2022 Rifle Season Opener

Saturday, November 26th. 2022. Pennsylvania. Opening Day of rifle season.

The day before the opener, my cousin Tommy made the trek from North Carolina, where he is stationed as a major in the Marine Corps. 

We met in the frigid darkness enshrouding the Scotia game lands. It was quiet. And we were quite early, but ready. We hiked the two miles of trails back to where I had placed a rifle stand. Along the way, we caught up on two years of life since we had last hunted together. I pushed my mountain bike along, all the while whispering in excited tones about the spot where we were headed. The anticipation of Pennsylvania’s opening day of rifle is pervasive and catching. 

I remember commenting on the beauty of the morning, stars sewn like sequins into the night sky. Clear and cold, a perfect morning for opening day.

Sunday, November 20th. 2022 (A week earlier).  I returned to the same tree from where I had arrowed a nice six point buck during archery season, and arranged a stand for Tommy. It was 18 degrees and fresh snow covered the ground. I thought about another buck I had encountered in late October.

It was a dandy six point buck that had eluded me by way of his nose. He scented me from his position on the ridge from roughly 35 yards away, and there was no shot as he stood among wooded cover while I watched helplessly from my stand. He turned and meandered away, stopping for long minutes. A beautiful mature Pennsylvania whitetail buck. 

Once I felt like the stand was secure and safe, I took in the view, snapped a few pictures, and sent them off to Tommy, amping up the excitement for the new rifle season about to begin. 

What I enjoy most about rifle season is family. Being in the woods with my dad, uncle, brother, cousin, and family friends, makes the season all the more enjoyable. Tommy took to hunting quickly, and over the five or so years he’s been hunting with us, he’s had some moderate success harvesting a few antlerless deer, but never a buck. 

My biggest hope was that luck would change this season. I felt good about the setup, and I knew he would have a good chance to see deer on opening day being so far back and away from other hunters who would undoubtedly push deer toward him as they entered the woods hours later. 

November 26th. 4:57 a.m. Cold, late November. Tommy was safe in the tree. I offered some final words of advice. Our plan called for a return around 10 a.m. to check on how things were going in this hidden corner of the woods that I’ve grown to cherish. This place I felt good about and hopeful for Tommy to have success. 

I pedaled back to the trailhead. Met my dad and uncle and led them to their stands. 

6:30 a.m. Dad and Uncle Tom are properly and safely placed. I returned home to pick my 11 year-old son, Quinn. On Thanksgiving morning a few days earlier, I had arranged a double stand for us, so he could see what opening day of rifle season is all about. 

7:30 a.m. Quinn and I have been in the stand for three minutes when all hell breaks loose as two whitetail bucks chasing a doe crash down from the ridge above us. Not more than 10 yards away, they breeze by in full strides, a spike and a four pointer. What a sight! 

Later a small, yearling doe would cross nearby and Quinn would get her in the scope for a shot, but we decide to pass on her, for she is small and young.

7:43 a.m. Thock…Boom!!! I remember hearing the shot. Sounds like a 30.06, sounds like Tommy’s rifle. But, it is opening day. I am more than a mile from his stand. Hard to tell. 

8:00 a.m. My brother George texts. Deer down. He shot a doe at 20 yards in his thicket stand. He communicates that deer are headed toward Dad and Uncle Tom. 

8:15 a.m. Thock…Boom!! So, close, surely my dad’s rifle. Hope risesl. Did dad shoot one? Quinn and I climb down and head his way, hopeful. It will turn out to be a miss, but a big buck passed by him. 

Already it’s been an incredibly exciting opening morning. 

10 a.m. Quinn and I began hiking back to Tommy’s stand. 

10:30 a.m. I encounter a friendly hunter who tells me my cousin has a deer down. I start running. 

Along the old logging road, emerging from the woods, I see Tommy. He’s dragging a great buck. I yell. I sprint. We embrace. So happy! First buck. 7:43 a.m. A dandy. A big six point. The  season comes full circle. I am happier now than when I arrowed my own buck a few weeks earlier. The miles of ridges we’ve hiked together over the past five or so seasons have brought us to this moment and this memory. One I’ll never forget. A remarkable rifle morning. 

