"97" DEER HUNTING SEASON

    OCTOBER BOW SEASON OPENER FOUND ME ONCE AGAIN IN THE COMPANY OF GOOD FRIENDS, FRESH MOUNTAIN AIR AND A WARM GLOWING CAMPFIRE. AS WE TALKED AROUND THE FIRE ABOUT OUR MORNING STAND LOCATIONS, I COULDN’T HELP REMEMBERING THE 96 SEASON AND THE BUCK I TOOK ON THE SECOND DAY, A WIDE AND HEAVY 8 POINT. I COULD ONLY HOPE THAT THE SAME GOOD FORTUNE WOULD BE COMING AGAIN ONLY A FEW SHORT HOUR AWAY.

    MY GOOD FRIENDS, I SPOKE OF EARLIER, WERE JUST AS EXCITED AS I WAS FOR THEY HAD SHARED THESE VERY SAME WOODS WITH ME IN SEASONS PAST. IT WAS DECIDED THAT JOHN WOULD TAKE HIS REGULAR SPOT, UP IN A PINE TREE ON THE EDGE OF A SELECT CUT AND A VERY THICK PINE GROVE. BILL WOULD BE RETURNING TO THE SAME TREE THAT LAST YEAR PRODUCED 5 SHOT OPPORTUNITIES ON 5 DIFFERENT BUCKS. CHRIS ALSO HAD STORIES TO TELL OF AN OLD 8 POINT THAT HE MISSED ALONG WITH A 4 POINT THAT HE ALSO MISSED. I WOULD BE RETURNING TO THAT SECRET AREA I MANAGED TO TAKE THAT 8 FROM.

    AN HOUR BEFORE DAY BREAK AS I SAT IN MT STAND WAITING FOR SHOOTING LIGHT. THAT HOUR SEEMED TO DRAG ON AND ON, BUT FINALLY IT ARRIVED. TWENTY MINUTES AFTER FIRST LIGHT 3 DOES CAME BY ME ON THEIR WAY TO THEIR BEDDING AREA. WITHOUT ANY ANTLERS I LET THEM GO ON BY. IT WASN’T LONG AFTER THAT I NOTICED A SINGLE DEER COME OUT OF THE THICKET AND START FEEDING UNDER AN APPLE TREE 45 YDS. AWAY. IT WAS A 4 POINT, JUST A LITTLE TO SMALL FOR THE FIRST DAY OF SEASON.

    SOMEONE ELSE MUST HAVE THOUGHT MY SECRET SPOT WAS GOOD TOO BECAUSE I HEARD HIM ARRIVING LATE , SETTING UP HIS STAND, ABOUT 100 YDS. AWAY JUST OUT OF SITE. THE 4 POINT STILL CONTENTEDLY FED WITH THE 3 DOES THAT HAD PASSED BY EARLIER, SEEMINGLY NOT MINDING ALL THE NOISE THIS GUY WAS MAKING SETTING UP HIS STAND. CRACK, WENT THIS GUYS RATTLING HORNS, I AM STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY HE WAS HITTING THEM TOGETHER SO HARD THIS EARLY IN THE SEASON. TEN MINUTES AFTER HIS THIRD SEQUENCE I NOTICED A DEER WALKING MY WAY, OUT CAME THE BINO’S , 6 POINTS AND BIG ENOUGH FOR ME TO TRY FOR IF THE SHOT PRESENTED ITSELF, WHICH IT DIDN’T. 50 YDS. WAS THE CLOSEST IT CAME TO ME ON IT’S WAY TO THE SOUND OF THESE RATTLING HORNS. AS I WATCHED THIS DEER DISAPPEAR OUT OF SIGHT I HEARD THE HUNTER SHOOT AND MISS. THE DEER CAME BACK IN MY DIRECTION ONLY TO STOP JUST OUT OF RANGE PAYING NO ATTENTION TO MY CALLS. HE JUST STOOD THERE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED. THAT’S WHEN THIS HUNTER STARTED CALLING AND RATTLING AGAIN ONLY TO HAVE THIS 6 POINT COME BACK TO HIM AND HE MISSED AGAIN, THIS TIME THE DEER DIDN’T STICK AROUND TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED.

    AS I MADE MY WAY BACK TO MEET WITH JOHN AT HIS SPOT ALL I FOUND THERE WAS A BLOOD TRAIL, JOHN MUST HAVE GOTTEN ONE SO I WENT ON BACK TO THE TRUCK TO SEE WHAT HE GOT. WHEN I GOT THERE HE EXPLAINED WHAT HAD TRANSPIRED…. THAT MORNING A FAT SPIKE BUCK CAME BY HIM. HE SHOT GRAZING THE DEER'S NECK. THE DEER RAN A SHORT DISTANCE THEN CAME BACK AND PRESENTED JOHN WITH A SECOND SHOT. THIS SHOT CONNECTED A LITTLE HIGH BUT STILL A GOOD HIT. AS IT TURNED OUT THE DEER WENT QUITE SOME DISTANCE BEFORE WE RECOVERED IT. JOHN'S DEER WAS THE ONLY ONE SHOT THE FIRST DAY. ALTHOUGH, EVERYONE SAW DEER, NO ONE ELSE TOOK A SHOT. I ENDED UP SEEING THREE BEAR AND COUNTLESS WILDCATS AROUND MY STAND.

AS BOW SEASON PROGRESSED I MANAGED TO TAKE A DOE IN MARYLAND.

