The Tom Siple Foundation

On Friday October 2, I was hunting with The Tom Siple Foundation at Westbrook Whitetails near Indiana Pennsylvania. I had an outstanding time with this group. We began the hunt after a great breakfast in their incredible hunting lodge.

Greg and Brad

Mark and the guys from the foundation transferred me from my power wheelchair into a side-by-side for the trip to the ground blind. The ground blind was wheelchair accessible and large enough for four of us to sit comfortably.

After settling into the ground blind and setting up their 7mm adapted rifle we started the hunt. After about an hour we started to see a few deer, mostly doe. The rifle I was using was controlled by a joystick and had a camera mounted on to the scope. I could see the crosshairs on a 4" x 8" video screen. I would be using a sip and puff trigger. This set up would work for almost any individual with a variety of disabilities.

Ronnie, Greg and Mark

Almost 4 hours into the hunt we spotted a giant white buck moving toward the ground blind. He was moving with several doe almost at a trot, too quickly for me to even attempt a shot. The buck and doe stayed up on my right, I could not move the rifle that far to my right.

After several minutes we decided to move the rifle mount to the far side of the ground blind. As luck would have it after moving the rifle the buck moved to our left. We had to move the rifle and mount back to its original location. Again the buck moved and again we moved the rifle mount.

It was now or never and I settled the crosshairs on to the buck and fired using the sip and puff trigger. The buck dropped in his tracks at a little over 100 yards. I had just taken my trophy white Whitetail buck. This buck is not an albino deer. He is a white, Whitetail deer.

The buck is huge, over 300 pounds and has 17 points. He scores 160 inches and is an incredible buck. The antlers are palmated and nontypical. I have never seen another buck like this.

Greg and Beth

I would like to thank everyone from the Tom Sipple foundation and everyone at Westbrook whitetails. Having the opportunity to hunt with these great people is something I will always remember. The foundation will be mounting my trophy buck and I will be picking it up at their banquet in March. It was an incredible experience with fantastic people.

Alive and Well

The buck I shot on opening day of archery season is alive and well. My shot missed the lungs and it's definitely a nonfatal hit. I may get a second chance at this buck this season but for right now I'm just glad he was not wounded and lost.

9 Point Buck on Opening Day 2015

You can watch a video of the shot by clicking here

Unfortunately my aim was a little high and the buck drops down Creating a higher shot behind his shoulder into the non lethal zone. I was hoping for a lung shot but it did not happen.

After the shot we began trailing him. A huge thunderstorm created a downpour so we had to back out and try to recover the buck on Sunday morning. Several guys went out looking Sunday morning but we could not find or retrieve this buck. I am hoping it is a nonlethal shot and we will see him on trail cameras again this week eating apples.

Deer Vital Target

I always liked the saying"Aim small, miss small".  As we are preparing for the season I feel it's important to visualize the shot.  A well placed broadhead (fixed or mechanical) will quickly and humanely bring down a whitetail deer.

Fawn's and Other Baby Wildlife

Now is the time of year when whitetail deer are having their fawns. If you happen to come across one of these beautiful little babies, please leave them alone.  Their mother will be close by, they are not abandoned, they are fine all on their own.

Enough Winter Already

My friend Glenn just sent me this photo taken in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. Glenn is the president of Whitetail Disabled Hunting and Associates. I bet this group of deer are just as fed up with winter as we are.  I can't wait until spring, not only will the weather be better but we will get to hunt spring turkey.

Katelyn's Story

My love of wildlife, the outdoors, and hunting has been embedded in me since I was as little as can be. Growing up with my English Springer Spaniel, Zak, as my best friend and my dad, an avid outdoorsman, as my role model, I couldn't avoid it. I can remember the excitement on Zak's and my dad's faces after coming home from a successful hunt.

I had decided back then that being a girl wouldn't inhibit my dreams of being a hunter. Little did I know later in my life being a woman involved in hunting and shooting sports is a blessing. I owe so much to my dad for molding me and giving me the opportunities I've had. From my first coyote, my first buck, my first goose and so on. There's a very small amount of Pennsylvania wildlife I have not had a chance to hunt and harvest. For the most part I've been on every sort of hunt imaginable around here.

