First day of archery season 1996
At 15 years of age and many years of practice, frustration, and endurance Dave got his first deer. "Dad" ( Bowdad ) got a broken wrist three days before the season, but was determined not to disappoint my hunting "buddy." The four and a half hours drive to Blair County, PA with a freshly broken wrist was a real joy for me. Holding my arm up and out the open window of my Chevy Blazer helped numb the pain making the cast like an ice cube. Helped me avoid taking pain killers too!I was fortunate to be able to drive up to the woods through "George's Farm" and park near a place where I'd seen deer in the past. We walked to a spot near a trail I knew and Dave set up the decoy and scents on his own. The only instruction I gave him was to get backed up to some cover and do his best. A portable CB radio was set to match the channel in my vehicle although he was within vocal calling distance as required and my son was started on the 1996 season. Dad went back to the Blazer cursing the event that led to my broken wrist and the end of my archery season before it started.
Daylight came and a cottontail went by from my vantage point and then what seemed like endless silence. Alas, the good news was not long in coming. 7:35 a.m. the CB radio came to life; "Dad, I got one!" "I'll be right there, Son", I exclaimed! "No don't," came the answer as the radio went silent. I learned later that the deer had not totally expired. Seems the boy had the presence of mind to pour himself some hot chocolate and wait it out like an old pro. He didn't want the noise of the radio to spook the deer either. David finished the deer off by himself in time and called for me. At that point, the wrist was a minor inconvenience as I covered the 50 yards or so to be greeted by an extremely smiling face.
Just like a pro Davy removed the entrails by himself and following a photo session, he dragged the deer out by himself. My young hunter had finally come into his own!
His First Buck At 20 yrs of age and many years of practice, frustration, and endurance Dave got his first
Rifle Deer Season - 11/26/01
Cambria County, PA
buck at 8:00 a.m. on the first day of PA's rifle season at Don's Camp. The announcement came over the FRS radio just after I heard the crack of the rifle, " Dad, I got one! I think it's a four pointer!" David was in a stand along a creek and the buck was stopped with one shot between the shoulders as it ran past. Once again, David removed the entrails after a photo session and did the dragging by himself until he got near the camp where our friend Donny came out and helped with the last 100 yds.
