From 1978 to 1988, I tagged out the 1st week of archery season 9 out of 11 seasons. My largest buck probably grossed 125”. I had one shoulder mount and 11 skull cap mounts displayed in our house. We didn’t have the quality of hunting then that we do now and at that time, I was proud as a peacock of those 1.5 and 2.5 year old bucks.
Sometime during the summer of 1988, I had a college buddy come to visit who also likes to hunt. This friend is one of those guys who says what other people think. I remember him looking up at my “trophies” and saying, “you ever going to get tired of shooting small bucks?” At first I was offended, but after I had time to think about what he said, I had to agree, I had a wall full of basket racks. That year, I decided I would hold out for a P&Y and if the opportunity didn’t present itself, I would be OK with it. Coincidentally, I killed my first P&Y that year. From that point on, my goal heading into the following season was to take something better than the year before. That all ended for me in 2005. I have conceded to the fact that I’ve killed the buck of a lifetime and I will never top it…outside of a pen. You hear stories about people saying that winning the lottery ruined their life. Well, killing the buck of a lifetime didn’t ruin my life but it did take some of the excitement out of every deer that I’ve taken since then. My saving grace has been the emergence of my sons as hunters. Watching them mature has replaced the excitement I once had.
This year, two of the three are in college and one is off in the military. In the blink of an eye, they’ve grown up. I’ll still get to hunt with them some but for the most part, it’s back to just me again and I’m having a hard time getting excited about it. I read the sentiments of those who are content just being in the field but that really doesn’t do it for me. I’ve lived in the woods for the past 25 years. I get to watch deer every day from my kitchen window. I’m watching 2 does and 5 fawns browse around my pond as I type. We literally camp 365 days a year. I’ve given a lot of thought to what I can do to rekindle the flame. My first inclination was to go back to my roots. I bought a stick bow but haven’t practiced enough to take it in the field. I bought a spring piston pellet gun, took it squirrel hunting and couldn’t bring myself to shoot a tree rat. It’s highly unlikely that I will fill my buck tag early this year as I’m not really on to anything exciting at this time. I’m hopeful that as the fall progresses, so will my enthusiasm.
Sometime during the summer of 1988, I had a college buddy come to visit who also likes to hunt. This friend is one of those guys who says what other people think. I remember him looking up at my “trophies” and saying, “you ever going to get tired of shooting small bucks?” At first I was offended, but after I had time to think about what he said, I had to agree, I had a wall full of basket racks. That year, I decided I would hold out for a P&Y and if the opportunity didn’t present itself, I would be OK with it. Coincidentally, I killed my first P&Y that year. From that point on, my goal heading into the following season was to take something better than the year before. That all ended for me in 2005. I have conceded to the fact that I’ve killed the buck of a lifetime and I will never top it…outside of a pen. You hear stories about people saying that winning the lottery ruined their life. Well, killing the buck of a lifetime didn’t ruin my life but it did take some of the excitement out of every deer that I’ve taken since then. My saving grace has been the emergence of my sons as hunters. Watching them mature has replaced the excitement I once had.
This year, two of the three are in college and one is off in the military. In the blink of an eye, they’ve grown up. I’ll still get to hunt with them some but for the most part, it’s back to just me again and I’m having a hard time getting excited about it. I read the sentiments of those who are content just being in the field but that really doesn’t do it for me. I’ve lived in the woods for the past 25 years. I get to watch deer every day from my kitchen window. I’m watching 2 does and 5 fawns browse around my pond as I type. We literally camp 365 days a year. I’ve given a lot of thought to what I can do to rekindle the flame. My first inclination was to go back to my roots. I bought a stick bow but haven’t practiced enough to take it in the field. I bought a spring piston pellet gun, took it squirrel hunting and couldn’t bring myself to shoot a tree rat. It’s highly unlikely that I will fill my buck tag early this year as I’m not really on to anything exciting at this time. I’m hopeful that as the fall progresses, so will my enthusiasm.
