Pennsylvania Game News - March 2018 - 13

DNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

the big buck headed toward the stand,
a doe came down the ridge and cut the
buck off.
The buck followed the doe out of
sight.
"It was one of the most exciting
Ryan couldn't hunt until the after- sequence of events I've ever experinoon, and at 2:30, he spotted an 8-point, enced in the woods," Ryan said. "After
cruising for does, about 40 yards away. things settled down, I thought maybe
my chance of a Triple Trophy with the
But the buck never offered a shot.
He knew the buck from trail-camera bow was gone, but I felt fortunate in just
photos and multiple encounters earlier seeing such a great buck."
And the day wasn't over. Ryan was
in the season.
On Oct. 28, Ryan had his bow at committed to staying on stand.
He spotted a couple of small bucks
full draw as the buck made a scrape 25
chasing does in the late morning and
yards away.
The wind changed direction. The early afternoon, and around 1 o'clock,
buck caught Ryan's scent, and turned snow began falling.
"At one point, the snowflakes were
and moved off before he could get a
so big that visibility was limited, and
shot.
Then on Oct. 30, he missed the buck I thought deer might bed down for the
day," Ryan said. "I was beginning to
while hunting out of the same stand.
After seeing the buck on Monday, think I had blown my chance at filling
Ryan had a feeling Tuesday, Nov. 7 my buck tag by passing the 8-point."
At 2:30, Ryan debated quitting for
would be the day he'd seal the deal.
the
day, but thought about the many
He settled into the same stand well
before first light. At 6:30, he heard the times he'd seen the 8-point on the ridge
clashing of antlers coming from a thick between 2:30 and 4 p.m.
At 3:45, with 3 inches of snow on
patch of mountain laurel on a bench
below. He grabbed his grunt tube and the ground, Ryan heard the muffled
footsteps of a deer. From behind a
called.
Seconds later, he could hear a deer big hemlock tree in a patch of cover
coming, and soon spotted the 8-point directly below him, the same 8-point
running straight up the ridge toward he'd targeted throughout the season
- then passed - stepped out and stood
him.
It wasn't alone. A much-bigger buck broadside.
"He was so close, I had to let him
Ryan hadn't seen before was right
take a few steps to get behind a tree so
behind the 8-point.
Ryan drew and the 8-point
stopped I could draw my bow without being
Thanksgiving
broadside in an opening 20 yards away. seen," Ryan said.
When the buck stepped out at 15
But Ryan passed on the shot when
the bigger buck stopped within 50 yards, yards, Ryan mouth-grunted to stop the
snort-wheezing and raking a sapling deer, settled his sight pin behind its
shoulder and squeezed his release. His
with its huge antlers.
Ryan hit the grunt tube again, but as arrow struck the buck's spine and caught
a friend's wedding on Saturday.
But on Monday, Nov. 6, he'd be back
in the same stand where he'd taken the
gobbler, trying to fill his buck tag.

Target buck passed up

MARCH 2018

Pennsylvania Game News - March 2018

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