Lucky number seven.  My seventh bow deer, that's what was on the roof of our mini van as we traveled south on PA Route 15.    As I sat in the van  watching the countryside roll by,  I reviewed in my mind this years hunt. 

The first Saturday, of the 2000 Pennsylvania Archery Season, provided some sightings of Whitetails, but no shooting.  Monday morning was quite warm and foggy, just the right atmosphere to see deer.   At 6:18am I had 3 deer under me, but I could not see them.  At 7:10 another deer walked up the ravine and at 12 yards, I let my Easton Gamegetter, get me some game!  The arrow went right through the deer.  I watched it run, and fall,  about 60 yards from my stand.  I stayed put until 8:30, got down, tagged the deer and used the Talkabout to round up Dad. (Dad got high - tech on us this year with the purchase of some Talkabout radios, these were  to be used for safety, and if anybody needed help dragging.) This, the first deer of the  year was a spike.   The next Saturday I was still hunting my doe and I  had the opportunity to witness a six point at 30 yards make his way  out of site and towards my Dad.  Crash, a deer was coming my way, staggering all over the place.  Down it went,  5 yards from me and my treestand.  Dad had made a great shot on that 6 point. 

A quick weekend in the beginning of November was found to be unplanned, so off to the hills we went.  I gave up the better stand to my deerless sister and moved my stand further out the mountain.  This day would be very different, as I usually don't hunt during Fall Turkey season. 

The Turkeys were calling come first light - that is the human ones.  It seemed that they were all around me.  I figured that I would chalk the day up to experience, because surely, no deer would show up with all of this human activity in the woods.   I found myself with one arrow come daylight, because I dropped my bow quiver out of the tree.   Dad's words went through my mind,  "it should only take one arrow", so I stayed put and listened to the turkey talk. 

The autumn forest lay before me and I could see quite a distance through the leafless trees.  I caught site of a doe about 60 yards  from me and figured that she would work her way up the mountain and that would be the last of her.  She stopped paraellel with me, turned my way and proceeded on a direct path to my stand.  I did my teeny step turn around. Now facing the tree, I readied my release and drew.    She was still walking,  I let out a "baa", she stopped.  Her midsection was behind a tree.  She shortly began walking again, I "baa'd" again.  This time she stopped broadside at about 20 yards.  I let the arrow fly and off she ran.  I was certain that I had missed her.  I reached for my bino's. and checked out the arrow.  It seemed to be laying in the ground right behind where she was standing.   Again, I stayed put for an hour, then got down and determined that I had hit the deer.   Back to camp I went to round up the tracking team.  An hour later we were dragging out my second deer of 2000.  I couldn't believe it, two in 2000.

As we eat the deer loins, or rather the "filet my doe", as we have named it,   I cannot imagine my life without bow hunting.  I was born and bread in the sport of bowhunting and will continue to pass on this wonderful tradition on  to my girls. 

 Peace, joy and contentment is the reward of all patient hunters.  The peace is from the peaceful forest when the sun is just hinting daylight, the joy from sighting your  first deer of the season and the contentment when you stomach is full of venison!  Best of luck to all hunters in 2001.