Allegheny Antler(less)

The first main planned hunting weekend of the fall arrived this past weekend and I was once again in the truck heading North to camp. This time though, it was on Thursday after leaving work.

Originally, myself, Uncle Rob, Robert and two of his buddies were supposed to go to camp for the last weekend of the early muzzleloader doe season, similar to the year before. However, with Robert’s football schedule changing and his buddies dropping out, it quickly became just myself and Rob heading to camp to hunt, with Jeanne and Grandma coming to camp Friday.

While I have been able to hunt quite a bit already this fall, this would be Rob’s first deer hunt of the season. We made our plan for the following morning as we sat by the fire Thursday evening.

Everything was set Friday morning, and our alarms went off around 6 AM. We headed to the Government Road and made a plan to work our way down the hill to the meadow. It was warm, so we thought the deer may not be moving much so elected to still hunt our way in.

We didn’t have much luck in the morning and headed back for lunch and to hang a few stands. I spent the evening in one of the newly hung stands and Rob in his new Tethrd saddle, but neither of us laid eyes on a deer.

Friday night to Saturday morning was supposed to come with an overnight 20 degree drop in temperature and rain that wasn’t supposed to stop until morning, so we were optimistic about the morning hunt. Headlamps on, Uncle Rob and I headed out the ridge where we hung two stands the day before. I was all set up in the tree about 20 minutes before first light.

It got to be just after first light, and the cold wet air was starting to get to me. It was the perfect time to break out my Thermos and warm up with some morning coffee. Over the past few years, I have come to realize just how nice that luxury is. When I first got the Thermos and took coffee into the woods, a lot of the guys were calling me an old man. I will tell you however, that isn’t what they were calling me when they were cold and asking me to share!

I was about halfway through my coffee at 8 AM when I looked up and saw a deer coming my way out the ridge. I pulled up my binoculars and could tell it was a doe, and there was a yearling behind her. They were over 100 yards out and turned right, walking broadside on the top. It was thick, and I had decided between the brush and the distance it would be too difficult to shoot.

I was waiting for them to come into the next opening, but they never did. Ten minutes passed and I had yet to see the deer again. All of the sudden, I caught movement to my right. There was a doe and and yearling cresting the ridge 40 yards away. They turned broadside to work behind me. I realized they must have gone through the opening without me noticing, walked along the side of the ridge to my right, and then came back up on top right next to me.

I quickly pulled up my muzzleloader, opened the scope, and rested it against the tree. I found the lead mature doe in the scope and she was walking quickly. I had to make a few adjustments and re-adjustments to navigate her movements and to see through the hemlock next to and behind me. Finally she stopped but was behind some brush. I waited and a second later she took a step, and I pulled the trigger with the crosshairs right on her quartering-to shoulder.

Once again, the air filled with smoke. I watched the doe turn and run downhill, tail tucked between her legs. I thought I could see her begin to slide, but I wasn’t 100% sure. I texted Rob “You awake yet?” as he was just a little ways out the ridge. “Heck yea! you?” he said.

We texted back and forth, and with it being only 8:15 and the action seemingly heating up, we decided to each stay in the stand for a while so as not to blow all the deer out of the area. Thus, I once again grabbed and enjoyed the rest of my coffee with the satisfaction of having just made what I felt like was a great shot on a nice mature PA mountain doe.

I finished my coffee and snacks while I watched as the yearling came back to where she and the doe had first appeared 40 yards away. I couldn’t help but feel bad about the situation the yearling was now in, and knowing I put it there. That being said, deer are very resilient and adaptable creatures. Deer also foster or adopt others, meaning this yearling would likely link up with another doe & young ones in the coming days.

I waited until about 10 AM before climbing down to begin the search for my doe. I went to where I shot and immediately found blood. The trail was good and littered bright red. I had walked only 40 yards before looking up and seeing a white belly on the side of the hill.

I walked up to her and saw that I had in fact taken my second mature PA doe in as many weeks.

I was admiring her and taking pictures when I saw a deer emerge above me. I knew Rob was heading my way so I kneeled down and stayed still. Minutes later, I saw another deer crest the hill to my left. I pulled up my binoculars and saw his spike antlers through the glass. I didn’t watch him long before he disappeared into the thicket. Not long after, Rob arrived and congratulated me on the deer. He headed up into my stand as I began to de-bone the deer in the field before coming back down as we finished the work.

We made the trek out and went back to camp for a late lunch and to recap the hunt. Rob headed back out for the evening hunt and had a nice sit as a nice 6 point and shooter 8 point walked within 20 yards of him in his saddle. Unfortunately for him, he only had his muzzleloader in hand. That being said, that leaves him with a lot of season still left to hunt.

I elected to stay back at camp to clean up my gear, start a fire, and prep the tenderloins for the Traeger grill. I jokingly texted the Guys Weekend group that I stayed back as I didn’t want to get all the deer and leave nothing for them when they arrive in 2 weeks. After smoking chickens for dinner, I cranked up the temperature in the smoker, placed the cast iron, and seared some well-seasoned fresh tenderloin medallions. I am sure it has been said before, but Rob and I agreed they were among the best we’d ever had.

I just finished processing the deer (my second this week) and while it is a lot of work, it is gratifying knowing where all the packages of meat I have in the freezer came from and that I processed them with my own two hands (with some help!) With both of my doe tags filled, I am looking forward to the coming weekends chasing some mature PA bucks with hopes of going 3/3 in PA for the first time of my hunting career. Til then!