By Paul Sturm, Cortland, Ohio
As my brother Mark and I sat in our cabin on the eve of the 2023 Pennsylvania gun season, we were reminiscing about past hunts with our dad in Potter County and our grandfather in Forest County and the deer we have harvested over the years. As we recounted our exploits, I realized 2023 would mark my 60th Pennsylvania deer-season gun opener, as I went on my first deer hunt in 1963 at the young age of 12.
As the alarm rang at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, the anticipation of heading to the woods in hopes of bagging a big buck still felt the same as it did back in 1963. Finishing our coffees and loading our gear, we headed out to our selected spots in high hopes of bagging that elusive big buck.
As I parked my car, while getting my gear and backpack loaded, the rosy red glow of the pending sunrise gave promise of a good day. Working my way up the jeep trail, I finally made it to the edge of the woods and cornfield, and after a 20-minute hike I headed down along the field to the edge of the woods to the point I had marked leading me towards the “Big Rock” blind in which I could watch the thicket and strip of woods between me and the cornfield that was at the head of a hemlock bottom.
The first hour was surprisingly quiet with very little shooting. Around 8 a.m. a shot rang out about 100 yards below me, putting me on full alert. Five minutes later I caught movement off to my left, and three does came bounding out of the thicket and running down the logging road in front of my blind then began to mill around.
My dad and grandfather always told us, “Keep an eye out behind the does.” Sure enough, I spied a fourth deer sneaking through the thicket about 40 yards below me. I could see antlers, but knew the deer was not a legal buck in the area we were hunting—we were in a three-up zone. The buck, a youngster with about 9-inch spikes, was moving towards the does that were now 20 yards from me.
Finally the lead doe took off to my right, with the other two does following her uphill farther into the beech thicket. As the spike started to follow the does, I grunted, and he stopped at about 20 yards and then finally trotted off to catch the does a few seconds later.
Around 8:15 a.m., I noticed another hunter out in the cornfield, and a few minutes later his buddy showed up. They walked down the edge of the woods, and within five minutes walked back up the hill and headed down the jeep trail. With activity by the two hunters, I decided to get out of my blind to stretch my legs and stand and watch for a bit.
At about 8:45 a.m., I decided to get back into my blind and warm up with a hot chocolate. Ten minutes later, I caught movement off to my left, down below in the thicket, and spied a deer sneaking through with antlers. As the buck slowly worked his way through, I looked ahead for an opening, and as he entered it I confirmed he had “three-up” and took the 60-yard shot with my trusty .30-06. I saw the deer take off running with his tail down and watched as he ran about 50 yards and piled up.
Walking over to him, I was happy to see 3-inch brow tines, making my buck a true 8-point. As I went back to my blind to get my gear, I texted my brother, “8-point down.”
After I tagged and field-dressing my buck, my brother showed up and we dragged the deer to the edge of the field where Mark was able to back up his truck and load the deer, and off to the processer we did go with the thought that I had been blessed on my 60th anniversary.
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