Deer Season 2015

Deer Season 2015 found me traveling to camp alone this year. No one else in the family was able to make it this year. I arrived on Sunday, November 29 around 12:00 noon, opened camp, and got the stove lit to warm up the inside. The weather report for opening day looked great. Monday morning came with temperatures around 18-degrees and the forecast for a beautiful day. I left camp early, and climbed up to my usual spot. I find out each year how much older I'm getting as my climbing tree stand and backpack seemed heavier than ever. I was set up and ready by 6:45. The morning began with the old fashioned deer drives beginning right on schedule at 7:30. There were two shots across the valley from me. I found out later that one hunter harvested a beautiful 10-pointer and another missed an 8-pointer. At 10:10 am, something brought two deer running towards me. Immediately, I could see that both deer were legal buck. I chose the first as it appeared to be the largest of the two and fired. Before long, I was standing over a nice 8-pointer. Just like that, my Tioga season was over. I got him back to the truck by 12:00 noon, then headed back to close up camp. Even though I had planned on hunting for three days, I was on my way home by 2:30. Thus ended another successful Tioga County Deer Season. I'm thankful for the success of this season (including the nice 7-pointer I harvested in Maryland Muzzleloader Season back in October), and the fact that I saved a few vacation days by getting a deer on the first day. I was especially thankful since the weather turned ugly and the next two days brought pouring rains. So another buck is added to the roster at Peter's Camp and another chapter is written into the legacy. It was my 41st consecutive opening day at Camp. I hope I have many more.