Pennsylvania Game News - June 2023 - 41

the blink of an eye, would be less than 20
yards from our perch.
" Get ready, Noah, " I whispered.
" OK, Dad, " he confirmed, shifting into
shooting position.
The dark blur bounded until it was
broadside. Given another second, the deer
would have been a distant memory.
I grunted. The buck stopped in its
tracks.
" Fire! " I commanded.
Noah, awaiting my countdown,
launched the bolt directly behind the
whitetail's left shoulder.
Like a rare eclipse, the climax of
Noah's hunting season lasted but a few
brief moments. Now, the gravity of what
just transpired began to take hold.
Across hushed whispers, our chatter
was equal parts jubilance and reverence.
Noah, holding his chest, exclaimed,
" My heart is beating so fast! "
" That means you care, " I explained. " It
also means this is one of your passions. "
Before my words registered, he added,
" That looked like a really big deer! "
" Yep, " I smiled. " It was the biggest
deer you have ever seen hunting. "
" Do you think I got him? " he asked
with hopeful anticipation.
" I do, bud! " I assured with complete
sincerity.
I was confident in Noah's shot, but we
did our part and waited till dark to give
the deer time.
Mysteriously taking turns, stars began
appearing across the sky as if exiting a
favorite hiding place. Though the official
Hunter's Moon was three days prior, the
bright moonlight illuminated the most
excited hunter I'd ever seen.
Together, father and son found the site
of the hit, just outside of the sunflower
patch. Ample blood with bubbles throughout
seemed to confirm my suspicions of a
JUNE 2023
THE MOON & HUNTING
The full moon nearest the autumnal
equinox is known traditionally as the
Harvest Moon. The Hunter's Moon - perhaps
named for the time of year when
people most often procured game meat
- is the full moon following that, typically
occurring in October.
Hunters might also be familiar with
the term " rutting moon, " identified as
the second full moon after the autumnal
equinox, which in some years is the
Hunter's Moon.
The rutting moon is so named because
some believe it affects the timing of the
whitetail's breeding season.
Research suggests otherwise.
Breeding-date information the Game
Commission collected from about 6,000
pregnant does between 2000 and
2007 indicates whitetail breeding in
Pennsylvania consistently peaks in midNovember.
That would seem to discredit
the idea the moon plays a role in the
timing of the rut because, if it went by
the moon, the peak would vary from one
year to the next.
double-lung shot.
Like the North Star showing us the
way, Noah's lighted nock twinkled.
We recovered the buck slightly farther
down the creek.
First, we admired it in silence. The
deer's head, neck and body were substantial.
The rack was different and unique. A
pair of large spikes vertically stood about
14 inches. Along each antler, a few gnarly
points spun off in various directions.
Breaking the quiet stillness, Noah
counted aloud - a 5-point.
While I'd never bought my boy a telescope,
Noah has a youth hunting permit,
a crossbow, a buddy stand, passable camouflage
and a good pair of boots - every
fine instrument needed by a boy who
gravitates more toward shooting deer than
shooting stars.
41
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