A quick anecdote on this. Opening morning about 2 1/2 miles into wilderness, I heard a muffled shot, sounded funny...kinda like a shotgun, just a minute or two later here comes a 3 pt at a pretty good lope, steeper than a cows face, I donged him (at an awesome 30 yds) and he piled up another 60 yds down the bluff. Gutted him, went back up to get my rifle and daypack, here comes a guy about my age packing a Remington 1863 replica. We conferred, yes he fired at a buck 30 minutes ago, yes I fired and killed one, yadda yadda. The guy was about to leave and I told him he got first blood and his buck was 60 yards down the hill, gutted...he was very grateful, he offered it back, but finally relented. Six or seven hours later I returned to the pickup and the trailhead, skunked, he had packed that buck all that way and put it in the bed of my pickup with a note. That stranger and I have been good friends, hunted, fished and camped for 30 years now.
Last edited by flintlocke; 12/11/22.