It was the best day of the season. The best opening day of rifle we’ve had in quite some time. I would be able to enjoy a few more hours rifle hunting with Tommy and my uncle before life called them back whence they had come, but I cherished the time. 

With just one doe tag left, I had one more memorable rifle season afternoon of hiking and exploring the forests I’ve come to enjoy. Places of solitude. Places I spot deer and catch native brook trout on the fly rod. Places I feel I belong. It is always fun to discover and adventure. And, even though I had a running doe in the scope for a fleeting second, it wasn’t worth rushing the shot. Yet, I had found some new, hidden canyons and blowdown covers that might deliver deer for years to come. I feel lucky to enjoy these outdoor sanctuaries. 

Reflections On A Memorable Deer Season...

In the end the hunting gods smiled upon me....and all three of my tags were filled. Through the cold winter months I've been reliving in my mind the adventures of the 2020 deer season...quite a welcome one in a pandemic year.

I enjoyed many of my hunts of the season regardless of the outcome. After harvesting an early October doe nearby on public land ten minutes from my front door,  I finally made a commitment to hunt long and far and use my mountain bike to travel as far back as possible in my local public land areas. The basic goal was to hit places I'd scouted for years. Places that are so far from parking areas and trailheads that most will not bother at all. Boy, did it work out! 

The last week of archery I saw some monster bucks, but never got a good shot for the areas were heavily overgrown and it was hard to get a shot with a bow, because of all the deflection possibilities. The deer seemed comfortable traveling in and out of the bedding cover surrounding me, and the scrub oak provided enough mast to keep them interested as I could hear them crunching appetizers before their twilight strolls or quick bites in the frosty morning before setting up in their staging areas for the day. It was grand live theatre and great fun to watch high octane bucks give chase on every hunt...sometimes the action started not five minutes after I reached my stand. I had plausible chances, but I just never felt good enough to take a clean shot. Sometimes, I was just plain outsmarted or out lucked. 

I made a last play for a buck in the closing days of archery by biking out after dark and moving my stand to a better tree with more shooting lanes on a snow spitting Wednesday night. It was crazy, but I got the stand hung and felt better... whooping and smiling at the snowflakes that glowed bright in my headlamp afterglow as I speedily descended ridges back to my truck...kind of knowing that it was just me and the coyotes making noise in the woods that gale filled night.  

Two evenings later on the last day of archery I was in my stand by the last hour for one final chance. An opportunity arrived in the final minutes of hunting light, a clopping young buck based on the rapidity with which he walked right into my shooting lane following the faux scent trail I laid for him...but he was a 4-point...or at least I could not see any brow tines in the waning light...I remember leaning out of the stand and willing confirmation of one more tine...one more point..., but I could not take the shot...because there did not appear to be any more points!  It was heartbreaking, yet thrilling to have a buck in my midst at the final bell. 

A week later on opening day of rifle, I knew hunters would push deer back there, and I woke early and rode my bike out into the darkness and climbed ridges to get to my tree stand. I knew I was in the right area, because I didn't really see another hunter, and that is saying something for public land on opening day of rifle. At 7 a.m. three doe ran right by me, likely spooked. It was still a little dark and I let them go, because it wasn't a great shot with the scope. Then, around 8 a.m. a panting coyote ran by, and I got him in the scope for a fleeting second, but could not squeeze off a shot. Then, a little button buck came out, and it was fun watching him. He definitely reacted to the coyote trail and it was cool observing him follow the backtrack. Around 10 a.m. it was really getting cold, and two doe dropped down off the ridge behind me angling for the thick cover to my rear left, and I snapped off a round at the first one, knocking her down with a solid neck shot at 60 yards. Now, both my doe tags were filled and I could concentrate on a buck. I towed the doe out with a plastic sled hooked to my bike:) 

The week between I helped my uncle and dad, and hunted with my brother doing some mini drives and we had a great time. My brother who had taken a buck in archery filled his second doe tag on a stalk with me on a windy day. It was really cool to track the deer in a trace of snow. We had deer running every which way...nonstop action.  