I couldn't have been happier for my dad when he became part of the Pennsylvania Game Commission 5  years ago. I am a huge supporter of ethical hunting and fair chase. I support what him and the other Wildlife Conservation Officers do. I love being able to share my hunting stories and knowledge with others.

Fast forwarding to my second year of archery season. This past fall I saw some of the most amazing Whitetail bucks ever. They were the kind of bucks that physically drop your jaw and you can't stop staring because you can't believe what your eyes are looking at. The best part is that these were "my bucks"! They lived on my property and the surrounding farmland that was posted, which only my dad and I have permission to hunt. I hunted almost every single day during the archery season and made sure not to miss a single day when the rut started up.

I knew it was only a matter of time before I was going to have an opportunity to harvest a nice buck with my bow. I was hunting with my new pink-camo, Diamond compound. It would be my first archery deer, having previously harvested other nice bucks, but with my slug gun. The opportunity finally came early on in the season on a decent sized 8-point. I judged him to be at 40 yards. Standing up and drawing my bow back I placed my sight right on his vitals and released my arrow. My pink luminox lit up as I watched it fly directly towards where I had placed it. Then all of a sudden I watched it ricochet off a twig half the size of my pinky and fly off to my right. I sat down, my stomach in knots as a tear rolled down my cheek. I couldn't believe what had just happened, I blew it. Why hadn't I saw that twig there?

Throughout the rest of the archery season I saw some absolutely amazing bucks. My most memorable ones were a drop-tine buck with at least 10 points and a few others that just had outrageously large racks. If you're wondering why I saw these bucks, but didn't shoot them let me explain. The last thing I ever want to do is injure a buck to the point where it suffers until it dies. Just the thought of that disgusts me along with the thought that some people are okay with taking a chance like that.  These huge bucks I saw were on the verge of 50-60 yards. I may have been able to pull off a lethal shot, but it was risky. Risky enough that I preferred to sit in my stand in awe observing them. "There's always another day, gun season, and next year" I kept telling myself.  I preach ethical hunting practices to everyone I know. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't follow my own beliefs.

I saw plenty of little guys throughout my 2014 archery season also. Spikes, 2 points, 4 points, legal little racked bucks too. A lot of these young bucks came right up under my stand or 10 yards in front of me. The little barely legal ones I passed up. Some may call me crazy, but I can't kill a buck that I won't be beaming with pride for. Those little racked guys will be bigger the next year, just wait until then. Let them go, let them grow.

I never did take a buck during this archery season, but I was okay with that. Not at first, but after I thought it over for a good, long while I was. I continuously told myself that this was just God's plan and he was saving me a real nice buck for gun season. I would've never expected he was saving me more than that.

While archery season was out and gun season had yet to come in I did some small game hunting. I took my old English Springer Spaniel, Lucky, out to kick up some pheasants one morning. Everything was going well until a blizzard set in! I decided enough was enough and headed back home to thaw out and dry off. I shot a few squirrels throughout those “in between deer season” days too. I tried out some new hide curing techniques that didn't turn out too bad. I can't complain about meat in the freezer either.

I had the opportunity to take a trip to West Virginia to rifle hunt with my boyfriend, Trevor, along with two of his friends.  I jumped at that, no way I was missing out! The day after Thanksgiving he and I woke up at 4am and started our 2 hour drive down to Marshall county. We stopped at a little diner to get some breakfast where we ran into many locals all geared up to do some deer hunting. Trevor and I headed out to the property he hunts a little while down the road to get things going. The sun was just starting to peak over the horizon when we began walking into the woods. We sat down in a favorite spot of his dad's, where quite a few bucks were taken over the previous years. We were on a mountainside, a few benches down from the top. It began blizzarding, all you could see was white. I was praying the snow would subside. We wouldn't be able to see a deer 10 yards in front of us if it didn't! The wild winds and snow calmed down not too long after they began.

