Pennsylvania Game News - January 2021 - 8

" I almost turned around and went
home, " he said, reasoning deer - especially such a large one - wouldn't be
up and moving in such weather. " But
as my dad always told me, expect the
unexpected. "
It didn't take long to realize that, despite
the temperature, deer were moving about.
Nearing his stand on the walk in, Cory
bumped three does, which scooted off
without snorting. Then at about 5 p.m.,
the 8- and 9-points appeared again, this
time about 80 yards off, feeding on the
freshly dropped acorns.
At about 5:30, a doe with two fawns
circled in from behind him, providing a
close encounter until one of the fawns
reached a spot downwind where its nose
rose like a beacon to Cory's position 15
feet in a tree, and all three deer abruptly
took off.
But, in general, the never-swirling
southerly wind, which crossed Cory from
left to right, was perfect for hunting the
spot, he said.
With about 20 minutes of daylight
remaining, Cory heard something behind
him. It could have been a squirrel, and
might have been a deer. But whatever it
was, it sounded to be crunching on acorns.
" I kept looking back there; kept looking back there, " he said.
After all, back there - if anywhere - is
where he expected the buck to be; along
a steep gutter on an east slope where the
prevailing westerly wind would allow
a bedded deer to scent-check its likely
backtrail. Then, from that same direction,
he heard the steady rhythm of hoofs on
leaves, and turned again.
" The first thing I saw were horns and,
oh my goodness! " he said. " There's nothing, and I mean nothing, that will prepare
you for the moments that led up to the
shot. They were by far the most intense
8

moments of my life. "
The buck was standing, surveying the
area, when Cory first saw it. As it started
toward Cory again, it approached slowly
and stopped often, its ears moving much
of the time, scanning for trouble.
" Probably because he knew he
shouldn't be on his feet right then, in daylight, it could mean trouble, " Cory said.
The buck was circling from behind
Cory and to his left. The wind was in
Cory's favor, and the buck was on course
to step into an opening in the brush at the
7 o'clock position, back and to the left.
Cory had practiced drawing on that spot
and others while on stand, like he always
does, trying to stay loose and making
sure a shooting window will provide an
opportunity.
With the buck still walking, Cory drew
back the bow, anchored the string, and
grunted in attempt to stop the buck in the
opening.
" I know he heard me, but he didn't
want to stop in that opening, " Cory said.
Instead, the buck went a few steps
farther and stopped in the brush, offering
Cory no shot. When it started moving
again, angling away, Cory let down the
string.
" I thought, 'Oh no, that's it; it's done,' "
he said. " The situation went from 100
mph to 200 mph, just like that. "
Cory said it's hard to describe the
swing of emotions in the moments
between his first glimpse of the buck,
and the adrenaline-pumping anticipation
it brought, and the heart-crushing letdown
as he watched it walk away through the
brush.
But the buck still was in sight, in range,
and headed for another opening, directly
to Cory's left, at 9 o'clock.
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - January 2021
