Pennsylvania Game News - December 2017 - 34

Moments later, I heard deer running
toward me along the edge of the field.
When they stopped, I heard those distinct,
deep grunts.
I glassed the nearby timber and saw a
small buck walking toward the field edge.
Such deep grunts couldn't have come
from him, I reasoned, as I continued to
scan the woods.
I saw a doe walking cautiously, looking back to where the farmer had turned
around. Then I noticed those large G-2s
sticking up behind her.
The buck was no more than 50 yards
from me, just over a small knoll. But I
never had an opportunity to shoot.
Once the doe noticed the farmer was
gone, she turned back, taking the buck
with her.

AN AMAZING MINUTE
I stayed persistent all week, rotating
between cut cornfields, depending on
wind direction.
The evening of Dec. 2, I set up in a
cornfield with thick security cover on
three sides, thinking deer might have been
pushed from surrounding properties into
the area.
Around 4 p.m., as the snow began
to fall, I couldn't help but reflect on the
season up to this point and think of how
fortunate I'd been to hunt this buck.
I had obsessed over him since early

July, and had seen him eight different
times. I'm sure a lot of hunters would
love to see a buck of his caliber just once.
As I sat, reflecting, I peered around
the large cherry tree in front of me and
saw two yearling does entering the field
approximately 125 yards away.
I looked at my phone to see the time
- 4:20 p.m.
I looked back up at the deer, and stared
in amazement. Entering the field was the
buck I'd put so much thought, time, and
effort into hunting.
I found him in the scope and followed
him until he cleared the couple low hanging branches in front of me. I shot and he
turned, tail tucked, running back the same
path he walked to the field.
A couple seconds later, I heard him
expire. I looked back at my phone - 4:21.
All of the encounters that led up to this
made the last minute I saw him alive that
much more memorable.
I waited as long as I could, which was
roughly 10 minutes, then went to where
I shot him.
I immediately found blood and was
able to easily follow the trail to those
distinct long tines on the ground.
He had broken off his left G-5 and his
right brow tine sometime after the end of
archery season and ended up with a green
score of 164 5/8 inches.
It truly was a deer, and a season of
encounters, I likely will never top.

Harvest Photo Contest
The amazing story of Tyler Brown's season of encounters with the massive 11-point he harvested in
2016 came to light after he entered the photo shown on the previous page in the Game Commission's
inaugural Buck Harvest Photo Contest. The contest is up and running again this year, with photos from
archery and firearms harvests being accepted through Dec. 17. Winners selected in each category
will receive a trail camera. Submit photos by e-mail to pgc-contest@pa.gov for your chance to win.

Pennsylvania Game News - December 2017

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