patch and ball from the appropriate pocket....try to work up enough spit to lube a patch under stress. Pull the rammer (Quietly!) and start the Patched ball. Ram the ball down the barrel. Now return the Rammer to the rifle without making noise because there is no place to set the rammer down in a lock-on tree stand.

WHEW! I managed to get it reloaded without spooking the Ghost. I had not yet seen what sex this deer was. I positioned myself to attempt another shot.

Within the sunlit gleaming fog, the ghost stepped into view. Moist Antlers sparkling in the foggy sunlight, YES!

Excited, nervous and trying to calm down to prime the flintlock and attempt a shot, I aimed the rifle. Did I mention the LARGE gleaming antlers?

Calm down, line up front and rear sights targeting the vitals. Gently squeeze the trigger,

BAM, the rifle fired quickly!!! Again, Smoke and fog obscuring my view. I heard nothing! What has happened? Waiting an eternity for the smoke filled fog to clear. Finally, I could just barely make out something in the open area where the buck was standing.

There it was! It had dropped right there in the open spot. However, it dropped in a position where I could not see where the antlers were supposed to be.

Extremely excited, I shaking and nervously reloaded just in case the deer began to move. (had this happen on a previous hunt) I watched and waited (Forever) what I thought was an appropriate time.

I gathered up my stuff placing items into my vest and day pack. Then with the rifle unprimed with cut-off toothpick in flash hole I lowered the rifle via a cord to the ground. I climbed down, picked up the rifle, removed the toothpick, primed it and proceeded to check my game.

Now in full close-up view, The buck turned out to be one of the largest 8 point bucks that I had killed to that date. The doe was a nice fat specimen. The work began to transport the 2 deer to my cleaning/butchering area. However, as rewarding a morning as I had with nature and the hunt, I did not mind the work at all.

Admittedly, luck and good fortune were with me that day.
Much scouting and planning also played a major role in this wonderful end to a fine hunt.

Do your homework and practice, practice, practice. Thanks for following this not so tall tale.

Living the good life, DanL

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Good hunt. Good story.

Myself - I use a loading block that is suspended on a cord around my neck. For hunting purposes I make my blocks to only hold two or three patched round balls. I have larger ones for use at the target range.
I'm left-handed and carry my shot bag and my powderhorn under my left arm. Attached to the bag strap is my powder measure.
So, when I need to reload I grab the measure and pour powder into it from the horn. I recap the horn, pour the powder from the measure down the bore, then center one of the balls in the loading block over the muzzle of my rifle and ram it down with the ramrod. I don't use a short-starter. Then, depending on what rifle I'm using at the time, I either prime the pan from the same powderhorn (3F), or cap the nipple. (I have a short strip of leather that I punched a half dozen holes in. I press a cap into each hole. I keep this homemade capper in my shot bag where it is out of the weather.)
I use this same procedure whether hunting or at the shooting range. I've never bothered to time myself, but I'm sure I can reload under one minute, maybe around 45 seconds. (I know the old timers, with practice, could do it a lot faster.)

Well, I decided to climb a ridge this morning instead of going to the river. I did bag two squirrels, but they were both so heavily infested with warbles that I left them for the coyotes.
Saw a little bear sign and some pig sign. No sign of deer.
Acorns not falling yet.
Upper 80*F's and the humidity was awful.

It was always my habit after shooting a deer to reload and wait an hour or so because often another deer will show up and the same thing for a third deer. Many times I got 3 deer and frequently at least two by doing this, usually in under an hour. Now field dressing three deer is quick and easy for me and takes very little time. But dragging multiple deer out of the woods can evermore wear a fellow out! I lived in Georgia for 62 years and took advantage of the 12 deer limit, though 9 was the most I ever actually got in a season. Still, I often let some walk, finishing the morning without shooting anything. But now I'm not sure if I could bring myself to shoot another deer, a big buck might draw me out however.