I’ve been an avid bowhunter since the age of 14. I would have started sooner if my dad would have let me, but honestly, I probably wasn’t ready until then. Over the last 20 years, I’ve seen some monumental changes to my favorite sport, perhaps the biggest being equipment related. I started out with a Pro-Line XLII bow with a black finish and 55 lb. maximum draw weight. I imagine that baby was pushing out a whopping 200 feet per second! I’m sure I thought it was fast then. I now shoot a Hoyt Trykon with a 70 lb. draw and more than 80% letoff. That baby sends arrows downrange at more than 300 feet per second. About the only thing about my current set-up that resembles my first one is the fact that I still use a string!

I share this story only to illustrate how far archery hunting has come in a fairly short period of time. Everything from arrows, to stands, to camo, to bows and broadheads have changed dramatically. Some would say these changes have been for the better, while others still prefer the most primitive bows and hunting accessories. Aside from equipment though, very little has changed in terms of the hunt itself. The name of the game is still to outwit the animal that you’re pursuing by putting yourself in position to get a reasonable close-range, humane and lethal shot. Once you’ve done all of that, you have to have the patience and skill to draw the bow in close presence of game, hold it steady, and release the arrow.

But what if you no longer had to draw your bow, and you could simply wait for the animal to get within your new comfortable shooting range of up to 50 yards or so, and raise a rifle-like “bow” that shoots an arrow-like bullet? What if you didn’t have to worry about holding the string back for excruciating seconds that feel like minutes when that trophy buck decides to stop behind a tree, shielding his vitals? Although this all seems far-fetched and almost like science fiction, if something like this were possible someday surely it wouldn’t be called archery hunting, would it? And regardless of the definition, there is no way that you would be allowed to use one of these new devices during archery season, right?

What would one of those futuristic weapons look like?

As unbelievable as it may sound, as of Tuesday’s Pennsylvania Game Commission Board of Commissioners’ meeting, the above paragraph is not a what if, rather a what now? In a close vote of 4-3, the board sided in favor of full-inclusion of crossbows during the regular archery season.

It’s important to clarify that I have nothing against the use of crossbows for hunting, just as I have nothing against rifles, muzzleloaders, and even handguns. In fact, my father hunts with a crossbow due to a shoulder injury he incurred a few years ago. Before that he was a pretty avid bowhunter, and I know that he’d gladly put the crossbow down in favor of his bow if he had the choice. Although I shoot both compound and traditional bows, I choose to hunt with my compound, which obviously isn’t the same level of shooting challenge offered by traditional gear. What I take issue with is the use of crossbows during the regular archery season. It’s not about potentially sharing the woods with more hunters or even about the lack of science behind the decision (although I’m certainly concerned about that).

To me, archery season has always been about the ultimate challenge of taking a deer with a bow and arrow at close range. If I failed in that endeavor, I always had the firearms season to try to fill my tags. As my wife would tell you based on our many discussions, I really struggled with settling on an opinion about crossbows in Pennsylvania, but now that it’s happened, I can clearly see what offends me about it. No matter what angle I try to see it from, I feel that including crossbows during the regular archery season has really cheapened archery hunting as I believe it should be. When I search my soul for answers, it’s that little aspect of having to draw and hold the bow in the presence of game that seems to really tear at me.

I’ve read message board after message board leading up to and now after the fateful vote, and I read everything from pure hatred to people who have accepted this change and will move on. For me, I don’t fault anyone who decides to take up crossbow hunting. That’s another hunter in the woods, and another person who may pass on the hunting tradition to someone else. I’ll continue to bowhunt, and won’t worry about what those around me are doing. However, there is only one reason I can see for full inclusion during the regular archery season, and that is money and politics. I guess that shouldn’t be a real shock to anyone at a time when Citigroup was going to use some of their federal bailout money to buy a $45 million corporate jet, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less.

As I said, I’ll move on from this and stay true to my feelings about what archery hunting truly is, but please don’t try to tell me that more than three to one opposition at the Commissioners’ meeting as well as thousands of postcards mailed to each Commissioner by concerned bowhunters made a difference. Don’t tell me that somehow the inclusion of the crossbow during the regular archery season will dramatically increase hunter numbers, and help bail the Pennsylvania Game Commission out of tough financial times. Just tell me the truth. Tell me and the other disappointed bowhunters out there that “we hear your concerns, but it’s just business, and we had a better offer.”

It wasn’t until I broke off one of my new hunting arrows in a target at the last 3D shoot that I decided it was necessary to have separate arrows for target shooting. Also, although the FOBs shot great, they’re not practical for 3D competition. This is because they will break if hit by another shooter following you, and it’s not good competition etiquette to ask to shoot last each time.