About 45 minutes after sitting there we heard such a strange noise coming from my left. I looked at Trevor, he looked at me, what the heck was that? Then I heard Trevor say "Two deer, get ready!" A doe came flying by us 5 yards out, running full speed. Trevor said that he knew there was another down there. Just then he peeked his head out. He was a nice rack buck! I pulled up my .308 my dad had built himself, put the crosshairs on his chest and fired. He ran down the mountain 50 or so yards then stopped and looked back. Trevor drew his 300 H&H up to get ready to shoot if he wasnt down. He watched the buck through his scope, saw him take a step forward and collapse to the ground. He was gone. I had officially shot my first West Virginia buck!

I couldn't get down the mountainside fast enough to check him out! I was so excited! He turned out to be a really nice 7 point, especially for down in West Virginia. Bucks don't get very big down there due to the lack of food they have. Our Pennsylvania bucks seem like cows compared to the ones in West Virginia.  I filled out my tag and stuck it in his ear. I wanted so badly to call my dad and tell him the news, but there was no cellphone reception for miles and miles. Trevor pulled out his camera and took some pictures of my buck and I. I had made a perfect shot. The bullet went through the top of the heart and double lunged him. After he was field dressed out the drag up the mountain began. Thank god I had Trevor there or it would have taken me literally 3 hours to get that buck up the steep mountainside. We took turns dragging him up. Well, Trevor did most of it, I just gave him a break every now and then because I felt bad! Once we got him in the truck bed I put my gun away and we headed back out to try and get Trevor a buck before the day was over. It was still only 8am we had a lot of time left.

We walked all over the mountainsides the rest of the day. I wanted Trevor to shoot a buck so badly.  Meeting up with two other guys we decided to put on a drive around 3pm. Trevor & I set up at the end of a thicket while the other two walked through it. As soon as they walked in the mountainside came alive. There were deer running everywhere, going every which way! I strained to find a buck and I saw two. I whispered to Trevor, but he already had his rifle waiting for a buck that was down in a low spot. That buck started running closer! We bleated at him and he stopped behind a tree. He began moving again, we bleated, he stopped.. behind another tree! Trevor put his crosshair right in front of the tree waiting for him to step forward. He did, Trevor pulled the trigger and he collapsed to the ground. It was official, we just doubled up on two great West Virginia bucks! We were so excited!

Trevor’s buck ended up being a nice 8 point. After I took some pictures he field dressed the buck and we figured out the best way to drag him out. We were all the way at the bottom of the mountain with Trevor’s truck at the very top. We decided that wasnt even plausible to drag that buck up the mountain because we were both already absolutely exhausted. Thankfully our friend’s truck was parked at the bottom of the mountain, but it was still going to be a long drag. We finally made it back to that truck. Later on the other two met us there and we made the drive back up to Trevor’s truck.

We had both bucks loaded up and we were ready to go home. The sun was starting to set on such an amazing day. I was soaking wet and absolutely freezing. Since we were hunting out of state we had to stop at one of the local convenience stores to check in our deer. We did that, grabbed a couple snacks, and then headed on our trip home. We kept trying to make phone calls to our family on the way home, but we kept losing service. Eventually we were able to tell everyone about our awesome day!

So I had the following two days, Saturday and Sunday, to prepare for the opening day of buck season in Pennsylvania on Monday. Living in Wildlife Management Unit 2B we are not permitted to use rifles. My dad and I use slug guns to hunt our bucks. We watched the weather all weekend and it looked like it was going to be cold and rainy. What a surprise..not. The chances of having snow on opening day has always been rare. I kept thinking to myself how crazy it would be if I shot another buck on Monday! Then I thought about how much more crazier it would be if I harvested one of those big guys I saw during archery season!

Monday morning was here and I was ready. I posted up in a spot where I had seen many deer throughout archery season. The way the land is set up the deer tend to funnel into that spot. My dad was posted up in another decent spot not too far from me. We sat for a while and then he decided to push out the thicket, leading to where I was. We didn't see a single deer. So we put on another drive and once again we didn't see any deer. It was still only morning, but my hope was slowly dwindling. I kept thinking of the odds that I'd down another buck having just shot my West Virginia buck the other day.

