Pennsylvania Game News - September 2017 - 25

when it was either windy or rainy nearly
every Saturday. Against my better judgment, I climbed into a stand one inclement day.
Bitter winds and sleet smacked my
face as I hung my bow on a hook, pulled
up my hood, and hunkered down in my
seat. I might also have closed my eyes for
a few minutes.
But when I took stock of my surroundings, I observed a big 10-point slinking
past my stand at 30 yards.
By the time I grabbed my bow and got
situated for a shot, he was long gone with
no intention of coming back.
In hindsight, I suppose I should've
stayed more alert - or perhaps maybe
just at home.

Fit for Trim
Cashing in my chips on the last day
of bow season, I decided to throw a
changeup and hunt a stand I hadn't sat
in all fall.
I knew there were several good bucks
on the property, but they were eluding
me. I felt conﬁdent it was the right move
to make.
Without fail, a wide 8-point I'd been
after responded to my call-and-scent
combo about an hour into the sit.
If he had walked to my right, I would've
had plenty of clear shooting. But he
veered left into a mess of tangles.
I found a tight shooting lane at about
30 yards and he was heading right for it.
I came to full draw.
But just as my 8-point was about to
step into the opening, another buck came
charging in, bumping him to 25 yards,
quartering toward my stand.
I ended up at full-draw for nearly two
minutes, unable to shoot because of the
poor shot angle.
Even when he turned to retreat, I was
SEPTEMBER 2017

never offered another clear shot.
The lesson here is that, on private land
where you have permission, even lesserused stands deserve some lane trimming
attention, because they might just produce
when you need them most.

What You See & Get
During a late-season bow hunt, I was
eager to take a deer from my 3.5-acre
property. As things quieted down before
dusk, a ﬂintlock discharged on a neighboring property. Like clockwork, seven
ﬂat-tops came hustling through, holding
up in a thicket behind my stand.
I picked out a big one and prepared
to take a shot through the branches of
the walnut tree, against which my ladder
stand leaned. Instead of continuing to the
right as I anticipated, the doe went left.
I carefully eased my bow around the
nearest limb and settled my sight pin on
her vitals.
When I released, my arrow caught the
bottom of the tree limb I had just negotiated. Though my sight picture to the deer
was clear, the path of the arrow was not.
My carbon arrow was pulverized as soon
as it left the rest. Sight does not always
equal arrow. Duly noted.

Parting Thoughts
Though you might not believe it after
reading this story, I'm actually a pretty
competent bowhunter. I've had many
successes aﬁeld, but I'm not too proud to
admit my faults.
If you think about it, I'm sure you can
recall a few humdingers you've experienced. But as painful as they are, these
screw-ups are worth remembering. After
all, growing pains are part of life. Mistakes
are how we learn.
That's why I like to think I'm still
becoming wiser with age.
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Pennsylvania Game News - September 2017

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