Triple Dog-Dared - Missouri
Nice looking buck!
Lonnie and his Pink TC Pro Hunter
Hunter: Lonnie Turnbeaugh
Cameraperson: Meegan Turnbeaugh
After a full week of Bow hunting at Eagle Lakes Outfitters in Pike, County IL, and several close opportunities, my wife Meegan and I decided to head out Friday, November 14th and try my luck at Missouri Gun season which opened up Saturday November 15th.
On our way it started raining and kept raining throughout the entire day and arriving in North Missouri found us still needing to scope out our exact hunting spot and decide whether to hang stands or use climbers. So in the rain with the UTV, Meegan and I drove five miles one way through the rain and mud to find our perfect spot.
After a wet and muddy ride back to the truck, we headed into town to find a laundry mat to dry out our drenched clothes to be ready for Saturday’s opening day.
Saturday morning brought a cold north wind and some snow, but that was not going to stop our determination. Another five mile UTV ride along with a half-mile walk and we were to our stand. We only had one small problem. Meegan had on so many clothes she had a hard time using a climber and it took her awhile to climb the tree. She resembled the Michelin Man she was so fluffy. Unfortunately, during the morning hunt we only saw one small doe.
We took a small break, got into dry clothes and headed back into the woods. The weather was breezy but the snow had stopped and it was more tolerable. Meegan and I sat for hours and then I was informed camera light was running out soon.
With the camera light running out, I decided to pull out all the stops. I started banging the horns together HARD and using the grunt call aggressively. During this initial sequence, I saw movement coming fast and hard.
“I see horns—I see BIG horns—and a big body, Meegan this is a shooter.”
This buck gets 75 yards out, stops with his head and vitals covered behind a tree, and is looking for the source of the commotion. He stood there FOREVER.
Camera light is running rapidly and we attempt to move the camera around the tree in hopes that it could pick up the vitals and head so I could make a shot, but that did not work. Meegan could not get far enough around the tree to see the deer. She quickly moves the camera back to the initial position and the buck steps out. I remember seeing a lot of limbs and branches between me and the buck and am trying desperately to find a hole to shoot through. I picked my spot, set the crosshairs behind his shoulder, and squeezed the trigger on the Pink TC Pro Hunter (yes I said PINK). At the sound of the shot, the buck whirled around and ran as if I did not hit him.
“Did I Miss?” “I think I missed!” “Did I hit a branch, what’s going on?”
Meegan watched the video and assured me the shot looked good and I felt a sense of relief until we were out of the tree looking for sign and we could not find any. We decided we would back out and search in the morning because “if in doubt-back out!”
The next morning Meegan and I were accompanied by our son Joel, his wife Jessica, Jim, and the land owner. They all wanted to help find this nice buck. Luck was in our favor as our close friend Jim, and the land owner that is so gracious for allowing us to hunt on his land, found the deer alive and had to put another round in him. It turns out that I did hit a limb and the bullet fragmented inside the deer which may have caused his death but not immediately like planned. So a big thanks to Jim for helping me harvest a really nice buck.
I hope to do this by myself next year…..!!!!!
Footnote: I bet all of you are wondering why I used a pink gun... Well um... My son dared me, my wife double dog-dared me, and Jessica triple dog-dared me, so I could not let them down... That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!