We decided to push out one last thicket before we headed in for lunch and to dry off. I posted up and waited. Five or so minutes passed by then from what I heard it sounded as if a herd of buffalo we're running at me! A group of deer came flying out of the thicket. I was frantically searching for some antlers. I saw some finally which I realized only belonged to a spike and a 4 point. I met up with my dad to fill him in on what passed by. Hey.. At least they were bucks! We headed home on the ATV to warm up. I was still feeling pretty determined despite not seeing much that morning. We had about 4 or 5 hours left to make it happen.

With our stomachs full and some dry clothes on we took to the woods again. I hunt a large valley with a back road that runs through the very bottom. Both hillsides are fields covered in thick brush with acres of woods behind them. Putting on a few more drives on the opposing hillside that we had hunted that morning only doe were seen. We took the ATV up to the highest point on the hill. We scanned the hillside facing us for deer with the binoculars. At first we didn't see any. Then my dad noticed a deer like figure in the middle of the hill. We tried and tried, but couldn't make out if it was a deer, let alone a buck or a doe. We headed down the hillside, thinking that with a different angle we would have a better chance of making out what it was. We determined it was most definitely a deer. We moved a bit further down, pulling the binoculars up to our eyes. That's when I heard my dad declare that the deer was a buck, a giant one at that. I'll never forget his exact words, but I'll leave them out due to some profanity! Him having better binoculars than me at the time, I grabbed his up to get a better look. I don't know what exactly came out of my mouth, but I couldn't believe what I was seeing. We both agreed that buck looked like more like it was an elk! His tines were straight up and so tall. Enough gawking though, we had to make a plan to get all the way over there without being seen.

Taking the ATV to the bottom of the valley we parked it. We emptied our pockets of anything that wasn't necessary to take up there. The slightest sound of something banging around in our pockets would be enough to ruin our opportunity. We mapped out the path we would take, realizing that if things went according to plan he wouldn't catch us until we were 60 or so yards from him, guns drawn. The wind was working with us perfectly. We knew we'd have to move low and slow all the way up the hill. Hunched down and moving at a snail's pace we worked our way towards the buck. Once we made it up the hill far enough we would have to cut across being that he was standing in the middle. Once we had sight of him we would open fire.

So we were at the right elevation and began cutting across. We lost sight of him once we began our way up the hill. I was praying to God he hadn't moved. Then we were so close I could barely breathe. I knew right over the little knoll he'd be standing there. My heart was pounding out of my chest. We stepped forward and I made eye contact with the buck. My dad had not noticed the buck standing there yet, being only his chest and head were visible. The rest of his body was behind a bush.  He was so well camouflaged with the background of the thicket. As quietly as I could I whispered, "He's right there...", my eyes as big as tomatoes. I drew up my gun, my dad drew up his and we shot. There was no way that buck was getting away from us.

The buck took off at a slow run. One that you'd look at and think he's gonna be down within a hundred yards. My dad and I took off running to the spot where he was standing. Yes, blood! It was everywhere, covering the field. The buck took off out of the field and into the tree line. We went running that way following him. Just as we made it to the treeline our neighbor, Ernie, was standing there wide-eyed. He was out hunting as well, but had no idea we were right over in the field. Our buck ran right by him!

We had about 45 minutes of daylight left. My dad had me run down to get the ATV and grab some flashlights from the house in case we ended up not finding him before dark. Him and Ernie would continue to track him while I was gone. By the time I made it back up the hill the darkness had set in and our buck still wasn't found. We had a decent blood trail with good bright red blood. It would taper off here and there, but then would be followed up by large puddles. Ernie ran over to his house to get his old Coleman Lantern. Blood shows up really well with them. Another 45 minutes went by and our buck still wasn't recovered. Doug and Timmy, two of the Pennsylvania Game Deputies that patrol with my dad gave him a call. They were out patrolling, but decided to head on over to our place to help us track. So with myself, my neighbor, and three DWCO's ( who all took a class on tracking) I was sure we'd find our buck soon. “We better find him”, I thought to myself.

