So story time... for the first time in over 50 years Pennsylvania’s rifle season started on the Saturday after Thanksgiving instead of the Monday after. Given this change, I decided to visit my family in Erie for Thanksgiving so I could (rifle) hunt some private property where I began hunting over 20 years ago.
On Friday, I sighted in my rifle, but for some reason I wasn’t feeling very motivated to hunt. All I could think about was how bad my boys (ages 3 and 5) were acting at Thanksgiving, how it would be a burden on my wife to have her watch the kids in front of my (judgmental) parents while I was out hunting, how I should be spending the time with my aging grandparents, and how it would be difficult to transport meat on the five-hour drive home if I actually shot a deer. So, it didn’t take long for me to decide to not to go hunting....
Fortunately, my wife was able to see how stressed the holiday (and holiday travel) had made me. She convinced me that I needed some outdoor time and suggested that if I really didn’t want to hunt, then maybe I should just sit in the woods for a while with my bow. After all, I was just complaining to her about how I haven’t had enough time to shoot my bow recently and I had taken up precious cargo space in our car transporting the bow on our trip.
So, I snuck into the woods just before dawn, with bow in hand and hopes of maybe finding a stump or two to poke. I had no intention of actually shooting a deer. Well, as I sat there, I felt the stress peel away. It felt so good to actually feel the chill in the air and hear the subtle nature sounds in the woods (opposed to my sons’ temper tantrums). The next thing I knew, four hours had flown by.
I told my wife I would head home for lunch but then suddenly I heard the all-too-familiar sound of what I thought was a squirrel running around. To my surprise, what I actually heard were four does and two spike bucks walking 25 yards behind me. I looked at my watch and it was only 10:45, so I decided to sit a little bit longer, watching the deer slowly walk away. I’m glad I did because a minute later, an eight-point buck silently followed in pursuit. In fact, he was even closer to me than the other deer. He slowly crept along without making a sound until he was only 10 yards away, facing perfectly broadside. Without even thinking, I drew, released, and stood in shock as I watched my arrow make a perfect heart shot with a complete pass-through. The buck took a few steps, wobbled, and dropped within 15 feet from where I shot. I don’t think he knew what hit him.
I just sat there like an idiot for what must have been 10 minutes... first looking at my bow, then looking at the downed deer, then back at my bow. I couldn’t believe what I had just done. I shot the prettiest buck of my career, with a bow, on opening day of rifle season. I let out a chuckle because I was not going to go hunting... it’s funny how things play out sometimes.
Anyway, here is the obligatory equipment list: Sunset Hill longbow 53@27, Gold Tip Traditional Classic XT 500 arrows, 175 grain broadheads. I was hunting from the ground using a Primos SurroundView, Stake Out Ground Blind.
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Topic: HH BUG GOT ME - Part Two! (Read 471829 times)