After thinking about my setup and going through the Easton shaft selector program, I settled on Easton Lightspeed arrows. They’re a medium-diameter arrow with exceptional durability and straightness. Their diameter and lighter weight will limit penetration somewhat, resulting in a little margin for error as well as less broken arrows. My camo Axis arrows are built for penetration, and that’s not always a good thing when shooting 3D.

I should get my arrows by the end of the week, and I look forward to building them and trying them out. It’s hard to think about 3D shooting when it’s 20 degrees outside with about eight inches of snow on the ground, but the next shoot is just around the corner. Hopefully some warmer temperatures are too!

Is it possible that I’m happy the hunting season is over? I’m not sure I’d describe my feelings as “happy,” but there’s something very relaxing about not having to think about my next trip to the woods. I love to hunt as much as anyone, but admittedly, I get worn down to the point of loosing the desire to put forth a 100% effort.

I worked my ass off this season to put myself into position for a shot at a mature buck, and after it all came together, I think my dedication level dropped by 50%. By the time I got to West Virginia for my out-of-state hunt, I think I was pretty well spent, and simply couldn’t get myself to brave the horrible weather conditions. Looking back, I guess I just didn’t care as much. I suppose if I didn’t take a trophy at home I would have worked a little harder than I did. Who knows? After putting in some time during the firearms season as well as the late season, I find myself almost uninterested in anything to do with hunting.

I know this is a temporary condition that I’ll snap out of, but I think it’s good to get away from it for a while to recharge the batteries. I guess when you put the type of effort forth that I do throughout the season I shouldn’t be surprised when I eventually reach burnout. Here’s an example of how lazy I’ve become. I finally got around to doing an end-of-season wash of my hunting clothes. After forgetting about them in the dryer for a couple of days, my wife found them during her weekly laundry routine. When I removed them from the dryer I took them downstairs and promptly dropped them to the floor of the hunting room. You guessed it, they’re still laying there now!

I imagine it won’t belong before I get the itch again. In fact, I’m already working on plans for this year’s hunting trip and looking forward to the annual Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show next month. A call from my taxidermist to come pick up my deer from this season will certainly help me snap out of the funk as well. Until then, here’s to sleeping in and not watching the weather every five seconds.

It never really ends, does it? If you’re as avid of a whitetail hunter as I am, you know that even when the season is over, it’s really just the beginning of the next season. One of my favorite things to do following all of the hunting seasons is position my game cameras in areas where I expect deer to be concentrated, hoping to get photos of good bucks that survived.

Photos of this beautiful 8-point started showing up after the firearms season. Look closely and you'll see the rack of another good buck just above the ears of the button buck on the left.

 Ever since I started using game cameras, I got photos of good bucks following all of the hunting seasons. I often get photos of good bucks that I either never saw or got photographs of before. Because there is no firearms hunting on our property, I believe good bucks eventually make their way here seeking refuge from the constant hunting pressure being applied on surrounding properties.

Despite the peak rut being long gone, mature bucks continue to work licking branches and scrapes hoping to meet up with an unbred doe. Notice how thin this buck is after exhausting himself during the rut. He likely weighs up to 40 lbs. less than he did just two months ago.

 Although I hope to get photos of mature bucks, I also get excited when I see several of 2 1/2 year old bucks, and even good yearlings. These deer will likely add significant antler inches the following season, and this gives me some indication of what to expect. So far this winter has been exceptional as I got several photos of bucks in the 2 1/2 year old range, as well as this beautiful 8-point that I estimate at 3 1/2 years old.

I hope this buck likes his stay on our property and decides to call it home heading into next season. I'll do my best to put my cameras in the right places to hopefully get more photos of him between now and next October.

Since the weather has been well below freezing for an extended period of time, I decided to pull all of my cameras a few days ago. I’m hoping for the frigid trend soon so I can resume my search for good bucks that made it through to elude me for another year. Shed antler hunting is right around the corner!

Happy New Year! After taking a few days off from posting to the site, I’m back with recharged batteries after a much-needed layoff from the “real world.”

My little puppy is growing up, and I think she’s about ready to begin more intensive training to become a deer tracker. More specifically, she will be trained to blood trail wounded deer. Although I live in a state that doesn’t permit this activity, I’m hoping to see that regulation change in time for Arrow to strut her stuff over the next several years.

Arrow is a 1-year old red tick hound mix.

Now that she’s more than a year old, I think her puppy demeanor has toned down enough that she’ll pay more attention to the task at hand during training. I put her on a few mock trails while she was a puppy, but concentration was the most difficult obstacle for her. Once all of the hunting seasons are over I plan to work with her a lot more.

I will update Arrow’s progress here over the next several months. She’s become a wonderful house pet, even putting up with two kittens terrorizing her from time to time, but now it’s time for her to take the next step. I’m looking forward to working with her and seeing her skills develop.