The middle Saturday of the season, I was excited to get back to my stand again. Maybe a little too excited. I missed a decent buck chasing some doe around 7:30 a.m. and I felt lower than a cricket's knee. I knew it was my fault for rushing the shot. Ahhh....adrenaline...sometimes a hinderance. But, still thrilling.  

It was a lean, young buck.  I missed him clean, and I was glad for that at least. I would spend the rest of the day doing drives and pushing deer. Getting one in front of a family friend, Spencer, who harvested a nice doe. It took my mind off the miss, for a little while. 

I awoke early Sunday and hit the range just to make sure...yes, I should have removed my heavy wool glove before taking the shot, the rifle was fine. 

After Sunday passed, I made some desperate last week of rifle season mountain bike treks on Monday and Tuesday just to get back to my stand and hunt the last hour before dark. On Monday a bitter north wind blasted me and the tree rocked, and all I saw was a little 50 pound doe sneak out right before dark. It was a cold ride home, but I kept my spirits up. 

Tuesday, after teaching all day on a screen at the kitchen table and running the school days of my own three kids, I was ready to hit the woods, and I made it a little earlier....just enough time to do a scent drag and climb into my stand for an evening hunt. All was quiet and a zephyr was blowing in from the west, and I was worried it was too much for deer movement. But, I knew that the last 20 minutes of the day were my best hope. 

With roughly 20 minutes of shooting light remaining, a nice doe emerged from the overgrown bedding area to my right and crossed with a young doe at her heels. It was awesome just to see some activity, and I turned to see if more deer would come out behind them...and that is when my hunting season changed in a heartbeat.

A magnificent buck emerged. He scent checked and walked right over my scent drag and followed the does out...and I waited and waited for a good shot sans heavy wool glove on my shooting hand while willing myself to quell the adrenaline rush.  I remember him looking right at me, just the right angle for me to see that he had nice brow tines and enough points. He moved into a window, and I raised my Remington Springfield Model 700 with Leupold Rifleman 2x7 scope, and wrapped my finger around the trigger and squeezed off a shot in the same fashion I had at the range Sunday morning.  He bucked and ran up the ridge, and for a moment, I couldn't believe it. I was sure I had hit him! His tail was down and he stood for a moment, wavering, and I promptly fired off two more shots, but it was the first bullet that found its mark unbeknownst to me, it was a good heart shot. He dropped a few seconds later. And I started talking out loud to myself...in disbelief. Sometimes you work so hard at it...it becomes difficult to imagine that the moment will actually arrive and all the practice will pay off! 

My last tag was filled, and I was amazed! A late rifle season buck! He was a hog of a buck. Swollen neck, full rut, heavy bodied, and a nice 6 point rack. A great Pennsylvania rifle buck. 

As night fell fifteen minutes later and I dressed him out, I looked up at the now calm, star-filled skies and thanked the hunting gods and my Pop, whose rifle I still use to this day (and still accurate as ever as long as the hunter keeps the adrenaline in check!). 

It took me four hours to drag the buck the mile and a half back to the truck (my brother thankfully arrived late in the drag and expedited the whole process).  We stood in the darkness of that December night and reflected on a memorable deer season indeed. Between the two of us, we filled all six tags. We both had taken bucks in the same season, and had stalked and driven deer together in snow, wind, and sunlight. 

I was home in time to get a Christmas photo with the boys (Katie had already turned in for the night). I wanted to make the last picture our family Christmas Card this year...but....anyhow, I was happy. The freezer is full and the winter months are upon us. Life is good. Hunting...even better. 

Spot On Kettle

It begins with the riffles above the swimming hole. Across it one can see the flat rocks and muddy tracks of raccoons and other critters who pass along on their nighttime forays. Behind are the hemlocks keeping watch over the deep cut run and large standing stones that harbor the line dancers and quick strikers...the wonderful trout that populate a small stretch of this northern Pennsylvania stream better known as Kettle Creek. 

