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MY
BROTHERS AND I HAVE SPENT A GREAT DEAL OF OUR LIVES IN THE
MOUNTAINS AND ON THE RIVERS AND STREAMS OF PENNSYLVANIA
HUNTING AND FISHING. THIS IS WHERE WE GREW UP. WE WERE SO
LUCKY HAVING LARGE FAMILIES THAT TOOK THESE SPORTS VERY
SERIOUSLY.
HANGING
OUT WITH THE OLDER MEMBERS OF THE CLAN IS WHERE WE GOT OUR
EDUCATION. THESE GUYS HAD SO MUCH INFORMATION AND WHERE SO
WILLING TO SHARE IT. WE ARE GOING BACK BEFORE TELEVISION
THE INTRODUCTION OF GAME FARMS, FOOD PLOTS AND ALL THE
EQUIPMENT AND GADGETS THAT THE MODERN DAY HUNTERS HAVE. WE
DID HAVE DEER CALLS BUT YOU DID IT WITH YOUR MOUTH NO
REEDS OR HORNS. DEER TALK SO YOU LEARN THAT LANGUAGE.
HUNTING WAS YOU AND THE FOREST. BIG GAME WAS THE WHITE
TAILED DEER AND IT WAS NO SECRET THAT IF YOU WANTED TO BE
SUCCESSFUL YOU HAD TO PUT YOUR TIME IN SCOUTING AND
TRACKING PRIOR TO THE OPENING OF THE SEASON. IN FACT WE
SPENT MORE TIME IN THE FOREST SCOUTING THAN WE DID
ACTUALLY HUNTING. THAT WAS CALLED DOING YOUR HOME WORK.
WE
LEARNED EARLY ON THAT BUCK AND DOE SPENT A LOT OF TIME
SEPARATED UNTIL THE PREDICTED RUT. WE ALWAYS HAD SEVERAL
DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF JUST WHEN THAT WAS. SO WE REALLY
DIDN’T PAY A LOT OF ATTENTION TO IT. SCOUT OUT THOSE BIG
BUCKS AND GO HUNT THEM. THAT WAS OUR CALL OF THE WILD. WE
ALWAYS HAD A FAMILY AND FRIEND LOTTERY FOR THE BIGGEST
BUCK. SO YOU HUNTED HARD. MOSTLY FOR BRAGGING RIGHTS.
OUR
FAMILY WAS WHAT THEY CALL POOR. SO ALL HUNTING WEAPONS
WERE HAND ME DOWNS. SOMEONE WAS ALWAYS SHOWING UP WITH A
BOW AND ARROWS WHICH BECAME THE YOUNGSTERS PRIMARY WEAPON
AND WE GOT PRETTY DAMN GOOD WITH THEM EVEN THOUGH WE HAD
TO MAKE OUR OWN ARROWS. A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY HAPPY DOLAN
WAS VERY GOOD AT MAKING BOW STRINGS AND HELPING YOU GET
SET UP. ALL THE OLDER MEMBERS OF THE CLAN SEEMED TO ALL
HAVE MUZZLELOADERS A FEW MODERN RIFLES SHOWED UP NOW AND
THEN. NO MATTER WHAT YOU HAD IT WAS A PRIZED POSSESSION.
WHEN
SCOUTING WE WERE THOUGHT THAT THE BEST OBSERVATION POINT
WAS AN ELEVATED POSITION SO OUR TREE CLIMBING AND
SHIMMYING UP TO A PERCH BECAME EXCELLENT. YOU TIED A
STRING ONTO YOUR BOW, ARROWS AND PACK AND UP YOU WENT.
WHEN SCOUTING WE WOULD ALWAYS FIND A WELL TRAVELED DEER
TRAIL THAT LED FROM FEEDING TO BEDDING AND YOU HAD TO HAVE
A SOURCE OF WATER IN THE AREA. WITH SO MANY HUNTERS NOW IN
THE WOODS DEER WOULD USE A WELL USED FAMILIAR TRAIL FOR
ESCAPE.
