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The Fall that Changed It All
By Allen Wall
There’s no amount of experience or luck that will stop a treestand accident. The popping in my back sounded like someone running their fingers down the keys of a piano. The moment my feet touched the ground, my legs collapsed and my butt slammed to the ground. All of the vertebrae in my back compressed with the weight of my head and shoulders... READ MORE
Veteran’s Day Dream!
By Donna Shaver
I was hunting in North Carolina on a very cold Veteran’s Day morning in 2013 with my 73-year-old, handicapped father when the flash of antlers caught our attention. Quickly, as the buck moved through the pines, I lifted my Savage muzzleloader into position and peered through my binoculars as the rack headed toward an opening. “Wow, he h... READ MORE
The Buck of Two Lifetimes
By Tim Kamats
Dad’s best buck ever was the one taken by his daughter. The Pennsylvania whitetail rifle season was fast approaching. Once again, my daughter Xaura and I had put in countless hours scouting our hunting grounds in Centre County. Setting out trail cameras, we checked them weekly. After carefully studying the pictures and identifying some very n... READ MORE
Daddy, You Shoot It!
By Dale Sampson
Heat of the moment was a little too much for first-time deer hunter ... but not for her dad.
The season started with little excitement. Although a big coyote came by early, I didn’t see anything with antlers. That was okay since I was more looking forward to my daughter Kaitlin’s first whitetail hunting experience later that evening. A... READ MORE
If It Feels Right ...
By William Sawyer
Trust your instincts when you think you’ve made a great shot. During the 2014 archery season in Guilford County, North Carolina, I had found a large rub while putting out some corn. It looked like a great place to set up, but I didn’t want to hunt it until conditions were perfect. On the second Saturday of the season, I asked my wife to... READ MORE
No Limits
By Bonnie Olson King
New hunter overcomes challenges to claim her first buck. The 2015 hunting season turned out to be one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I was 64 at the time and had only taken up hunting in 2012, when I retired from my nursing career due to significant health issues. That fall, I received a crossbow for my birthday, and that was when h... READ MORE
Whose Best Day?
By Marti Young
The only division in this family is when debating who had the best time. While every day spent hunting is a good day, some are better than others. For James Whetzel Sr. and 11-year-old Starr Young, their best day ever started at 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 30, 2017. The adventure started with a softly whispered “Wake up, Starr. It’s almost time ... READ MORE
Virginia Is for Bowhunters
By Mark Douglas
Whether it’s your first or your 82nd, there’s something special about taking a deer with a bow.
On the afternoon of Wednesday, Oct. 8, I couldn’t wait to take my climber to a location I had scouted two weeks before opening day of the Virginia archery season.
There were two scrapes under a couple of broken branches on an old logg... READ MORE
The Perfect 10
By Jeffery Patterson
Call it beginner’s luck or call it fate, but you can add another hunter to our ranks. I got my crossbow from a friend who said he wanted to sew a seed in my life. At the time, I had no idea what he was talking about, but I decided to give this hunting thing a try. I got up at 5:30 on the first day of Virginia’s archery season and was in... READ MORE
Stress Test
By Richard C. West
It’s great to finally see the buck of your dreams, but don’t get too excited. On the Saturday before Thanksgiving in 2015, an Illinois buck tested my heart. It was the second day of the firearms season, and I’d spent my first day – all 12 hours – on the stand with nothing to show for it but a couple of song birds, a re... READ MORE