End of Season

[David Coulter]

#5040

It’s the last day of the combined archery and flintlock season here in Pennsylvania, which makes it the last day of deer season for me in Wildlife Management Unit 3D. It’s raining, not hard, but steady. I woke up at 3 a.m., checked an email from my hunting buddy. I knew he would send the note out after I was fast asleep. We figured on hunting separately today, if the weather permitted. I had my alarm set for 6 a.m., got up and saw that it was way too soggy for me to bother. Had I been a little bit more full of beans I would have grabbed my bow and headed out for a good soaking in a stand, just because it’s the last day. Just because. As tired as I was, I decided to sleep in and see if the weatherman could be wrong enough for me to get out later in the day.

Heading into the afternoon, the rain picks up, there’s a movie to watch with the family and pinewood derby cars to start later. Home is where I want to be now. It’s the last day of the season, it’s raining, so let it rain. Peace with it.

My season got off to a slow start. Work kept me out of the trees for the first full two weeks. When I started getting out, the days I had ended up being very windy. Places where my buddy and I normally see plenty of deer, we saw none. Of course, when he went out by himself he saw plenty and got enough shots to tag out for the season with his homemade hickory self-bow. Fact is, I had some beautiful days in the woods, even if I saw little and got no shot with a bow. A meat hunt with Dad’s rifle the second week of the regular season granted me the largest buck I ever saw in the woods. After beginning to hunt with a bow, this felt a little bit like cheating.

So the season’s over and now it’s time to get ready for October. Like Karl Wallenda said, “life is on the wire, the rest is waiting.”

[David Petersen]

#36455

I sure can empathize, David. Every year after our parallel deer and elk seasons end, I have a few weeks of what I can only describe as withdrawals: no sweating or trembling, but constant pacing around, inability to focus, excess energy to deal with. And it doesn’t matter whether I killed or not, it’s still the same.

As much as most of us would jump at the chance to hunt all year, I do think it’s human nature to appreciate more what we sometimes can’t get. October’s a long time coming from here, and September (for me) ain’t much sooner. If we had cottontails here that would be my methadone. But they’ve been in a slump cycle for years. Tough on me and the other coyotes. 😆 Get yourself over to Kzoo!

[David Coulter]

#36526

It is a bit of post season let down. There’s the build-up and the time out, then, well, the farewell. Agreed that opening it up all year would in some case diminish all of that to some degree. It’s the ride that’s part of the excitement. Tell the truth, I wouldn’t trade it.

We’re short on cottontails here. Plenty of squirrels. Those seasons are open into February. I’m sure I’ll get out some for tree rats to break up the work schedule. I’d love to go to Kazoo sometime. It’s a 10 hour drive from here, which means a couple hundred in gas alone out and back. I see that it starts in two weeks. Well, stranger things have happened, but I doubt I’ll make the run this year. I think it would be a fun trip with an opportunity to meet some of the famous and infamous!

All the best, d

[Ptaylor]

#36555

Last year I had an “archery only tag” and I took 1 shot at a buck right over his back, saw 6 legal bucks, had numerous does, fawns, and a couple spike bucks (illegal) less than 15 yards even down to 2 yards from me. I hunted every free day I had which was 3 days a week for the entire 2.5 month archery/rifle season. No meat, but every ounce of effort. This year I went on some early season hunts in other zones. In one week I saw more legal bucks than the entire last season, but I didn’t get to loose an arrow. So, wanting some meat, I went back with my rifle and got a buck. Then I still had a tag in my pocket to archery hunt up here, but with a buck and big bear in the freezer I didn’t put as much effort into deer hunting the trad way.

To get to the point, I feel like I missed out this year cause I didn’t take advantage of all my opportunities to hunt, even though I killed a buck with my gun. And last year I was completely satisfied because I knew there was nothing more I could have done (and partially cause I had a few roadkill deer to eat). But how ironic…? Its a good lesson I’ve only really now examined since I read this thread. Thanks for the “push off the edge” to get me thinking about this!

[David Coulter]

#36576

P, you don’t owe anybody anything the way you’ve hunted. I also applaud you for using the gifts of the highway to fill the freezer. Two years ago we would have gone without venison had it not been for some roadkill donated by a friend. Yesterday, I stood in a stand for 5 hours. I only had the odd hours of 11:30 to 4:30, but wanted to get out when it might be the last opportunity. I was tempted to take my flinklock for a walk up to some area where I might find more deer, but decided to stick to the bow in a spot I had a stand set up. The set-up is good, I think, but not yesterday.

In the end, when the season is over, you can look back at why you didn’t get out where you didn’t put the stand or look back and remember watching that little vole run around on the snow under the stand. Choose beauty every time. dwc

[Author]

Posts