Pa Rifle Season Short and Sweet!

Waiting for the sun to appear!

Pa. Rifle Season

With Matt and Gaven!

Waiting for the deer to show up!

 Matt,Gaven and I waiting for first light to get the day started. We sat in a rock cut at the edge of a nice draw full of oaks!







We sat for about a hour before the sun started to rise and light the woods to start our 2012 deer season



As the sun came up the woods came to life. we saw 4 deer at first light but were not able to get any clear shots for Gavin to fill his tag.






Once the sun came up the wind picked up as well and was blowing right in our faces making it a nice and cold morning for us. So we made do and made a nice little camp fire!

Was Cold till we warmed up our little hunting spot!

 It really got cold shortly after the sun came up and the wind picked up so we built a small camp fire to warm up. those rocks really held the heat in and warmed us all up nice and toasty!









Our goal was to get Gaven a deer that day but sadly nothing would stop for him to get a clean clear shot! he had more opportunity to see deer that day then i had in my first 4 years of hunting. We saw a total of 14 deer that day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deer number 1 down!

After seeing over a dozen deer I was able to connect with this one. What a day it was!










We were all ready to head to the truck when this deer showed it self. One clean shot and we had two deer down. Gaven unfortunately was not able to fill a tag but I believe he has caught the hunting bug!

Two deer down. My season is done!

      Shortly after getting the first deer field dressed and ready to head for the truck a second deer showed is self in range. I was able to put yet another good shot on a second deer taging me out for the year!

Archery is done, Rifle season just around the corner.

Archery is done and Rifle is just a couple days away here in PA.

        Archery here in Pa. was eventful and productive. As you know from my earlier post I was able to harvest my first archery buck. Wasn't quite the outcome I would have hoped for but was successful none the less. I didn't get as much time in the woods this year with other obligations, but I was able to get back in the woods the last two days of the season. It was yet again a action packed and fun time in the woods. I was only able to hunt afternoons this year for varies reasons but mostly personal preference because of my ankle. I hunted 4 afternoon's total for the season and was never disappointed. Each and every time I went into the woods I was able to have some type of encounter with Deer,Turkey, and even a young Bob cat. One thing I did not see was a doe with-in bow range. After shooting the buck I only saw buck with in bow range. In no way am I complaining. It has been a entire hunting career that I have ever had this issue.

Here is a little video of my last day in the stand!

Last day in the stand action! 

    Pa. Rifle starts November 26th. and I can't wait. This will be the first time in my life I wont be buck hunting with a rifle. I plan to hunt with my friend and his step son the first day hoping to get a mentor hunter his first deer. The only decision I have to make is do i carry my bow or a rifle.Bring on the doe!

A long season

Long archery season. I spent almost all season hunting a power line. I wanted to hunt this spot last year but had no way to get to it with out walking through the main bedding area. I finally got permission from a land owner that borders the power line from the north. 

The first night in the stand I had a nice buck come in. He came in to 60yrds and just turned and walked away. I had many more encounters with this buck that ended the same way. Him coming in at last light and them he would always go to they opposite side of the power line and feed.





The one buck I did get a shot at was a four point that I watched for three hours and finally came into range.
He came out around three and then bedded down about one hundred yards out. Finally he got on his feet and fed his way up the hill to my stand. My stand was thirty five feet up in a hemlock tree. He worked his way into twenty yards to a flat. I drew and let the arrow fly. Straight over his back. My heart sank. This is the third miss of the season. I missed two doe as well. The buck ran out to fifty yards and stopped. I grunted at him and he turned and came back in to thirty yards.  I let another arrow loose and watch it drill him right in the front shoulder. I can see right away that the arrow only got a few inches of penetration. He ran forty yards and crashed over a ledge and into a small pine. gets up and just starts running full speed again and disappears into the woods.
I call Will and fill him in on what is going on. He tells me to settle down and give him some time. I get off the phone with him and climb down. Head over to look for blood and find nothing. I go to the pine tree and look, nothing not a drop. I poke my head in the woods and go maybe fifty yards and find my arrow.
This is the only blood I find. and take a closer look and see the arrow only got about three inches of penetration. The buck was going up a old logging road. I mark the spot of the arrow and head to the house for a long sleepless night. I have a quick work thing in the morning and Amber and I head back into the woods. We search  for a little more than two hours and find no blood and no deer.

My first buck with a bow

First archery buck

(My first buck with a bow) Video Link!

Click on the link above for the video of my hunt!

         So my day started with a short walk into the woods still not feeling up to a long hike in the woods. I opted to again hunt the afternoon only not wanting to push my ankle. So off I set into the woods around 1:15Pm. with my bow in hand and my climber on my back. Taking my time walking in with the wind in my face I headed to a large Oak tree I had scouted out some time ago. since It had been rumored that the acorns were doing well this year I planed to sit near this large oak.

