I may have been a little excited. No, I was overly excited. It had been 7 years since I last hunted and archery never worked out in the past. Between running cross country and having bows that developed cracks a week before the season opener I felt short-changed a few times. Not this year. This summer I shot my Assenheimer recurve bow more than ever before, read articles and watched videos, poured through books my friend let me borrow and devoted so much time and life to traditional archery. I’ve loved every minute of it and can’t wait for hours more of it.
On this day came the moment of truth, or rather on this season came the moment of truth. I might be a half-decent shot with my old recurve, but finding a deer to shoot at is another story.
Archery Season Opener Setup
The night before I went to an all you can eat Chinese buffet which led to an evening of overeating and laughing a lot. You would think that tired me out, but I ended up falling asleep around 11 pm and then rolling out of bed by 2:30 without an alarm. I threw in the towel on getting any sleep since my wife was awake as well. It was great having a decent breakfast with her and talking about the future with her before shoving off. My clothes, the camo seat bucket I would be sitting on, and my quiver equipped with 3 freshly sharpened broadheads and 2 nonsense broadheads for those pesky squirrels were all waiting on the front porch for me. I left early figuring I would try to fall asleep in my seat. 15 minutes later I was rolling into the state game lands out in Rock Pa.
The Bucket Bow Hunter
No one was there and the moon was full. I started my long hike deep into the forest to ensure it would be a lonely morning. As I came to a clearing with a field to my right and the full moon beaming down on me I turned off my headlamp and stood. The woods were so quiet. Looking around at the moonlit forest I felt so alone, but not in a way that sends shivers up your spine. I didn’t want to quickly turn my light back on or run back towards the truck as I would have when I was a little kid. I felt calm, a peace that I haven’t had in a while. It feels cheesy even writing it now, but there is something wonderful knowing that the closest human being is miles away.
I hiked along the field without my light and once I reached the thicker woods, I switched my headlamp on to its lowest setting. Having run through these woods many times I had seen many rattlesnakes and copperheads soaking up the heat of the trail. They were probably nestled under the rocks by now but I know the path stones hold their heat for hours.
Crossing the powerline, I started into thicker grass that covered the trail less traveled. I was pleasantly surprised that my feet stayed dry. That was one of the strange benefits of hiking at 3:45 in the morning. The dew had yet to settle. Before I made my turn into the woods I sat on my bucket and looked around. I could see my breath as I tried to catch it. I shouldn’t have stopped running the other month, just those few weeks off I felt fatter and slower.
Into The Woods
Diving into the woods I hopped from rock to rock clenching my bow in one hand and the bucket in the other. Once I climbed the mountain I could find one of the many spots that overlook the deer trails and get set up. I reached a false summit and thought I was making great time. As I rounded a thick patch of brambles and started climbing again I was feeling a little annoyed I hadn’t reached the peak yet. It is strange how different the woods look at night. Personally, I do not like the reflectors hunters put up, but I understand why they use them.
Reaching the top I quickly found the tree I planned to nestle in. It was actually two trees that looked like four since they had split at the ground. It provided great cover and allowed for me to curl up and lean against two of the limbs to try to sleep. I quickly changed my shirt from the bucket and used a wipe to remove as much sweat and smell from my body as possible. Taking some camo netting I dragged the material around the base of the tree to cover any movement of my feet. Once I had my makeshift blind I sat back against the cool tree and tried to sleep. It was 4:50 and that gave me an hour and a half until I could start slinging arrows. Despite wanting to sleep and being a bit tired, I didn’t close my eyes once that morning.
The woods were quiet and strange. I had been in the woods in the dark before, but this felt like I was in a movie. About 15 minutes in the whole area had a thick fog that hovered in the trees. Then at about 5:30 am the fog grew thicker and the moon disappeared. In a matter of seconds, the forest was extremely dark. It was eerie how I could barely see the area that was bright from the moon only moments before. As 6 rolled around I could hear the woods start to rustle. This was likely because of the hunters entering the woods and stirring up the wildlife. That was fine, stir it up towards me, I was ready and I was waiting. And I waited.
First Doe Sighting
Around 9:30 a fast-paced crashing through the woods could be heard to my right. I was in such a relaxed state it took me by surprise. It, being a gray squirrel that was running like its tail was on fire. I quickly went to switch out arrows, but it was much too fast. I sighed and switched my arrows back and listened to him continue to crash through the woods. I wonder what spooked him so much. I looked back the way he had come to see if I could spot a hunter walking the deer trail I was burrowed near. It was then I saw them.
They had just crested the ridge I climbed hours before. They were closing in from 40 yards to 30, then 25. They were so near, but I couldn’t get a full draw to the right. As they walked the two small does curled around the tree I was hiding behind. They stayed continually around 20 yards away. When on head went down another went up. Slowly turning in my seat I hoped to shoot with my feet pointing away from them at full draw to my left, a shot I had been practicing all summer knowing I’d be ground hunting.
I could feel a drop of sweat run down my temple. I was in position, and the lead doe hadn’t budged. Just 5 steps forward would be enough, it’d be at the very edge of where I’d feel comfortable shooting, but close enough. I raised my recurve up slightly. There was a sharp snort. The doe that was lagging behind must have been spooked by me. She lept once away and then stopped. The lead doe stared me down. I tried to remain perfectly still but could feel my bow shaking in my hand. Miraculously the doe put her head down and continued on, but she was walking slightly away from me getting just out of a range that I would not feel confident in shooting her with my bow. No one wants to maim a deer and traditional archers have to pay even more attention to this.
I wasn’t ready to give up though. The lead doe continued in my vision heading at a slight angle away from me. Her friend continued walking directly away not wanting to chance me. The lead was getting further and further. I let out a small bleat from the can and the doe stopped. She circled back towards me but was still a solid 35 yards away. Then, as she crossed into the downwind of me that was enough. She was done with me and ran off into the woods.
Wrapping Up The Hunt
Finally the breath I held for the few short minutes that felt like an eternity. It was wonderful. Who cares that I didn’t get the deer, there will be more. I only described a fragment of my thoughts in the woods. During this time I was able to talk to God like I hadn’t for some time. Hunting isn’t looking for the biggest buck or trying to be better than your friends, it is the pursuit of nature in more ways than one.
Pursuing time alone with God and His creation, pursuing an animal, that you will eat and provide for your family with, pursuing the calm of the woods. I was fortunate to pursue and experience the adrenaline of being extremely close to a deer, to being so close to a goal I’ve been working towards for months. Not every hunter goes into the woods for the same reason, but most hunters leave the woods with a similar peace and adrenaline coursing through their veins that makes them say, “I can’t wait to go back.”