Below the swimming hole there always tends to be a large fallen tree washed up and stranded by the receding water after winter’s rush, a cover for the fish and marking a shift in the stream’s bed for anglers. The deep water above is best attacked from the shore, while the water behind the deadfall is flat and shallow, but looking carefully with shifting feet, you’ll find the stretch full of pockets and short runs invisible to quickly passing shore walkers. The far bank is draped in shadows from the overhanging evergreens that bow their limbs like Tantalus might in an attempt to sip from the cold mountain stream.

This is a magical place. Through the generosity of family, I’ve been able to experience it for more than a glimpse. I like to walk into it from the main road, each step in the grassy, gravely tract, brings me closer to the soft, pine needle bedded trails meandering along the water. I like to start casting at the swimming hole and work my way concurrent with the flow of the water. 

I’ve ambled down from my brother-in-law's camp high on the hill. I like to arrive in the waning light of evening. The show is almost always starting with risers and nippers all along the run. I like to cast caddis and take my chances with a feisty rainbow, brook, or brown that continue to strike over and over as I release them back into the stream, my face smiling and happy. I’ve fished until darkness completely envelopes me before returning to the camp and the fire with a full heart. 

When June begins the magic seems to increase ten-fold, as the green drakes drop in droves. If I had to pick a place to cast a line the first week of June every year, I’d choose this little stretch of water above all others in a heartbeat.  

  

I’ve shared my casts here with family and this is where the best secrets are revealed. To glance down stream and see my brother-in-law and niece standing side by side in the evening light, a forever framed picture in my mind’s eye. Seeing the rods bend and the silvery flash and splash of a hooked trout from a distance keeps me smiling. To watch my Uncle Jerry and his son-in-law Shane enchanted by the magic of this place brings a perpetual grin. “It’s like fishing in a snow globe,” Shane once remarked after experiencing the green drakes on a perfect June night. 

I turn from these visuals to feel the shoulders of young sons, who now stand before me in this sublime stretch of water. I place the fly rod in their hands and lightly grip the reel and set them casting elbow to wrist, setting the drake imitation on the water...and the magic continues as cast after cast brings the reward. We enjoy the moment of a captured char and release it back into the hidden pockets as the hemlocks watch us strain our eyes against the darkness for just one more cast...one more cast...one more cast... 

The boys enjoy the swimming hole after a day of fishing on Kettle Creek. 

Best Buck

Walking out of the local gameland fields on Saturday with two pheasants in my vest evoked a sense of deep satisfaction that is difficult to replicate, for it has been a fantastic November. Archery season ended a week prior, and I was still raising my fist and pumping it with enthusiasm. On the final Saturday of bow season, I had harvested the best buck of my life—a high racked eight-pointer on public land.

I would say this year was a culminating year. A gathering of knowledge and experience from past seasons. Mistakes I made in years prior were remembered and I was able to move forward into a realm of becoming a better archery hunter. In many ways the story of this year's buck, began last season.

It rained a lot last year. Nearly every Saturday of archery it precipitated. November 2018...it was one Friday evening after work that I rushed to one of my stands along a ridge top where I saw the best buck of the season. There was a yearling doe that always seemed to be milling around my stand. I often felt she was good cover for other deer. If she was comfortable, other deer were more likely to be at ease.

I remember watching this same doe feed along the ridge 50 yards away that day. Suddenly, she raised her head and skipped in one graceful, seemingly alarmed stride nearly 10 feet to the side of the trail. I thought something was coming along that might disrupt my own hunt, but then I heard the low grunt of a whitetail buck. I scrambled into position and knocked an arrow. Three doe made their way up the ridge and right behind them, nudging them all along, was a nice rack buck. He was king of the ridge no doubt. 