    As I descended the bench to the Oak tree I spotted movement directly under this Oak I was planning to hunt near/under. It didn't take long for me to realize it was a deer, three of them for that matter. All of them combing the area for acorns not caring a bit I was just out of bow range. I slid my stand off my back with the hopes of sneaking in on them. I sat still thinking what to do and noticed them move off. I put my stand on my back and slowly moved in on the Oak tree. Once I got to about 30 yards of the tree I noticed the doe had not moved on, but only just out of my sight. I once again slid my stand off my back and again started to sneak a bit closer. See saw me but was not spooked, but wasn't coming any closer.

 Once the deer finely moved on I walked up to the Oak tree looking for a place to hang my stand when i herd a rustling in the leaves ahead of me. As I looked up 3 deer stood up from there beds and spooked into the brush. It was at that point I decided I was going to hunt this area. I quietly went back up the hill to where I had left my stand and went to the tree I felt would be the best ambush spot.

  I was really expecting to be sitting in the stand for a while being it was only a short while after spooking the 6 doe from this area. I mounted my camera and got my self comfortable.I checked my phone and it was 2:00pm. I was hearing squirrels and chipmunks stealing the acorns while the deer are gone. Because of this I didn't pay much attention to the noise of the leaves to my left. I casually looked over my left shoulder and notice a deer standing there not more then 20 yards away. It didn't take me long to notice the antlers on his head ether. I didn't really get to worried about shooting him until i notice he had brow tines.

  It was that point I was going to shot this buck. As the title states up till this point I had not killed a buck with a bow. I have gotten many doe but no buck. So as you can imagine the buck fever started kicking in. I get worked up regardless of it being a buck or doe but I was really feeling it this time. It took him about 5 minutes to finely step into a shooting lane and that was when I sent a arrow flying. I watched as the arrow hit. I instantly knew it wasn't such a good shoot seeing it was much further back then I wanted it to be. I let him get out of the area and waited about 15 minuets before even coming down out of my stand. I made quick time of locating my arrow. From the evidence of the blood on the arrow it was a liver/paunch shot.  I looked at my phone again and it was now 3:30 and not knowing I didn't make the greatest shot I packed up and headed out. Got on the phone with my best friend Matt and asked to see what he was up to. After finding out I headed over to where he was in hopes of getting him on video shooting a deer.

 We hunted the last 2.5 hours of the day together and after reviewing the video I took earlier of the buck I had shot we both felt it would be best to leave him over night and look for him first thing.


  So at 7:30Am I set out Sunday morning planning to bring home my first buck. I started where I had shot him and stared my search. I took me about a hour of zig-zaging through the thick brush until I found him. I was on a emotional roll a coaster from the time I sent that arrow at the deer. As soon as I saw the deer laying there i was on cloud nine, until I got closer. it was then I realized it wasn't that easy. The whole hind quorate was gone, torn off by a bear. Because of this there was no way I could eat this deer. My heart sank I snapped a few pictures and made a quick phone call to the Game Commission hoping I might not have to tag this now eaten buck. well that wasn't the case. After finding out I had to tag the deer I had to run home so I could get the tools i needed to recover the antlers at least. 

   A quick trip home and a quick lunch I packed up Liam and him and I set off to collect the antlers. We had fun despite the lack of bring deer meat home.

 I still have two doe tags and will be in the woods again in the coming weeks!

Opening day 2012

                                 First day of Archery 2012. 

 

Up at 4:50am. Hopped in the car and made the short drive up the road to the neighbor's farm. My trail cam has been out for the last month getting some pics of a nice 6 point, three or four doe and a flock of twenty turkeys. As I was getting dressed at my car I could see a flashlight going up in the bordering field. Never did find out who it was. Took my climbing stand but decided to go to my hang on stand I had placed two weeks ago. The deer were not using the trail as much in the last week. only one deer all week at 6:00am three days ago. But the turkeys have been coming through at 10:00 on the dot the last three days.The woods were quiet from the week of rain. The wind picked up and leaves started dropping. No chance of hearing a deer and now even harder to pick one out. I told my self I would give it until 10 and see if the turkeys would show and if not I was out of there. At 9:45 the turkeys made their showing. They were only 30 yards away when it dawned on me I was looking at turkeys. A few big hens with this year's young. One of the old hens picked me out and started working away putting and getting everyone's attention. I had three of the small ones at ten yards so it was a little one or no turkey. I have missed about 5 turkeys with a bow in the last eighteen years. Not going to let this one get away. I put my ten yard pin tight between her wings and let it rip. I switched to mechanical broadheads this year that have a 1 3/4 cutting diameter. It did a number on the bird. 

I climbed down out of my stand and retrieved the bird. Gathered my things and headed home and then to the check station.

The afternoon hunt.

