Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 49

a deer's back or flick of a tail. But the
weight of the day finally lands on me.
I trudge along the path barely picking
up my feet.
Soon, though, we're walking in a
haze that seems to comfort deer - those
last minutes of the day where they
might be more content to let a hunter
walk by, then bolt.
I look to my left and spot two does
15 yards off the trail, a hummock of dirt
behind them. I find the back one in my
scope, hold steady on the soft indentation
behind her shoulder, and fire.
She drops, and the other bounds over
the lip of the ridge and into the ravine.
The doe is a big deer. Long-necked
and full bodied. When I walk up to
her and touch her eye with the tip of
my barrel, I'm stunned by the space
she covers on the ground. The tape we
wrap around her chest tells us she's
190 pounds.
By the time we tag and drag the deer
to a clearing next to the path, the moon
blinks through the trees. We field-dress
her with headlamps. The snow melts
from the heat and steam curls in the
headlamp light.
We turn off our lamps and watch
the full moon rise in the sky. Our eyes
adjust to the moon's glare on the snow
- every branch visible, every track clear
enough to follow. We don't turn our
lamps on again.
We each grab a hind leg and start
down the mountain. The moon's light
gets brighter every 50 yards, and we
pause and watch the shadows of the
trees grow smaller.
We switch legs to give each of our
DECEMBER 2021
arms a break, walk backward, and take
turns dragging one at a time. The deer
is weighing us down.
After 30 minutes, we realize we still
have 2 miles to go. A distance neither
of our forearms can endure. We stand
on the side of the mountain, hands at
our sides, chests heaving, wondering
how we're going to get this year's meat
back home.
In the moonlight, with luck that can
only be described as a blessing, Dad
finds a black birch pole strong enough
to hold the doe. We thread it through her
legs and carry her on the pole.
Even on our shoulders, me being
6-6 and Dad 6 foot, the doe's head still
drags on the ground.
The next hour passes quickly.
Warmed by our work, we perspire
heavily. By the time we reach the valley
floor, the moon begins to make its way
across the hollow. My muscles shake
from fatigue as we slide the doe into
the truck's bed.
After so long with no artificial light,
the truck's high beams are striking as
we drive back home along the river.
Ourselves now dragging, Dad and I
mutter about the haul of steaks, burger
and jerky that will come from the deer,
so grateful for the sudden gift we were
provided.
In the garage, we lift the doe onto a
sled to help keep the floor clean. Dad
and I both say we should have brought
it with us. It would have made the drag
quicker, saved our forearms and backs.
Maybe we'll take it next time we
head to the mountain, hoping for latein-the-day
luck.
49

Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021

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

Contents
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - Cover1
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - Cover2
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - Contents
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 2
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 3
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 4
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 5
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 6
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 7
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 8
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 9
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 10
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 11
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 12
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 13
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 14
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 15
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 16
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 17
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 18
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 19
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 20
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 21
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 22
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 23
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 24
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 25
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 26
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 27
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 28
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 29
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 30
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 31
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 32
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 33
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 34
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 35
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 36
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 37
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 38
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 39
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 40
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 41
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 42
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 43
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 44
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 45
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 46
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 47
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 48
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 49
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 50
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 51
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 52
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 53
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 54
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 55
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 56
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 57
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 58
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 59
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 60
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 61
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 62
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 63
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - 64
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - Cover3
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2021 - Cover4
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