All four bedded down as the rain subsided and a low fog rolled through the understory.  Fat bombs of water splashed down from the tree tops. I hit the grunt tube a few times and waited. Like a monolith the buck rose and scanned the area seeking the source of a possible challenger. He began a deliberate walk toward my position, and it was a thrilling jolt of adrenaline. The monarch craftily made his way to me using all the cover I could not shoot through...until I had one clear lane. But, I couldn't get my pin on his vital areas. I remember hoping he would keep following a cliff edge around my tree, for he would emerge in a perfect opening, but he stopped to scent me and though he could not see me, he dropped over the cliff, and smartly came back up 60 yards away. There he simply stood and the cover of darkness enveloped him. I had to tip my hat to this buck, for he had beaten me at the game. I waited until pitch dark so as not to spook him and climbed down for the hike back to the trailhead.

I relived that hunt a thousand times. 

A year later a new opportunity would dawn.

It was the final Saturday of the 2019 archery season. Up until this point, I had only spotted a few legal bucks, a nice six on a frigid, blustery, snow-spitting afternoon and a bigger eight the final Friday evening of the season. Neither buck had moved closer than fifty yards as both were in pursuit of does and largely ignored the bleats and grunts I threw in their direction.

I still had a lot of hope. Seeing a good buck in the waning light on Friday was a positive. The big boys were moving and pushing and setting the stage for exciting shows in the woods.

I did not have to wait long for the entertainment to commence on Saturday morning. Shortly after sunrise a doe zipped across the hardwood as I watched from my stand set back against a tangle of woody browse and a marshy swale.  Seconds later a grunting, sleigh-headed buck charged behind in hot pursuit. Marveling at the size of the antlers, I watched him skitter to a walk. I could not see the doe in the cover, so I hit the bleat call to get his attention. His antlers were definitely visible and I knew he was definitely a big racked buck. To get this big on public land, I knew the buck was wise. He lifted his nose and scented the wind which prevailed from my direction. Despite the doe scent I had put down, I knew chances were he could also scent me. 

For the next hour and a half I observed the buck slowly pick his way through the brush. I thought for sure he would eventually lose interest in my intervals of bleats and grunts and make off in the direction of the doe. My heart pounded the entire time, and once I lost him for a few minutes and thought that he was gone, but I kept trying to think positive. I've seen the smart bucks circle in from behind and I knew that maybe he would do so. And, then, I got my biggest break of the morning. 

Roughly fifty yards to my right, a deer popped out on the trail that leads past my stand, and it was the same doe the buck had been chasing. I had no idea that she had been there all along, hence the buck stayed in the area. I quickly decided there would be no more enticing calls on my part. The doe was my ticket, and if I didn't spook her, he might follow her all the way.

I mostly remember the absolute intensity of the next twenty minutes as I watched the doe drift closer and closer to my position. The buck emerged on the same trail and kept an eye on the doe as he mimicked her feeding lane—laden with spicebush and hackberry. The moment of truth came when he stopped and silently stared at me from about 55 yards. The doe was at about 30 yards at this point. I remember holding stock still and closing my eyes a few times while hoping beyond hope that he would not snort and bust away. It felt like five minutes before I could breath again, and the buck dismissed me.  He continued to feed and once I thought he would use the screening shrubs and saplings to move away from a good shooting lane. But, the doe continued to put him at ease.

A sense of calm pervaded when the buck stepped back across the trail and stood broadside, slightly quartering away at 35 yards. All my cards were flipped and I was dealt an unobstructed shot. All that mattered was the shot and I focused entirely on it. I'll always remember the arc of the arrow as it plunged downward and struck home. The buck whirled, staggered, and fell. It was all over in ten seconds. I openly wept with happiness and immediately felt that a true monarch of the woods had fallen. He was a magnificent buck. A smart buck. And, it was an honor to take him. I know I will lose more times than win in matchups with bucks like him. Most times I'll be lucky to even see a big buck for they move like spirits...always wary and always wise. Yet, as I walked out of the forest on the final day of archery, I knew that I was carrying with me...the buck of a lifetime. 

