I used to hunt WV and it seems those bucks run farther with a good lung hit than the bucks around here.My theory has always been then mountain deer are in better shape from running the hills all their lives.
I shot a doe on Thursday. I figured I'd sat through five hours of cold wind, so when she emerged with 10 minutes of light left, I went ahead and shot. Heart/double lung with Hawken .50 cal. She only ran 30 yards. I was optimistic for Saturday and ended up seeing 10+ does and two young bucks but passed on them all, hoping the big boy would show up. He never arrived.
I did not get out this past weekend due to a bad knee. Hoping to spend some time in the blind in the next few days. Checked my camera this morning and MAN has activity dropped in front of the feeder during ANY kind of daylight. I am guessing acorns are dropping in the woods more? or maybe the moon is letting them feed too much at night. With the new moon coming, I'm hoping they will be hungry during the daylight hours. Doe activity was crazy this spring and summer. My area needs to be thinned out.
And congrats! I still have not taken a deer with my Hawken. I don't do much muzzle loader and have the Maxum right now to keep it quiet in the neighborhood. I do have the itch to maybe take it out during firearms season.
Hunting pressure will do that. If the deer move through the woods and you can hunt the edge so they do not smell you always there you can increase your chances. Your scent lingers for a while.
I used to hunt my neighbors and hunted a pile of sticks on a rock break in the bottom of the field for a blind. We never crossed the deer trail and wind always came across the deer trail to us and leaving us downwind of the trail. They got greedy saying bucks were near the top more and started hunting the top while crossing the trail. The deer except a few buttons and such all went around the property and harvests all went way down.
But I am NOT telling my wife to keep the kids out of the back woods.