Got to my new stand location on a 300 acre farm I hunted last year. Hunting some oak trees on the edge of mixed soft woods. I sat for about three hours and the wind got so bad I was getting motion sick and just felt a bit unsafe strapped to a tree 30 feet off the ground. I still hunted my way back to a large cornfield that had been chopped two weeks ago. No deer but the field was full of tracks. I decided to try my favorite spot. I killed both deer there last year. I got to my tree, took off my pack and stand and hear a whistle behind me. I turn around and look up and there is a guy three trees over. Now what. I am a firm believer in first come first serve so I say sorry and back out the way I came.  I hope he enjoyed the shooting lanes that took me an hour and a half to cut out. I decide on a small strip of woods that runs between the corn field and road. I sat until dark and nothing but a few song birds.

First Day in the PA. Archery woods

First day of PA. Archery season!

My first year hunting with a video camera!

   I had a good start to the Pa. deer season. I got to the property I was hunting around 1:30Pm. On my way to my stand location I jumped a small 3 point with only one antler on his left side. Once i got into the woods I picked the tree I had hunted last year in the late archery season, but after climbing about 10 feet i decided it wasn't that good of a tree and pick another tree only 10 yards to my left. So after climbing down and moving all my gear and stand then climbing back up the new tree I w ready to go. It was 2:00Pm. by the time I climbed and got settled in and ready for the hunt. As It always seams to go it started slow with squirrels  and chipmunks running everywhere. Around 3:00Pm. I hear a deer running down the hill right at me. I quickly spun around to see a doe come to a sudden stop not 20 yards behind me, but that didn't last long and she was on the move again. She bolted in and out of my shooting lane so quick i was not able to even think about drawing my bow. And in to time i was back to watching the squirrels and the birds.

 4:00Pm rolls around and I notice movement in the fields in front of my about 150 yards away. It was a deer feeding along the diversion ditch I had just walked across 2 hours ago. I sat watching this lone deer for nearly a hour when out came another joining him/her for a meal. I was hoping for them to work their way to me but my hopes were not high.

   After some videoing of some squirrels and just watching the woods I could hear a flock of turkeys working above me. I love listening to a flock of turkeys calmly feeding along. with there put's, purr's, and kee kee's .I could also hear what i believe was a Jake trying to gobble. It was a sad gobble well more like a wobble wobble. With in a few minutes of this I was able to see them working down the hill side to me. I attempted to get some video of them but they were just to far away to see.

  Not to long after I notice the turkey's I was watching them feed along when i notice a deer standing in the middle of the flock. this got my heart pumping and I spun around hoping it would work its way down to me. It was then I noticed there were 3 deer a doe and her 2 fawns. So I turned on the camera and got ready for what i hoped to be a quick hunt. Well I was wrong. They never turned my way the walked across the ridge just out of range. I believe they were on there way to a neighboring property where there are a few standing corn fields. So I watched them slowly fad away into the woods.

Not to long after they were gone i decided to climb down while I still had some light not wanting to mess my ankle up climbing out of the tree in the dark. I was glad I decided to climb down a little early because when i got to the fields I had seen the deer in earlier I quickly found out that those deer were nice buck. 3 of them feeding along between me and way back to my truck. I attempted to get close to them but with no cover and a rattling tree stand on my back sent them on their way in no time. 

  All and all it was a great way to start the season. Seeing 9 deer total 4 of which were buck. I just hope the rest of my season is this active...

here is the video I took while I was on stand!
Hope you like it.
First day of archery 2012

Back in the Game!

Back in the Game!

   As of August 20th I was back to work from my nearly 9 weeks of leave from work.  Its been slow going only 2 weeks off crutches but doing good. I have been going to physical therapy a little more then a month now and I am a firm believer that physical therapy works. I went from -5 degrees of movement to over 12% in only 3 weeks. I still have a limp to my walk and really have to stretch out and have a nice warm shower to get ready for the day, but doesn't take much to get me going.

   Because of this "No fun summer" I have not been in the woods or on the water at all this summer. Once my cast was off I was shooting my bow as often as I could, to get ready for archery season to begin. Not even sure if I was going to be able to hunt or not I needed to do something. Being stuck in a chair all summer can really wear on a mans soul. I had one day on my way home from a doctors appointment that I caught myself getting emotional over looking at the hills I hunt and hike so often and not knowing if I would be able to enjoy them the way I once did. Thank god for my wonderful wife reassuring me that this situation was only temporary and I would be back on those hill sides once again. Well she was right, I plan to be in the woods tomorrow for the Pa. Archery opener. I may not be running up those hills and doing any deep woods hunting this year, but I know one thing I'll be in the woods.

  I have not had the opportunity to do any scouting of any kind this year. I do know one thing is for sure I have a couple of great friends Matt and Jared, that have helped me out with my scouting, by putting my trail camera out and locating spots I wont have as much trouble getting to. I just hope there extraordinary effort wont go unrewarded. I don't plan to start my season with the sun rise sadly not feeling comfortable and quite ready to tackle the dark unforgiving woods. I don't believe my ankle could handle it quite yet. So i have decided to start my season with the mid day sun, taking my time to one of the places I love the most, in the deer woods!

Here is a video John sent me while I was layed up I thought was very good!

I can relate to this an a lot of ways!

Searching for West