Beagle Song

I often think about how I attempt to peel back the layers of sounds while archery hunting in the autumn forest. The leaves rustling in the breeze. The incessant chatter of gray squirrels. The skittering of chipmunks on the forest floor. The drop of acorns. But, one sound I want to hear again in autumn is my Daisy’s beagle song. This will be the first autumn afield where I will not hear it. And, I am heartbroken. After fifteen years of crossing hill and dale, forest and field, I will not have the honor of being in the company of my beloved hunting partner.

In her passing I could only thank her. Thank her for giving me all her heart in every hunt. For teaching me how to hunt pheasants and rabbits. For bringing me closer to my father and brother, who accompanied me on so many hunts. The friends and family that hunted with Daisy and I over the seasons always seemed to walk away with a smile and a harvest. More times than not, fellow hunters were left in awe of her ability. She was a scant 20 pounds, but it seemed like no gamebird could trick her. No rabbit outwit her. I learned her different barks and bays, and in time, I could tell by her songs exactly which quarry she was tracking. There were times when we hiked out with game pouches laden with pheasants, rabbits, turkey, and grouse. She hunted them all.

Daisy was a marker on my life. I was in my mid-twenties when she was a puppy, and now I am beyond 40 in her passing. In the early years, I recall the sheer joy of rushing home from school in October and November, so we could get in a few hours hunting before sunset. I felt like Billy Coleman from Where the Red Fern Grows...just me and my little dog, and all was right with the world.

I can still feel my heart hammering the first time I trained her on birds and watched her flush seven roosters. I knew I had not only a rabbit chaser, but also a bird hunter. In college I hunted the local game lands sans dog, and all I had to show for it were three pheasants in three years. The first season with Daisy she was but six months old, and we harvested 25 roosters and hens...and probably missed more than we should have. What ensued was more than a decade of everything I could have ever hoped for in a dog. Saturday mornings and weekday evenings immersed in the pursuit of game, roosters and rabbits hanging off the back porch seemingly every time. Crock pots simmering with fresh meals of barbeque or apple cinnamon wild game.

Her final hunt was on Christmas Eve this year past. She was feeling a bit better. With tears in my eyes I listened to her sing her song, while roosters lifted, wings beating, and fortunately, fell one for Christmas dinner. I knew it would be her last harvest, but she saved some time for the snows of late winter when we folded over into rabbit walkers with my sons, Kale and Quinn—who over the years loved to go out and watch Daisy find a late season hen or bunny.

In her passing I know I was lucky. Thank you girl! You picked me! Me! You taught me! You loved me! And, my heart is broken. But, forever will I be thankful to have been the hunter at the center of your heart…the center of your beautiful beagle song-a song you sung so many times for me. I miss you girl! I miss you. But, I know one day...I’ll hear your song again.

Ridge Runners

Fellowship. Family. Father and Son. In the Pennsylvania woods of late autumn, the days grow short, and the cold cracks into hills and streams. Here you’ll find hunters bonding over whitetail deer hunting. In the first week of December of 2018, my Uncle Tom made his annual trek to the rolling, forested landscape of central Pennsylvania for rifle season. This time, his son, my cousin Tommy, was able to participate in the pursuit of the most highly sought after big game animal on the planet.

For an entire week, they toiled in the predawn darkness and hunted until the twilight. Day in and day out they stalked without so much as a flash of a deer. I was able to join them in a washed out opener as we searched for whitetails in a pouring rain, trekking up and over ridges and down along creek bottoms with overflowing creeks and flooded out swamps. It wasn’t until the final day of the hunt on the doe opener, that an opportunity for a shot at success would present itself.

After an unproductive morning of stand hunting in state gamelands, we transitioned to the Stone Valley forest, a 7,000 acre public land swath of high ridges, wooded creek bottoms, and thick pine stands. We began by posting on the ridgetops high above Shaver’s Creek around midday.

For the first drive, we set up along the Mountain View trail which tops out around a thousand feet above the stream. Uncle Tom, Tommy, and Dad would watch the spine-like tops for deer crossing over from one side of the ridge to the other. Past experience showed that deer like stay high in order to see hunters pushing up toward them from below. Typically, they’ll lay with the wind at their backs, so they can scent danger from behind, while using their vision to watch the forested benches in front of them.

