Double Down

The 2018 Guys Weekend trip was definitely one for the books, and a memorable one for my dad and I. My dad and uncle(s) were the ones who introduced hunting to my life from a young age, and Guys Weekend is our annual no BS hunting trip.

I hunted my earliest years with my dad, trying to learn as much as I could. I had my earliest success with him as well, as I have told previously in “Help from Above” when I got my first big game animal: a PA Spring Gobbler.

When my younger brother became of age to start hunting, my dad began to take him, and I started hunting more with my uncles. My First Deer was taken alongside my Uncle Rob, and to this day is probably my most vivid and fond hunting memory. It was a perfect day in the woods for our whole group, and one I often think back on.

Despite all these years of hunting, and each having success in our own right, my dad and I have always seemed to be “off” when it comes to simultaneous success.

This is probably largely due to him sacrificing his own hunts not just during my childhood, but my brother’s as well. Then, for a couple years when my dad was finding some more luck and harvesting more deer, I was seemingly going through small slumps.

However, Guys Weekend of 2018 changed that.

I spent my first day (Wednesday) hunting a trail off the left side of the road behind camp in a stand I hung a few weeks prior. I was really excited about the spot as I had gotten good trail camera pictures all summer nearby.

When it came to this weekend, though, the spot wasn’t proving very fruitful. After a rough day – day and a half of no sign in the peak rut, I opted for a change.

I spent lunch time Thursday scouting out another area much farther back the road off of a small clearing. As soon as I approached the area I knew I liked it. The flat running along the steep hillside seemed to be the perfect natural deer funnel. I decided to hunt out of my climber there for the evening.

It was rainy, but that didn’t stop the action from coming. Not long after settling in for the evening, I had a young and ~ maybe ~ legal buck walk right below my stand. This spot was already paying off!

About an hour later I looked up and caught movement on the hillside at eye level with me. This proved to be my fatal mistake. I had set up my stand below the bench in the ridge. This meant that anything that came down from the top would make it eye level.

When I caught the movement it didn’t take long to realize it was a nice wide buck. I slowly reached for my bow, but when I turned back, the deer had caught my movement. It quickly realized something was off and trotted out of sight. I immediately knew what went wrong.

While I definitely liked the new spot, I realized I needed to be on the other side of the trail.

I hunted the next morning (Friday) close to camp before moving my ladder stand out to the new location for the afternoon. I saw one small buck early and if it was legal, it wasn’t by much.

It was early, so I was still optimistic about the evening.

Soon after that, I got a text that my dad had shot a nice buck with his bow just a few hundred yards away. This was hist first deer with a bow, and I was ecstatic for him.

As I sat there, I couldn’t help but hope we may have the chance to double down if I could get an opportunity.

About an hour before dark, I heard movement from above the ridge behind me. I slowly turned around and saw five deer, all doe, working down the ridge my direction. The lead and final deer of the group were both mature, and I hoped for a chance at either of them.

As they worked down and to my left, they were just out of range for a shot opportunity. Instead, I would have to hope they would make it to the trail below and cut in front of me to a spot just 20 yards away. They didn’t.

Instead, the cut my way before making it to the trail. In fact, for some reason, they came directly at my stand. The lead doe was still a mature one, and she seemingly was coming on a string.

When she got to just 5 yards, still directly facing me with no shot, she looked up, and we had a stare down. After seconds that felt like minutes, she turned around and nervously walked off.

The young ones were soon to follow suit, and I had a decision to make. With the thought of a double down still in my mind, the second and younger doe turned to follow the mature one, leaving her vitals wide open. I drew back and connected on a perfect heart shot at just 7 yards.

I knew the shot was good, and immediately texted my dad that we had done it; we pulled off the double. While the doe wasn’t the mature one I had hoped for, I was excited to put meat in the freezer and share the potentially (but hopefully not) once in a lifetime experience with my dad.

We got back to camp and celebrated the feat the rest of the night…and probably a little into the next morning.

This was surely a Guys Weekend I won’t soon forget…but then again, none of them are.