Winter is such a magical time of the year as we watch the woods transform into a silent escape. Food sources being covered whitetails seem to minimize movement. Then there is the invasion of orange disrupting the stillness with echoes of gun fire.
I put in a great deal of time but couldn't get a shooter buck within my sites during archery or rifle seasons here in Pennsylvania. Unable to put that buck on the ground I longed for venison to fill my freezer. I decided that I would take a mature doe as soon as the opportunity would present itself. That opportunity happened the first Wednesday of rifle season. The morning only produced about 2 shots in the far off distance on the Game Lands we were hunting. Then around 10:00AM around 100+ yards I could see 5 deer moving through the timber up the hill from me. About 5 minutes later the turned and headed down the hill at an angle right to me. The first one leading was a big mature doe. I let the rifle bark and she dropped within 30 yards from where I was standing.
The first Saturday of rifle I headed back out hoping to possibly connect with a buck. The snow started about an hour after we were in the woods. And it snowed and snowed and at one time looked like a blizzard. There was no way to keep the camera dry so we packed it away. Within 2 hours we had several inches of snow on the ground. Everything was covered. There was no movement and no shots. It sure didn't seem like the first Saturday of rifle season in Pennsylvania. We saw only one other hunter and by 8 AM he got up and left. The snow wasn't letting up and I knew without hunters moving, the deer weren't going to be moving much either.
Since Don didn't have a rifle he decided to sit looking one way and I would keep an eye on the other. It was so hard to see and it was totally silent. If you weren't seeing the deer you sure weren't going to hear them! Shortly after 9 AM Don sees 2 deer sneaking up behind us. I quickly scope them, no horns. I quickly decided to fill my second doe tag. 30.06 cracked and down went my second mature doe.
I have hunted for many years and in all the years I have hunted I have NEVER shot 2 deer in one year. I never felt the need. I usually was blessed to shoot a buck in archery or rifle and then I was done. It was enough meat to last the year. So this was a first. Jimmy hadn't been having luck at that point hunting either so I told him if I could shoot another doe I would so he could get his deer bologna he likes made. And I don't know if any of you have seen the size of my kid lately? Well he is 13 and 6 foot tall. So we can use more than one deer a year now.
The rest of the season I hunted for a buck but mother nature didn't cooperate much either. Ice, Snow, rain, high winds we had it all. I still went out with the hopes the Lord would bless me with a shooter buck. But it just didn't happen.
I was tickled to finally put a deer on the ground this year. Well, two actually. It will definitely be a Pennsylvania hunting season to remember. Spending time afield is a blessing! The harvest, that's the bonus!
Listening to my loved ones and friends recreate their hunting adventures and sharing my hunts with them brings smiles to everyone's face. Creating memories that will last a lifetime and reinforces our heritage in the minds of those who cherish every trip afield.
Here are some pictures from family and friends who were successful this year during the PA whitetail season.
