2013 PA Buck

I had been planing a trip to PA for the last two months. The time has finally come to load up the car and make the six hour trip to Tioga county.

 My brother had been sending me trail cam pics of a hand full of buck. I had high hopes to kill my biggest buck to date on this trip. So far my best buck is a eight point I killed in rifle season many years ago. I now use the antlers from that deer as my rattling antlers.

The drive was nice. I decided to push straight threw so I would be able to hunt that night when I got in.

I stopped at the local shop and picked up my tags. I called my brother and asked what he thought for the night. Temps were in the fifties and wind out of the north west. He gave me a few tips and said good luck. Once I got to the farm I got a call from my brother saying he was going to stop by on his way home because of a cat wreck he needed to go the long way. I get all my gear out and getting dressed when he shows up. We chat for a bit and we decide I need to go to a spot that does not get hunted that much becuas a north west wind is the only wind that works. We say bye and I head to my spot.

On the way in  I see more deer sign on the edge of the field than I have seen all season in Vermont.
I find a few good looking rubs and scrapes on the field edge.

I notice the tracks in the scrapes are some of the largest tracks I have seen. I Start feeling like it is going to be a good night. I have only been in the state for two hours. 

I find a good tree form my climber and get set up. Not much comer so I climb about twenty five feet up and pull up all my gear. I am facing not looking up the hill with the field to my right. Not expecting something to come fro the field I have that as my weak side.  The sun is warm to warm. It is still in the fifties. I am getting away with hunting in November with only a long sleeve shirt on.

I sat with out seeing anything but squirrels. I hit my rattling antlers together and do a few grunts and got ready.  Then it was like someone flipped a switch a little spike chased a doe right in front of me and out of sight. Another doe came by and then the spike chased the doe back by again.  Then I noticed a deer out by the field. I look and see a nice buck working his way to me. He is down wind of me. I am thinking there is no way he will come in. Just then the spike comes back with the two doe right in front of him.  The spike stops and makes a rub on a sapling.

 I am surrounded by deer. The doe are at fifteen yards and the spike is off to my left at ten yards. At this point I'm sure one of them are going to pick me off. I slowly get turned to get a shot to where I think the buck I think is a nice ten pointer will come by my stand. He sees that little spike with the doe and you can tell he is not happy about it. He starts coming in. I can now see his left antler is crazy looking, two long spikes super cool looking.  He stops at twenty yards and makes a scrape and then turns and enters the woods. This took me off guard. I wanted him to keep walking the field edge for a nice easy fifteen yard shot. Now I need to get set up on the right side of the tree. Some how I get my bow between the tree and my self with out spooking him or the other deer right around me. He is still coming towards me. Working his way to the little spike. He heads behind a tree and I draw my bow and go threw the motions. He is less than ten yards now.  This is one of the harder shots to make twenty five feet up and under ten yards.

He comes out the other side of the tree and stops. I set the pin right on him and squeeze the the trigger and heat that hollow thump up a good shot. He bucks and then slams into a tree and then gets up and runs fifty yards and drops insight of my tree.


I text my brother from the stand and could not text because I was shaking so bad. All i got back was ?
So I called him. I said I shot a big buck and he is down can you bring the cart from the house. he said your shitting me and hung up on me. I climb down and go look for my arrow and blood. No arrow but so much blood. I follow the blood trail to the buck and find half my arrow on the way.

 I take a moment to get calmed down and tag my buck.

My brother calls me back and asked if I had found him. I said yes. He asked how many  points and I start counting and got to nine and he hung up on me again. I go back to my stand and pack things up and head to the car and meet my brother there. He meet me in the field with the cart and walked back in with me. I pose for a few pics and get to work field dressing him.

This is by far the biggest bodied deer I have ever killed. dressed out at 178lbs. It also my best buck to date. We drug him to the field and get him loaded on the game cart. My brother had called a few  friends to see if they wanted to come help. They showed up about the time we made it to the cart and helped pull him out.Thanks for the help guys.

And my 2013 PA season was over in the first night. I would not have got this deer if it was not for my brothers hard work and time he puts into scouting. Thanks so much.

On the first day of rifle season my brother killed a nice eight and a doe from the same spot.