After everyone set up and began settling in along the south side of the ridge, Spencer and I began a plodding hike down the north side. The object was to try and push deer up and over to the south side where our posters waited. At the time, I had no idea that we were about to walk into a small herd of doe. Likely, they spotted us just as we began the drive, and after we had walked no more than a few hundred yards below them, they decided to make a break for it.

I remember hearing the shots...one….two….and then a short pause before a third. I knew almost immediately that the fired rounds had come from Uncle Tom and Tommy. Briefly, we pondered turning and going back, but after a few minutes of silence, we decided to continue on with the push. Working along the backside of the ridge and at this point nearly a thousand yards from where we started, I dropped way down the south side of the ridge to push the creek bottom. After roughly an hour or so, I struck directly back up the ridge to the posters.

When I first reached Uncle Tom, he was a bit forlorn about missing with a shot. “I was fiddling with the damn scope...you put those deer right in our lap Andy! Fifteen yards! All of them big, dark beauties...damn it!”

Tommy confirmed that five doe had come crashing over the ridge directly at them when we first started the drive. “The first shot I hit a tree...I saw the woods chips flying….I took a second shot just before they disappeared out of sight...but I don’t think I hit anything...I shouldn’t have even taken it,” he said.

I told them not to worry. It’s only the first drive of the day. We’d get more moving. I was sure of it. But, I know the disappointment of a missed shot well. It’s always best not to dwell on it, because the next opportunity often presents itself quickly.

As they gathered their gear, I struck out ahead and met up with Spencer, before following the path down to Dad. “Did you see those deer?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he said.

“Which way did they go?” I asked.

“Well, they stopped up there on top and turned and ran back over the other side. But one of them rolled down the hill,” he said.

“Ok, how many did you….Wait! What?? One of them rolled down the hill?” I said.

“Yeah.” Dad said.

“Wait….did you see it ‘roll’...I mean how did it roll? A deer wouldn’t just roll down the damn hill like it tripped or something,” I said.

“I saw it roll, gray...white...gray...white...but then I lost it, I couldn’t find it in the scope.”

“OK,” I said, beginning to feel excitement rising quickly, “Point to where you last saw it!”

By, this point, Uncle Tom, Tommy, and Spencer had arrived.

“Guys,” I shouted. “You may have hit one of the those deer. Dad saw one roll down the mountain.”

Now everyone was moving quickly. I started toward the spot where Dad said the deer tumbled, and after no more than twenty paces, I saw it. A big, fat doe piled up at the bottom of a steep draw. I knew immediately that Tommy’s last shot was no miss at all. It was a hit! And, a good one. We soon discovered that the bullet passed clean through the deer’s heart before it came rolling down the ridge while the rest of the herd ran back over to the other side of the mountain.

There is no way to capture the pure joy of the moment when a life memory is being realized in real time. No way. All I know is that I was happy….immensely happy….positively happy. I knew how hard Uncle Tom and Tommy had hunted that week. I knew how wonderful it was for them to have that time together as father and son. I also knew that harvesting a deer was high on the list of objectives, and being able to check that box is everything a hunter could ever want in a hunt. There were a lot of smiles and back slaps...rounds and rounds of them. There was the excited talk of the shot, the rifle, and of course, a man’s first deer. I knew in that moment I would never forget how it felt to be part of it. To have a role to play. To see the success sought and won. To see a father and son bond high on a ridge top in the Pennsylvania wilderness on a cold December day.

Big Six

My first buck with a compound bow was a hunt as memorable as any I’ve the had in a lifetime afield. I had been eagerly anticipating an early November hunt as soon as the calendar flipped to the eleventh month...a magical time of year to be in the Pennsylvania woods chasing bucks.

