My hunt with a 30-40 Krag Jorgenson

This is a story about not being prepared, not spending enough time getting prepared and just plain dumb luck.

     Back about 10 years ago I was trying to go to college, work full time and tolerate living with my first wife, a.k.a. the wicked witch of the west. I sold my gun that previous winter for food money and had not bought another one and found my self weeks away from deer hunting season. My dad said that I could borrow one of his guns, so looking in his gun cabinet I plucked out his Krag-Jorgenson carbine that had an inch of dust and a crumbling varnish job. He told me he had better but I didn’t want to take any of his “better” rifles. I took the gun home and refinished the stock to find some beautiful walnut.
     I scouted my spot I was going to sit a couple weeks before opening season, I was going to move 75yrds to the west of were I had been sitting the previous 3 seasons, I use a pine tree as a marker were I was going to nestle myself between two bushes.
     Opening day came and I went to my new “spot”. Unfortunately my flashlight only gave a yellow glow and the big pine tree marker no longer was visible in the forest as it was during my scout. Tromping around for 5 minutes with no luck of my spot I went to the woods line and sat next to a big cedar. At first light, I found myself sitting nearly on a deer trail and 50yrds through the woods, in plan view was my new spot I was supposed to be sitting. Being too late to move I stayed put, thinking to myself how stupid I was for not marking my path better, not having a better flash light and just not taking the time to be prepared. 
     About 8:00am I looked up to see a doe coming right down the trail I was sitting on, behind her was a nice 7 point buck, I thought “shoot there coming right at me”. When the doe got 30yrds from me she turned south, thank goodness and of course the buck followed. I put the ol’ krag to my shoulder and the buck stopped and looked at me, before he could figure me out I pulled the trigger and he bucked like a mule and dropped 5yrds later.
     I was the only one to get a deer on opening morning that year. Unfortunately my dad didn’t let me use the gun again and my brother who it was originally gave to is now the owner of it. 
     I guess my lecture on being prepared and offering hunting tips did not go well.
Ammo of choice 180gr Winchester 30-40 Krag