Dreaming of Hunting Season

This past weekend we were out on our boat fishing for blue gill. As I sat there watching my bobber, I found myself daydreaming of hunting. So today I looked up the opening date.
 There are 110 days until PA archery hunting season starts.

Typically the temperature is on the rise in June and we are starting to spend our weekends on the lake. I love the long lazy sunny days playing in the water and reading in the sun or fishing. I would be extremely happy if we had a few more weeks of warm weather here in PA. This year my mind is skipping over summer and looking forward to the fall and hunting season. (I'm NOT trying to wish my summer away by any means.) Usually I don't start thinking about the fall until August.

I have started watching hunting shows again. When ever I am home and in the house I turn either the Outdoor Channel or Sportsman Channel on. Even if I am not sitting down watching. I like to listen while I'm cooking dinner or doing other chores.  I would venture to say that I might have deer on the brain!

All the new promos for the new season of hunting shows are starting to surface. They are just fueling my daydreaming. I can't wait for July when the new seasons start.

This time of year can really get you excited for hunting, whether you are starting to watch hunting shows again, starting to practice shooting, scouting for places to put your tree stands or getting your food plot in. Which ever stage you are at, have and keep dreaming!

Are you getting excited about hunting season? What gets you excited to hunt?

My First Archery Hunt

September 29th was the first day of archery season in Pennsylvania. My husband and I had plans to go out in the afternoon for my first archery hunt . Why the evening you ask?  We have a 3 year old and we did not have some one to stay with him in the morning. But we did have someone to keep him in the evening so that we could go out to hunt.

So by 3:30 pm, we were headed into the woods. It's the first time I am in the tree stand, in the woods. (I had practiced shooting from the tree stand in our yard.) Hubby is giving me last minute tips and encouragement, then he leaves me and walks about 100 yards from me to his tree stand.

The wind started to pick up and the tree started moving, I started freaking out. REMINDER... this was the first time actually sitting in my tree stand where I was hunting. Hubby and I were texting a bit. I had to tell him I was nervous about being in the tree when the wind picked up. He told me about the black squirrels running around below his tree stand. Then he said get ready, here come some does.  I saw the does, but they were at the other end of the field from me. Seeing them made my heart start pounding and I was thankful that I actually got to see some deer on my first night out. Just a short while later, I hear some movement to my right. It was two doe, they walk up to about 10 yards away from me. I'm so excited, catastrophe strikes...I physically can't pull my bow back. I think it was just the adrenaline and excitement. After a bit the does turn and walk away from me, but then one walks underneath the tree in front of me. I was able to pull my bow back this time, but I did not get a shot. She then turn around again, but this time she entered the field to my left and walked around until she was behind me.  At that moment, I was so happy I was in the tree I was in. I turned around, hide behind the tree to pull my bow back and then leaned around the tree and got my shot at this doe.

The Rage Broadhead was good to me. We only walked about 20 yards before finding my arrow.  The doe was just a short distance away from where we found my arrow. About 60 yards total from where she was standing when I shot her.  I was ecstatic. I couldn't believe I had shot a doe (which I wanted to shot first). I have the best hubby in the world...he gutted the deer and dragged it to the truck for me. 

The morning after proof that I really did shoot a doe the night before, my bloody arrow back in the quiver. Round two, will be this weekend. This time I hope to see some bucks. But for now I am still just basking in my triumph. I shot a deer!!!!!

Anticipation....

Opening archery day in PA, has been looming for so long. When it was finally the week before opening day, I was just so bubbly and excited. I couldn't stop smiling or contain myself. We had some trail came pictures of deer near my stand.

I had been doing my reading of Bowhunting World magazine and Hunting Mature Whitetails. I guess you could say I was on deer overload.  Can you sympathize with me?

Now remember, this was my first ever deer hunt. Like any new adventure...you really have no idea what you are getting yourself into. I started to realize that part of my excitement for my first hunt was that I was hopefully going to be able to provide for my family in a way that I have never done before. I grew up eating venison and I love it! So for me thinking about myself, shooting the deer and putting food on the table was unreal. I would eventually be cooking venison that I harvested.  It still excites me. I'm getting excited to hunt again this weekend, just thinking about it. I am going to take great pride in know that I can put food on our table that I harvested from the woods and not just meat that I bought at the supermarket.