IT'S
1950 AND I WAS 15 YEARS OLD AND BROTHER TEDDY WAS 14 AND
WE FINALLY WERE ABLE TO STRIKE OUT ON OUR OWN. DURING THIS
TIME THERE WERE NOT VERY MANY PEOPLE WHO BOW HUNTED. THE
BOW HUNTING SEASON WOULD START AROUND THE BEGINNING OF
SEPTEMBER AND WOULD RUN FOR SEVERAL WEEKS FOLLOWED BY THE
GUN SEASON. IF YOU DIDN’T GET YOUR DEER WITH THE BOW YOU
COULD STILL HUNT WITH THE BOW OR SWITCH OVER TO A
SMOKEPOLE.
WHEN
YOU SPEND AS MUCH TIME IN THE FOREST AS WE DID YOU ARE
GOING TO HAVE A NUMBER OF MEMORABLE MOMENTS. I RECALL
WHILE SCOUTING ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS SPOTTING THIS REALLY
NICE BUCK THAT WOULD FREQUENT THIS PARTICULAR AREA. IM
ABOUT FIFTEEN FEET UP IN A TREE AND THIS BUCK COMES UP
UNDER SOME PRETTY HEAVY BRUSH AND GOES RIGHT UNDER ME AND
INTO THIS SWAMPY AREA. NOT MUCH CHANCE FOR A BOW SHOT. SO
PRIOR TO OPENING DAY I BLOCKED OFF HIS TRAIL AND CUT A
TRAIL OUT INTO THIS CLEARING. I THEN BUILT A BRUSH BLIND
ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT IN THIS CLEARING. THE FIRST DAY HE
DIDN’T SHOW UP. ON THE SECOND DAY IM IN MY BLIND AND
RIGHT BEFORE ME I SPOT THESE ANTLERS COMING TOWARDS ME. IM
KNEELING DOWN AND THIS BUCK COMES OUT INTO THIS OPENING
AND BEGINS TO FEED TO MY RIGHT GIVING ME A PERFECT
BROADSIDE SHOT. THROUGH A SLOT IN MY BRUSH BLIND I DRAW MY
BOW AND LET IT GO. THE ARROW WENT HIGH OVER HIS BACK AND
THE FEATHER SKINNED ACROSS HIS BACK. HE JUST SHRUGGED AND
WENT ON FEEDING. I COULDN’T BELIEVE THAT ARROW DIDN’T
MAKE NOISE WHERE EVER IT LANDED. I HAVE SEEN BIRDS LAND ON
DEER'S BACKS BEFORE AND MAYBE THAT WAS WHAT HE THOUGHT IT
HAPPENED. I HAVE ANOTHER ARROW NOCKED AND LET IT GO
ADJUSTING MY GAP AND PERFECT RIGHT IN THE VITAL. THIS DEER
SPUN AND STARTED RUNNING RIGHT IN MY DIRECTION AND PASSED
ME WITHIN ABOUT TWO FEET. MY HEART WAS TRYING TO JUMP OUT
OF MY BODY. I JUST LAID DOWN AND LISTENED UNTIL MY BODY
RETURNED TO NEAR NORMAL. I THEN GOT UP AND FOUND THE BLOOD
TRAIL. IT LOOKED LIKE A LUNG SHOT. SLOWLY I FOLLOWED HIM
FOR ABOUT FIFTY YARDS AND SPOTTED HIM ON A ROCK PILE
PARTLY LAYING AGAINST A LONE SMALL TREE. THINKING HE WAS
DEAD I LAID MY BOW DOWN AND TOOK HOLD OF HIS ANTLERS. UP
HE JUMPED AND SWUNG HIS HEAD AROUND TOWARDS ME BUT CAUGHT
THAT SMALL TREE. HIS BODY FELL BACK KNOCKING ME DOWN AND
PINNING ME UNDER HIS BODY. I COUNT MY LUCKY STARS. THAT
WAS HIS LAST BREATH. NOW I HAD TO DIG MY LEGS OUT FROM
UNDER HIM BY REMOVING A BUNCH OF THOSE ROCKS. GOOD THING
THEY WERE SMALL ROCKS. HE TURNED OUT TO BE A VERY NICE 8
POINTER WITH A HEAVY BEAM. EASTERN COUNT. I THEN LEARNED
TO POKE A DOWNED ANIMAL MAKING SURE HE IS DEAD.
