09-10 hunting season

[adam]

Tell us your story

[marshall9779]

I had my best season ever this year. Saw tons of deer and plenty of opportunities. I had a lot of firsts as well.
 
I had my first encounter in September. I arrowed a small buck in the shoudler blade on public land. I got no penetration and never recovered him.
 
I took my first deer, a doe, with a muzzleloader on Halloween on public land.
 
I took 3 days off the first week of November. I missed a small 8 the first day. The next day I shot my first 8 pointer seen here. A few minutes after shooting him, I see an absolut monster and had him within 30yds but all I could do was watch since I hadn't shot two does yet.
 
Two weekends ago I went to try and get a doe with my bow. I was heading to my stand a came accross a bedded deer. It was only 10yds away. It couldn't get up. It was too dark to shoot and wasn't legal shooting time yet. I got up in my tree to see if anything ele was going to come in at first light. I had a small buck come in and then a fox came and was circling the bedded deer and it still didn't get up. After the buck moved off I got down and ended the deers misery. It was a buck that had shed it's antlers. He had been hit by a car and both back legs were broken.
 
I will be heading out this Saturday as well as next to try and get another doe and maybe try and get anther buck if I get the doe. I will be donating the meat if I get anything else.
 
 

[ejpantalone]

I have missed big bucks with a compound bow and thought about giving-up all together. When the states of Virginia and Maryland made the crossbow legal , I bought the Parker Terminator Crossbow with hopes that I could finally make a good shot on a big buck. Using my Parker Crossbow I am proud to say I am a perfect 3 for 3. My Buck-of-a-Lifetime came on October 19, 2010 on a farm in Queenstown, MD in Queen Annes County. I just wanted a doe for the freezer and sat in my tree stand without expectations. I thought I would spend the day without seeing anything, a beautiful buck with a reddish-brown rack stepped into the food plot and headed straight for me. With the wind on my face and plenty of sun still on my back, I froze. He was too close! I couldn't risk movement... after 30 years of near-misses I assumed this too would end badly. The buck stepped back into the woods long enough for me to stand up, grab my Parker and take aim at a spot on the trail he was walking. When the cross hairs met the deer I had one final thought, I had heard it a thousand times, "right behind the shoulder." The sound was terrific, the bow sprung to life with the squeeze of the trigger, the ringing of the limbs as they released their energy into the arrow. A second sound followed almost instantaneously, a "thwack" like a baseball-bat, hitting a side of beef. I saw the wound behind the shoulder and watched the buck as he arched his back, tail down, dashing for cover. He took 2 strides and fell over 20 yards from my vantage point. Thirteen points were obvious, 2 more would be found later. I now keep my Parker Crossbow next to my bed.
Sincerely Yours,
E John Pantalone
Springfield, VA
age 52