On the morning of November 2nd, 2017, I was settled in a good stand site along an acorn laden ridge; I had good luck spotting deer in the spot through the first several weeks of archery season—especially in the mornings. A storm system had passed through the previous evening, leaving the forest floor saturated and silent.  An hour after sunrise, a crafty six point buck sneaked in behind me and offered no shot. Soon after another six point buck worked his way down the ridge toward me, and I foolishly rushed a shot in fear of losing another opportunity. The buck ambled off grazed but no worse for the wear. I would see one more buck, a nice 8-point out of range before concluding my morning hunt. I was not discouraged, but rather hopeful that more action would come my way before the day was through.

After lunch I switched to my favorite evening stand, a long walk from the trailhead in the state game lands near my home.  Hiking in, I met my father, George, and my Uncle Tom, who were concluding their first hunt of the day. They planned to grab some lunch and pick up my brother-in-law Danny, who was visiting from Paris, France, and who had jumped at the opportunity to spend some time hunting with us after practicing with my old crossbow.

Little did I realize how fortunate I would be to have family hunting with me on this particular day.

It was a lazy, comfortable November afternoon. The sun was warm on my back and the woods were quiet. But soon, the last hour, the magic hour would arrive.  The cooler air incited deer activity almost immediately. A small pod of does worked along the ridge to my right at 70 yards enjoying an evening meal.  I began to hear movement in the bedding area directly in front of my stand. A doe hopped out of the cover and behind her, a beautiful buck gave chase. I stood, heart hammering, watching classic rut activity. The doe worked her way toward me, feeding on acorns. I knew she was my ticket to the buck, so I concentrated on her position and movement in order to keep my cover. She seemed at ease and continued to feed, occasionally glancing back at the mature buck, who stood sentinel still at the edge of the thicket. My heart continued to hammer and my mind willed him to move into a shooting lane. For nearly ten minutes the buck stayed put, scenting the air and checking the surroundings. Finally...finally he moved toward the doe. Slowly he worked toward her and then with a quick burst he pushed into a decent shooting lane and I drew the bow and placed my 20-yard pin on his side as he quartered away.

Hindsight is 20-20. I probably had more time than I realized in the moment, but I was worried the buck was about to charge off in pursuit of the doe and I would lose a good chance at him. The buck paused and looked toward me and then away, and I let an arrow fly from my PSE 3G Stinger.

It was a hit. The buck wheezed, turned tail, and burst away through the hollow and into the heavy brush. My arrow had hit a bit farther back than I intended, and I could see the bright green and white fletching sticking out of him as he ran.

Initially, I was concerned that I had only struck muscle and the deer was lost. Light was fading fast, so after 15 minutes of anxious waiting, I climbed down and checked for blood. Almost immediately I picked up a decent blood trail and followed it into the bramble nearly 80 yards away.  I found my arrow, covered in bright red blood.  At this point, I had to switch on my headlamp to see in the gathering darkness.  Concern grew. I did not want to push this buck if it was still alive and lose it. So, I began to back off, and decided to hike out and check in with my family who were by now waiting and wondering what I was up to.

By the time I made it to the trailhead, everyone was there waiting and so was WCO Michael Ondik. Officer Ondik checked my license, checked out my arrow, and offered advice about how to proceed.  We were all thankful for his help and good nature in the matter. He did much to instill in me the confidence that the buck was indeed down and out.  At this point nearly two hours had passed since I arrowed the buck.  For the rest of my life, I will be thankful for two specific pieces of this particular hunt. First, I was glad I backed off. Successfully recovering the buck may have certainly depended on it. Second, the help of family is invaluable.  Having four sets of eyes to follow a blood trail in the night is exponentially better than being alone.

An hour later, our party of four arrived at the search site and took up the endeavor of finding the buck. Excitement pervaded, and with each new discovery of fresh blood my doubts dissipated.  Things looks good. But still no deer. Then, Uncle Tom picked up a penultimate clue and Danny found the final one, and there he was catching the rays of my headlamp, a beautiful mature six-point whitetail buck!

How shall I ever forget the joy of the moment? With shouts of joy we all embraced and a litany of thank yous I expressed to my family not only for helping but also for being there to enjoy the memory. Barred owls hooted in the dark night, and we cheered the good fortune a buck brings to the archer on a November evening deep in the Pennsylvania woods.