Smalltown Bucks

Bowhunting with a Passion

Bowhunting with a Passion

By Kelly Colf

Since I was old enough to get out there, I’ve been hunting with my dad and brother. Years of hunting for rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, deer and coyotes have turned me into quite the addict. My parents raised me with the mindset that nothing was off limits because I was a girl, and if I worked hard enough, I would be successful. I attribute m... READ MORE

What the Doctor Ordered

What the Doctor Ordered

By William Miley

The best therapy is spending time in a deer stand. I live in Abilene, Texas, but I am from Westminster in Maryland. About 17 years ago, my family attended a church picnic for 4th of July. Someone had set up a bow range as part of the entertainment, and my good friend Rick Ellis told me to give it a shot. I borrowed pastor Ed Conrad’s compound... READ MORE

A Very Good Year

A Very Good Year

By Jason Hartpence

As a family of hunters and soon-to-be hunters, this year was good to us. The early season was particularly generous, as I harvested three of my four deer during that time. This season has been my most exciting yet, not because of my success, but because my son Hunter turned seven in October — legal hunting age for the state of Pennsylvania. ... READ MORE

Cow Mountain’s First-Timers

Cow Mountain’s First-Timers

By Bill Hanson

A first deer is a memory of a lifetime for more than the young hunter. As first appeared in The Community Voice of Sonoma County, California. From the highway the north end of Cow Mountain is the only green zone east of the 101, save the flat lands of the Ukiah Valley. The recent Mendocino Complex Fires which includes Hopland’s ‘River F... READ MORE

Crowded in Kansas

Crowded in Kansas

By Rodney Bryson

Landowner offers advice to help overcome an abundance of other hunters. This past hunting season in Kansas was different from previous years. The weather was nicer, but there seemed to be a lot more hunters. While we’re fortunate to hunt on private land, other hunters have permission to hunt there, too. There were also hunters on the property... READ MORE

Long Live Maxximus

Long Live Maxximus

By Carla Schartz

For 423 days, my husband Lance and I observed a whitetail buck we'd nicknamed Maxximus. Before our eyes, it transformed from a velvet-antlered buck with potential into a true Kansas giant. This beast of a buck had over 230 inches of massive bone atop its head and too many points to count. Lance and I are avid bowhunters and anticipated the epic ... READ MORE

Blustery Day Buck

Blustery Day Buck

By Krissy Jean Zimmer

The day ended up awesomely, but it didn’t start out that way. On Friday, while at work in the dental office, I checked my weather channel app. It said, “30 mph winds — stay in bed today.” I laughed when I read that. Even my boss Dr. Rahn said, “I bet you won’t get up and go tomorrow.” I considered staying i... READ MORE

Snow Falls in the Catskills

Snow Falls in the Catskills

By Vincent J. Prybeck

To-the-point New Yorker has enough go for one more season. Nov. 17, 2018, Upstate New York. A Catskill Mountain deer season starts. Snow fell 24 hours earlier. Cloudy, windless, good snow, 28 degrees. In darkness, we hike uphill. With John settled, I head farther uphill. At 2,100 feet, I climb the ladder. Now wait. Season 48 now. How many do I have... READ MORE

In the Nick of Time

In the Nick of Time

By Jayden Steinkamp, age 11

Napping in the stand is okay, but shooting a big buck is better. It was midseason in Indiana in 2013, and the wind wasn’t blowing hard. We had gone hunting in the morning and saw one doe. We were hunting at my grandpa’s, and there are some big deer there. He doesn’t like us to shoot does, so we passed. When it got 2:50 p.m. that... READ MORE

Virginia Is for Bowhunters

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

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