3 seasons ago was my first year. Had still hunted down the back side of a hill and had a good sized, maybe 2 1/2 year did come within 30 yds of me broadside. I fumbled with some ear plugs and as I started to raise my muzzleloader it bolted and was gone in two hops. That was 45 minutes after day light in early ML my very first day hunting ever.
I spent about 28hrs over the next 3 days and setup around 4:30 on what I thought was a likely spot on the top of a U on a small hill with a creek nearby. Good sized 8 point walked out of the super thick crap 125yds away and browsed its way to 75yds out when I shot it right above the heart. Went 2 bounds and down. That was 2 minutes before sunset. Took an hour to figure out how to field dress it (was perplexed by the diaphram) and an hour to drag it the 250yds to my car. I wasn't in as good a shape, didn't know how to drag it (I was trying to drag it by the front feet and the antlers were catching on everything) and that sucker was probably 130lbs field dressed.
A memory I will absolutely never forget (or if I do, might as well put me down. Life probably isn't worth living at that point).
Since I am at least a few years away from being able to afford a hunting property and probably won't do a lease, it'll be learning more (I feel like I have learned a heck of a lot), getting out there earlier and more time afield as well as learning some more of the good spots to get larger bucks on public land.