THIS
IS AFTER SCHOOL AND NOT TO FAR FROM HOME. I GRABBED MY
BOW AND HEADED FOR THE FOREST. I HAD THIS REAL
COMFORTABLE LARGE OAK TREE THAT I CLIMBED UP IN. IT
ABOUT 6 PM AND IT STARTS TO GET DARK AT ABOUT SEVEN. ALL
OF A SUDDEN TO MY RIGHT IS A BEAUTIFUL LARGE BUCK
WALKING RIGHT TOWARDS ME. HE'S GOING TO PASS RIGHT UNDER
ME. ALL OF A SUDDEN TO MY LEFT IS ANOTHER BUCK THE SAME
SIZE COMING STRAIGHT FOR THIS OTHER BIG GUY. JUST THEN
THEY BOTH RUN AT EACH OTHER AND BEGIN A TREMENDOUS
FIGHT. PUSHING AND SHOVING EACH OTHER ALONG WITH
CLASHING THEIR ANTLERS TOGETHER. IM NO MORE THAT ABOUT
FIFTEEN FEET ABOVE THEM. GETTING SPLATTERED WITH ALL
SORTS OF DIRT. I SEE MOVEMENT OUT IN FRONT OF ME AND NOW
I GOT TWO OTHER LESSER BUCKS AND THEY ARE ALL CHARGED UP
LIKE THERE AWAITING THEIR TURN. THIS FIGHT IS NOW GOING
ON FOR ABOUT A HALF HOUR. THE ONE BIG BUCK TO THE RIGHT
LOOKS LIKE IT'S BEGINNING TO TIRE AND GETS PUSHED TO THE
GROUND. THE TIRED BUCK MOVES OFF BEHIND MY TREE WHEN ONE
OF THE LESSER BUCKS RUNS UP AND THE BIG GUY JUST SWINGS
HIS HEAD LIKE A MAD BUCK AND NOCKS THE LESSER BUCK FOR A
LOOP. JUST THEN THIS LITTLE SPIKIER BUCK COMES OUT ON
NOWHERE AND JUST RUNS BY THE BIG BUCK AND OFF INTO THE
WOODS. IT'S GETTING PRETTY DARK AND I HEAR MOVEMENT
BEHIND ME AND I NOW CAN BARELY MAKE OUT MORE DEER THAT I
FIGURE HAS TO BE DOE. SO THAT’S WHAT THIS IS ALL
ABOUT. A CONTEST TO FIND OUT WHO IS KING OF THE HERD.
NOW IT'S DARK AND I CAN STILL HEAR PLENTY OF MOVEMENT
ALL AROUND ME. I HAVE TO GET OUT OF THIS TREE AND FIND
MY WAY OUT OF THE WOODS. I BEGIN TALKING OUT LOUD AND
MAKING LOTS OF NOISE GETTING OUT OF THE TREE. FROM MY
PACK I RETRIEVE A SMALL FLASHLIGHT AND START SHOWING IT
AROUND. I CAN HEAR THE DEER STILL MOVING AROUND AND
DON’T SEEM TO BE TO SPOOKED. I KNOW THAT DEER HAVE
REAL GOOD NIGHT VISION AND IM ONLY HOPING THAT THEY
DON’T COME CHARGING AT ME. I WILL NEVER FORGET THAT
NIGHT IN THE TREE.
Ken
"Howdy" Davis
NAF
#012
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