Close your eyes and think about what you are hearing. Is it the hum of the refrigerator or maybe the neighbor mowing his lawn? Maybe it’s the wind or snoring or kids yelling down the street. No matter what, we are always hearing what’s going on around us, but we don’t always appreciate it. I appreciate it because I get to look forward to hearing the sounds of nature when I am in the woods. I eagerly look forward to it.
For months, I have been shooting my bow, practicing with my Latitude Outdoors Method 2 XL saddle system and testing gear in preparation for my NY whitetail hunt. Climbing trees, tweaking gear, calling on my friend Aaron Ritter of LIMB-itless Outdoors, and counting down the days. The weeks of anticipation drove me to spend an incredible amount of time with my bow and other gear. When I boarded the plane for New York, I was fantasizing about seeing some of the bucks we had on my Spypoint Flex cameras.
Hunting opening day of the archery deer season is one of my favorite times to hunt. It’s been a minute since I was last able to hunt an opening day with my dad and brother, but 2022 was my year. After verifying my bow was still shooting straight (slightly left, needed a 3rd-axis adjustment) I started going through my gear and preparing for the next morning’s hunt. We were all excited!
My saddle gear was all ready to go, but due to the wind, I opted to hunt a specific area from a treestand. We were in our stands a half hour before shooting light and the peace I felt was indescribable. Simply being there with God giving me the ability to hunt, the land to hunt, and to be hunting with my favorite to hunters was perfect. I watched the sunrise and the deer start ambling about, from 250 yards away. It’s slightly out of my comfort zone to accurately place an arrow, so I watched and enjoyed every second. It wasn’t long before my brother texted saying he had dropped a big buck!
My dad and I met up with him and tracking the deer not 60 yards through the brush. He had made a great shot and had killed my target buck! I dubbed this buck Erik the Red, due to his red coat doing into September. He is a beautiful 9-point and he was a giant. The great part of the story was this was not the buck BJ had focused on. He was ready to shoot a big 8-point when Erik walked out behind the first buck. Opportunity knocks only once sometimes and BJ took the shot. What a great buck!
We hunted all day and for the afternoon/evening sit, I knew I wanted to get the saddle into a tree. We scouted where the bucks came out and found only one tree that was suitable. It was perfect! Tucked inside the woods, overlooking a cornfield and a hedgerow bordering it. The headland was harvested, but the remainder of the cornfield was still standing. My climb up with my saddle gear was less than desired, as it took me nearly an hour to be settled. Yes, an hour. With all the practicing I had done (which wasn’t nearly enough I found out), I had issues getting everything just right. Rookie mistakes and a challenging tree made me work, but I appreciated every second of it. I needed to learn. Once I was settled, I knew it was a great spot and I felt great in the saddle.
Two hours later, a group of doe crossed a field west of me and started up the edge of the corn…heading directly to my location. As I prepared, I thought about what Aaron had told me, ‘Calm breeds calm’. I remained calm, but got my bow in hand and watched them edge closer and closer. I had my Mathews V3X set up with the new HHA Sport RYZ two-pin sight and I was ready. This is where you might find my plan of attack interesting. Seven doe walked within 20-30 yards of me, having not a clue I was there. Anyone who hunts whitetail knows how deer jump the string 9 times out of 10. Instead of me using a specific range, dialing my sight, and then aiming low, I left my sight on the 20-yard mark and aimed dead-on for the doe who was broadside at 25 yards. The shot was perfect as she ducked and my 506 grain arrow slipped through both lungs. She went ten yards and dropped in seconds. An opening day kill with multiple firsts! It was my first hunt and kill from my saddle. My first kill using my new bow, new sight, new Hamskea rest, new Victory Archery VAP SS arrows tipped with new Grim Reaper RazorCut SS mechanical broadheads. I hadn’t shot a deer on opening day in years. My brother and I hadn’t shot a deer on opening day together in 20 years. He had never shot a buck on opening day of archery season. Talk about exciting!
The next morning, I opted for the treestand again. We saw deer all over, but none close enough to shoot or they were too young. We have grown quite choosey when it comes to deer on this farm, for good reason. We want big, mature animals. It goes without saying though, that I love to eat venison and will shoot a healthy doe if she presents the shot.
My afternoon plan was the same as the first, but with a minor change in plan. I wanted to make it up the tree faster and more efficiently! I was able to do it in 25 minutes this time, but I still wasn’t happy. It should have been smoother, but I rushed a little and that cost me some time. Once I settled in, I calmed myself and waited. A couple hours passed and I caught movement from that same field below me. Doe were funneling into the field rapidly! Two, then four, then one, and then two more. Before long, I was swinging around to get a better view of the deer and trying to get my bow ready. For a half hour, I watched the doe spread out and walk up the edge once again. This time was different as they were alert and checking everything out. I knew I couldn’t move much, so I waited patiently. They fed right to me and five stopped within bow range, but I had no clear shot. I knew one spot where they would give me a perfect broadside shot.
I’m breaking from the story to share the key components to being successful, in my humble opinion. Play the wind and stop fidgeting. The wind was great and being in a saddle allowed me to stay fairly still, but I did need to shift a bit. With multiple sets of eyes peering into the woods, I had to be very cautious and slow.
As the lead doe walked into my shooting lane at 30 yards, I drew, settled my 20-yard pin and released. Again, she ducked, but my previous plan worked again! Lightning fast and quiet, the arrow zipped through and I knew I had a good hit. She walked off, slowly, and ducked into the end of the field, out of sight. I quickly texted my dad and brother that I had another doe down! I decided to slowly get down and check for blood. It was obvious she was mortally wounded. When Dad and BJ arrived, we followed the blood trail to a very large doe, double-lunged again. I had filled my two doe tags in two days of hunting. I haven’t done that in years, but I trusted my instincts.
We ate well that night! Tenderloins all around. I truly live for these nights. Eating meat from game we hunted while telling stories and sharing our experiences. Laughter, focus and reviewing what we did and could do better. I love that part of the hunt, as well!
We hunted for three more days and passed on numerous deer. The last two days gave me the opportunity to see one of the nice 8-points, but he and another buck remained across a clover field and did not come closer. My hunting buddies also saw bucks; the same buck at times, but he also stayed just out of range. No matter what, it was great seeing the deer out feeding during the first week of October.
If I have said it once, I have said it a hundred times; Success is what you make of it. This trip was even more successful than I anticipated, which was a bonus. Success to me is being able to hunt with my dad and brother in western New York. Sharing that time with them is something I value higher than any deer I put in the cooler. We were able to do more than that on this trip. I was blessed to come home with 70 lbs of venison, memories, and experiences you will not find behind a computer screen. Go hunt! Get outside and give it your best. You will learn and make your own memories to share. Until my next adventure, enjoy the outdoors my friends.
Socalbowhunter, it’s been a while since I sat and read anything. I am happy that I decided to read your blog. Great article, and I am pleased that you were able to enjoy God’s creation in West New York. Thank you.