    NOW PA GUN SEASON IS HERE AND I'M WITH MY BROTHER JIM HUNTING ONE OF MY LOCAL HOT SPOTS. THE FIRST HOUR JIM MISSED A 6 POINT AS IT CAME BUY HIS STAND AND I TURNED DOWN A SPIKE TRAVELING WITH SOME DOES. THE SECOND DAY OF GUN SEASON I COULD NOT GET OUT IN THE MOURNING, SO THAT AFTERNOON I DECIDED TO TAKE MY NEW SLUG GUN AND DO SOME ONE MAN DRIVES. AFTER DRIVING THE BRUSH FOR SEVERAL HOURS I WAS TIRED AND READY TO SIT DOWN FOR THAT EVENINGS HUNT.

    I TOOK A STAND IN AN OLD OAK TREE BESIDE A CREEK RIGHT NEXT TO A MAJOR HIGHWAY. ONE SIDE OF THE CREEK HAD A MOWED HAY FIELD AND MY SIDE OF THE CREEK, AN OVERGROWN PASTURE, DEER TRAILS CROSSED BACK AND FORTH FROM SIDE TO SIDE. DURING BOW SEASON I HAD SEEN A FEW SMALL BUCKS USING THIS OVERGROWN PASTURE. AN HOUR BEFORE DARK I SUDDENLY NOTICED A DEER BACK BEHIND A ROSE BUSH ABOUT 150 YDS. AWAY. I TURNED THE SCOPE UP TO SEVEN POWER TO SEE WHAT IT WAS, AS IT FED ALONG I CAUGHT A GLIMPSE OF HORNS, 8 POINTS, BUT TO FAR AWAY TO SHOOT WITH MY SLUG GUN. ALL I COULD DO WAS WATCH AS IT WENT INTO A BRIER THICKET TO LAY DOWN. I WAS HAPPY TO HAVE JUST SEEN THE BUCK. TWENTY MINUTES LATER THE BUCK CAME BACK OUT AND STOOD FOR SEVERAL MINUTES IN AN OPENING. AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATION I DECIDED TO TRY A SHOT, NOW HE'S 150 YDS. AWAY AND MY GUN IS SIGHTED FOR 100 YDS, SO I HELD ABOUT 10" ABOVE HIS BACK AND SHOT. THE BUCK JUMPED STRAIGHT UP IN THE AIR AND TOOK OFF AT A FULL RUN. I FIGURED I HIT HIM ALREADY SO I TOOK 3 MORE SHOTS AS HE RAN AWAY, DISAPPEARING BEHIND ROSE BUSHES I LOST SIGHT OF HIM, BUT CAUGHT SIGHT OF ANOTHER HUNTER RUNNING DOWN THROUGH THE FIELD TRYING TO SEE WHERE THE DEER WAS. THE NEXT THING I KNEW HE WAS

    TAKING 5 SHOTS AT THIS BUCK, SO I GOT OUT OF MY STAND, AND WALKED TO WHERE I LAST SAW THE DEER. I STOOD THERE A MINUTE LOOKING FOR BLOOD AND THE HUNTER WHEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN A SHOT RANG OUT 30 YDS. TO MY RIGHT, ALL I HEARD AFTER THAT WAS CRACKING BRUSH COMING MY WAY. THE BUCK HAD APPARENTLY LAIN DOWN IN A ROSE THICKET AND THE HUNTER JUMPED HIM UP AND GOT ONE SHOT AT HIM. AS THE DEER CLEARED THE THICKET HE WAS 15 YDS. FROM ME, SO I PULLED UP AND TRIED TO GET HIM IN MY SCOPE BUT COULDN'T BECAUSE I WAS STILL ON 7 POWER. THE DEER GOT OUT TO 40 YDS. BEFORE I COULD SEE HIM, CLEARLY, WITH THE CROSS HAIRS ON HIS SHOULDER I SQEEZED THE TRIGGER AND HE WAS DOWN BUT STILL MOVING SO I TOOK ANOTHER SHOT, THEN HE WAS STILL.

    WHEN I FINALLY GOT UP TO HIM HIS RIGHT MAIN BEAM WAS MISSING. THE LAST SHOT BLEW IT OFF. THE OTHER HUNTER FINALLY CAUGHT UP TO ME TO SEE THE DEER. AS IT TURNED OUT AFTER ALL THAT SHOOTING AT ONE DEER, MY FIRST SHOT FELL SHORT AND TOOK OFF HIS TESTICLES, THAT’S WHY HE HAD JUMPED THE WAY HE DID. MY NEXT THREE SHOTS MISSED COMPLETELY. THE OTHER HUNTER FIRST 5 SHOTS MISSED AND HIS SIXTH SHOT CAUGHT THE INSIDE OF THE DEER'S RIGHT HIND LEG. WE FOUND THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DEER'S RACK 20 FEET BEHIND HIM STUCK 6 FEET OFF THE GROUND IN A ROSE BUSH, THE DEER TURNED OUT TO BE A 9 POINT WITH A 15" INSIDE SPREAD.

    MARYLAND RIFLE SEASON TURNED OUT TO BE SUCCESSFUL FOR ME ALSO, I TOOK A HEALTHY 4 POINT @ 10:00 THE FIRST MORNING.

    WHAT A SEASON! I CAN'T WAIT TILL "98" SEASON TO GET HERE. I KNOW WHERE THERE'S ANOTHER BUCK THAT JUST MIGHT MAKE POPE AND YOUNG RECORD BOOK.