Archery Highs and Lows

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• Hoyt CyberTec Bow


• Carbon Express Terminator Select Arrows


• Slick Trick Broadheads


• Copper John Deadnuts Pro Sight


• Trophy Taker Pronghorn Rest


• Scott Little Bitty Goose Release


• Bushnell Yardage ProLeupold Katmai 8x32 Binoculars


• Moultrie Game Spy I40 Trail Camera


• Moultrie Game Spy D40 Trail Camera


• Loggy Bayou Transformer Safety System


• Big Dog Treestands


• Summit Viper SS Treestand


• Medalist Silvermax Silkweight Base Layers


• Medalist Silvermax Cheyenne Pants


• Medalist Silvermax Stalker Jacket


• Lacrosse Alpha Burly Boots

The temperature swings weren’t the only ups and downs this archery season. After returning from the Aloha State, I spent some serious time in the treestand. And despite believing that hard work pays off, the early bird gets the worm, and good things come to those who wait…I’ve been constantly reminded that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush! Yes, you guessed it, I had a very tough archery season and my buck tag is still attached to my license.

Several of my hunts were spent under cover of an umbrella as rain pounded from above.

I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining because it was a very memorable season and it wasn’t like I didn’t have an opportunity to harvest a legal buck. I made up my mind back in September that the bucks I’d seen while scouting were worth waiting for, and I wasn’t going to shoot the first decent buck I saw. However, I was also hoping to capture my hunts on video, so that added another challenge to the mix.

Snow squalls were also part of the fickle weather patterns this season.

This young buck had snapped his right beam completely off near his brow tine.

Here’s another young buck that I had in range but decided to let walk.

If memory serves me correctly, I had 7 or 8 legal bucks under me throughout the season. I only considered one a “shooter”, and as mature bucks often do, he gave me the slip. The only shot he presented was a quartering toward angle, and it was just too risky for my liking. After that, he stayed in the safety of the thick brush and calmly left me shaking in the tree. The close call earned him the nickname the “Heartbreak 8” and I saw him again about a week after our first encounter. Unfortunately, this time, it was late in the evening during one of my many spotting sessions.

The “Heartbreak 8” was one of the nice bucks that eluded me this season.

Kirk and AJ are some of the best cameramen a guy could ask for!

Although we saw a lot of deer during the season, it seemed like the big bucks were mostly nocturnal and only the smaller ones were chasing doe during daylight hours. I heard a lot of guys talking about the rut being in full swing at the end of October, but from my experience, it was just getting started when the season ended in mid-November. A thick-bodied buck we nicknamed “The Great 8” was one of the bucks we spent a lot of time hunting. Unfortunately, we only saw him once during daylight hours and he didn’t offer a shot.

The “Great 8” works a scrape near one of our stands; A video frame from a spotting trip

This young 12-point was on the prowl during the pre-rut; A nice 8-point in the early morning hours

Even though my tag is still on my back, it was an excellent season with a lot of great memories. I’m looking forward to spending some time hunting with my family during rifle season and seeing if any of the bucks we’ve been patterning end up on the ground. Good luck to everyone!