Outdoor odyssey day 5, whitetails and 10 more yards

Posted on: October 8, 2017 | Bob Frye | Comments

The autumn woods are wonderful for chasing whitetails.

The autumn woods are glorious, not only for chasing whitetails, but just to wander about.
Bob Frye/Everybody Adventures

Anyone who’s ever bowhunted for whitetails knows what I was thinking.

Just 10 more yards. That’s all. Just 10 more.

It wasn’t to be.

I missed opening day of Pennsylvania’s statewide archery season because of other commitments, but now I was – finally — in the woods.

Things started slowly. My first several hours brought no deer sightings.

The woods were glorious, a riot of color, if a bit warm – 81 in October? – and it was wonderful to be out. But I was hoping for a bit more action.

Bob Frye chasing whitetails in the autumn woods.

Bob Frye in the whitetail woods.

So far, the only excitement I’d had was from a cooper’s hawk. It landed in a tree nearby and, after a stare-off, had swooped close enough to my face that I’d ducked to let it go by.

But that had been it.

Until now.

A look to my left showed a small doe feeding on acorns. A twin followed.

Where had they come from? One minute there was nothing, then suddenly there were deer.

It’s the way of whitetails.

A larger doe showed up next. I watched all three, milling about 60 to 70 yards away.

They’d move in a bit, then wander back out, then come closer, then wander away. They were never more than 80 yards away, never closer than perhaps a long 40.

Together, the deer and I watched another hunter walk past, maybe 100 yards downhill in the other direction. I caught glimpses of him as he snuck along, oblivious to me or the deer or the game we were playing.

After a while, a fourth deer showed up, a small buck. A four-point perhaps. Then, after bleating its arrival, a fifth deer, another doe, joined the gathering.

A half dozen times over an hour I thought the biggest of the antlerless deer was going to come within range. Ten more yards, I’d think. Just 10.

Then she’d turn and feed in another direction.

Are you kidding me?

This was day five of my 260-day challenge and I was sure I was going to put venison in the freezer.

I didn’t. Ultimately, still unaware of my presence, the deer wandered off.

I’ll be back after them, though.

There are 255 days to go, plenty of them yet this fall.

Bob Frye is the everybodyadventures.com editor. Reach him at 412-838-5148 or bfrye@535mediallc.com. See other stories, blogs, videos and more at everybodyadventures.com.

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