Success Stories: The reason I bagged my buck
Success Stories: The reason I bagged my buck
By Tyler Frantz
Success comes in many forms, but there’s usually a reason behind it. I recently spoke to a handful of successful Pennsylvania buck hunters and asked them to reflect on the primary factor that helped them seal the deal. Here’s how they responded…
Alex Staudt: Pre-season Prep “I killed my biggest archery buck this year and did it with my recurve bow- a real dream of mine! What I feel made me successful was my preseason preparations. I like knowing I am heading to an area that holds good deer and climbing in a stand I know is in the right location.”
“I start scouting for deer while I am spring turkey hunting, place cameras in spots that look good and hang my stands in areas with high concentrations of shooter bucks. The recurve added an extra element to preseason prep this year- not only the constant shooting practice- but also adjusting stands to keep a shot within 20 yards (utilizing natural pinch points) and being able to maneuver a 62” bow in the tree.”
Brendan Whitman: Commitment
“The reason I killed my opening day buck was the hard work and time spent walking the woods until I found the right spot. I used trail cameras to catch the buck on his daily travel paths. It all paid off. Most important was being committed to the hunt and doing all I could ahead of time to make it happen.”
Julian Light: Scent Control “I harvested my biggest buck to date with my bow in Lebanon County: a long, beautiful tined 10-point. My success, along with my father's this year, is attributed to hours of scouting, spotting, and mostly to scent control. This buck was shot downwind at 15 yards. With great care, we wash our clothing, keep them in scent-controlled bags and bins, and we also use scent-covering spray. Those factors allowed the buck to remain at ease even while being downwind.”
Roger Krause: Habitat Improvement “I've been seeing more deer at our camp in Clinton County ever since I started making changes to the habitat. Since I don't have a lot of time there, I made sure to do whatever work I could when I’d visit, like building experimental food plots and acquiring firewood permits to make cover areas. Each time I changed something, more deer sign appeared. They were using what I was building; talk about happiness.”
“When the rut kicked in, I had one day to hunt upstate, and I sat in my food plot stand. At 8:30, a single doe burst from a cover-pile 60 yards away, and right on her tail was a gorgeous buck. The doe ran past, but I stopped the buck, released my arrow and watched it bury into him. He was a perfect symmetrical 8-point. I feel my success came from my work and dedication to improving the area.”
Jim O’Brien: Improvisation “My best buck ever almost walked out of my life this fall. I forgot my grunt call at home, but having nothing to lose, I improvised by using my mouth to grunt him back in. It took three tries, but on the last one, he spun his body around and walked back to me from about 70 yards out!”
Ayden Nye: Patience “I just settled into my stand and got my release on. I looked up to the top of the hollow and here came a nice buck. He took his good old time walking down the hollow and stopped broadside three times, but I didn't like the shot. I waited and waited until he stepped out 12 yards from my stand. I drew back and squeezed off the shot. Thump! He ran 20 yards, stopped, looked around, ran 20 more and piled up about 40 yards away.”
Austen Nye: Persistence “I saw my buck Wednesday on the second to last week of archery season, but he stayed off in the distance too far to get a shot. Then Friday night after school, I got another chance at him but ended up missing. Saturday morning, I got back into the same stand and had a really good feeling. It was the perfect wind and I’d maybe get another chance.”
“At 8:40, I arrowed the very buck I had seen all week. My dad and I tracked the buck for over a quarter mile when he turned, went up a ridge and really started to bleed. We looked out ahead, and there he was laying 50 yards away. It was my first buck with the bow.”
John Allen: Making Adjustments “This year was all about adjustments. The food sources were different from last year, so I changed my game plan. I had six different encounters with my buck before sealing the deal. He would take a different trail each day, so I kept adjusting my stand setup to try and play the averages.”
“Despite all this, I still needed some luck. The buck bedded down two steps from my shooting lane with thirty-minutes of light remaining. Just when I thought another opportunity had slipped away, an aggressive four-point came down the hill, causing the shooter to stand up and take the final steps necessary for a clear shot.”
TC Rice: Keeping the Faith “On the opening morning of rifle season, I stood on the edge of the field near my tree stand, checking my phone for legal shooting time so I wouldn’t push deer off my stand.”
“At 6:47, I took a few steps into the tree-line and heard a deer snort behind me. I spun around to see two does and a buck running through the field. I pulled my rifle to my shoulder, lead the buck, and squeezed off the first shot- MISS. Pumping the next shell in, I took aim again- MISS. Now the buck was approaching the hilltop where I’d only have one more chance. I chambered the third round and squeezed just before he disappeared.”
“I gathered my breath and started walking to the last place I saw him in hopes of finding some sort of sign. Cresting the hill, I found the big-bodied 10-point laying on the ground. My heart rate skyrocketed.”
“Standing in amazement, I gave thanks to God for giving me another opportunity to harvest such a wonderful animal. Without Him I wouldn't be able to enjoy His creation, and I wouldn't be able to see His animals. He is the reason for all of this.”
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