Okay, so here we are two weeks into the Pennsylvania archery season. It's been eventful so far, no doubt. I've been hunting near my camp in Potter County the past two weeks and had two opportunities at bucks.
I've been riding my mountain bike four miles back a gated trail to a grassy field. Every evening deer have been coming out into this field. Lots of deer. It's common to see anywhere from 10 to 20 deer a night, including at least a couple bucks.
The first opportunity came last Saturday. A nice 6-point. Got him within 30 yards, perfectly broadside, and took the shot. As I pulled the trigger, I noticed the deer move in the scope and I saw my arrow hit high. Way too high, as in just a flesh wound. Deer ran off. In fact, that deer might still be running clear into the next county.
Second opportunity was at a decent 4-point (three on one side and a long spike on the other -- my goal, after all, is just to get a buck near camp; I'm not too worried about antler size this year). Again, the buck slowly worked its way into range, 30 yards. Perfectly broadside. As I pulled the trigger, again I noticed movement in the scope, this time a lot more drastic. The deer almost dropped to the ground as the arrow sailed cleanly over its back. Not even a nick. The buck ran about 100 yards, stopped in the field and looked around as if to say, "Did you hear that? What just happened?" And then the three does with him all spooked, and then he spooked, and they all ran off down over the hillside, all spooked. Heartbreaking.
I wanted to get a mountain buck so bad this year. For two weeks I hunted hard. For two weeks I rode my bike way back these gated trails and found good spots and saw deer and had opportunities. After all this, I realize that my crossbow is just way too loud. The mountains, way back in the wilderness like that, are so quiet that when the crossbow goes off it must sound like a bomb exploding.
So now I'm looking for ways to quiet the crossbow. Might be too little or too late, but I need to try something.
I was hoping to have my buck tag filled early in archery season so I can dedicate the rest of my fall to trapping and raccoon hunting. With trapping season only a week away, I feel torn between two passions.
Well, I still have a week to go before I have to worry about it. I've had my opportunities and I'm happy about that, yet at the same time I hate to give up on something without achieving the goal. But if I keep pursuing mountain whitetails, I'll be bummed about missing out on trapping. Quite a conundrum, methinks. Looks like I'll have to head back to camp for one more week to try and get this problem sorted out.
