Pennsylvania Game News - July 2020 - 12

days later, it was with a burning interest to
hunt with traditional equipment.
I couldn't shake it. Nine months later, I
ordered a custom longbow. I even placed
my Hoyt compound bow in its case and
vowed not to shoot it all year. I was all in.
As I waited on the bow, I scrambled
to find the other equipment I'd need for
my setup.
A short time later, I came home from
work to find a tall PVC tube leaning
against my backdoor. My longbow was
inside. The rest was up to me.
Over the next four months, I spent
hours each day building and tuning arrow
setups. I also made it a point to practice
no less than five days a week.
Starting at 10 yards, I worked toward
shooting accurate groups until I could
shoot arrows inside a 10-inch pie-plate at
20 yards. It took the rest of the summer
and early fall to hone such proficiency.
But I considered myself ready for the
coming season.
Archery season opened and I was in
the woods at daylight, but not with my
longbow. My oldest son loves to hunt
and he's always my first priority in bow
season. So, for the season's first couple
weeks, I hunted solo only twice and had
no shooting opportunities.
After my son took a doe in midOctober, I got into the woods a few more
times. One evening, I had two large
does walk within 10 yards of my stand.
But since I'd transferred my only Perry
County antlerless deer license to my son,
who was 7 years old and hunting with
a mentored hunting permit, those does
received a free pass.
On the morning of Nov. 2, I chose to
hunt the stand where my son had taken
his doe. Around 7 a.m., I saw a doe being
chased in a field at the base of the wooded
ridge I hunted. But the deer were headed
12

the wrong way.
There was little other action by 8:30
a.m., but as I watched a hen turkey work
slowly toward me, I caught movement
behind me.
Two button-bucks were feeding in my
direction. They came in to about 40 yards
and bedded down. Then a doe emerged
above me at 60 yards. She was followed
by three more.
Suddenly, I heard a twig snap behind
me. Turning my head slowly, I saw a
buck standing at 20 yards. Looking over
my shoulder and with my bow still on its
hanger, I was at a disadvantage.
At least he hadn't noticed me and I
was downwind.
When the buck put his head
down and continued on his path,
I grabbed my bow and spun
around in one motion undetected. Then the buck stopped
broadside at 15 yards. Luck was
with me.
I was ready and had a clear
shot, but I also had a problem: I
could see only two-point forks
on his antlers. I was unsure if his
ears were hiding any additional
antler points. He needed one
more to be legal.

Tense moments
I made a subtle noise with
my mouth, hoping not to give
away my location. The buck
turned his head and looked up
the ridge, exposing a brow tine
on his left side.
He was legal.
After a few tense seconds, he
lost interest upslope and started
to walk. He soon stopped again
at 19 yards, just slightly quartering away. I drew my longbow,
Pennsylvania Game News - July 2020

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