There's something about tracking deer at night that's fun, in my opinion. It's not something you get to do often! At this point we had been tracking for nearly two hours and we were 1.5 miles from where we originally shot. We were almost all the way through the patch of woods and nearing the road. Then Ernie thought of something that made my stomach flip upside down. He recalled after our buck had run by him a shot had been fired on the other side of the road shortly after. The same road that the blood trail was heading up towards. My heart sank. The thought of someone shooting our already shot buck and then tagging him as their own ripped me apart. I would be so devastated.

The blood trail made it right up to the road. I thought for sure he had crossed over, but my dad picked the trail back up heading the opposite way, back into the woods. It felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders. We started heading uphill and we were all so confused. What wounded deer runs uphill, let alone for this long??! The blood spots got fewer and farther in between. My stomach started knotting up again. I stood at the last blood spot for twenty minutes while the guys branched out to look for the next one.  Nobody could find any. My dad ventured a little bit further and yelled something I couldn't make out. Not wanting to leave the last blood spot I yelled back and asked him what he said. He didn't respond and then the guys started heading towards him. I took off running in the pitch black through the thorns to where my dad was, being pretty sure of what was going on.

OH MY GOD, THERE HE WAS. Our buck was laying there under a bush. My oh my was he nice!! His tines were so long and tall, all 10 of them. I couldn't have been happier in those few moments. I thanked the guys over and over for coming to help us. It might've taken us hours, but we finally found him.

The buck had run over two miles from where we shot him. The next dilemma was deciding how to get him out after he was tagged and field dressed. Thankfully we were close to the road. I called my mom and sister, asking them to bring one of my dad's trucks down to us so we could load him up. Too much traffic was flying by up and down the road so we turned on the truck's lights and sirens. This truck was the one that my dad used when out patrolling for the Game Commision. Timmy and Doug directed traffic while we got the buck loaded. All five of us jumped in the bed of the truck afterwards while my mom drove us home. Even though my dad mentioned to her "Remember were back here!", she drove a little too fast for our liking. Freezing wind whipped across our faces, but I wasn't complaining. This was the best deer season of my life so far!!

Our freezer is full to say the least. Just recently Trevor & I went out to pheasant hunt one afternoon. We hunted the same property where my dad & I had harvested the 10 point. We walked through the first thicket, him towards the top, myself on the bottom side. I told him to be ready when we got towards the end of the thicket. I had saw quite a few pheasants throughout deer season around there. And sure enough a nice big male flushed up to my left. I shot and he dropped. I ran over to check him out and he was beautiful. I was content with just him for the day. We headed on home to clean my bird. I kept the tail as a souvenir, which is something I've always done. I stuck the pheasant meat in the freezer, ready to be cooked for dinner.

I have doe tags left that I'll be getting ready to fill within the week or so. Living in Allegheny County we have an extended firearms season, allowing us to hunt does up until January 24th. If I could wish for anything it would be more time in the day. I didn't have much of a chance to do as much coyote hunting as usual and didn't make it out waterfowl hunting either this past season. With winter setting in and deer season going out we'll be getting after those coyotes here shortly. I can say that this year has come to a close and I couldn't be anymore thankful for how it's turned out! So many cool experiences and opportunities!

 Katelyn Cerciello

Early Harvest Reports

It looks like a pretty good season so far for my friends rifle hunting in Pa.  They are sending in some great pictures of deer they have taken the first two days of the rifle season.  If you would like to see what our local wounded warriors are harvesting check out their website Here.

 

1st Day of Buck Season 2014

I was hunting on Saturday at my friend Ryan's place.  The last several years he has put on a hunt for individuals with disabilities on the first day of buck season (archery). This hunt is always fantastic and I look forward to seeing him and all the guys from Whitetail management Associates of greater Pittsburgh.

This year they custom made several ground blinds that are wheelchair accessible. They are so nice, the pictures do not do them justice. The doorway is large enough to accommodate my action track chair which most ground blinds are unable to do.

All of the windows are removable from the inside and the blind is insulated.  It also has a completely level wooden floor. I felt like I was hunting from someone's living room, overlooking a food plot.  If Ryan put's in satellite TV next year I am moving in permanently.

I was entertained by turkeys from 6 AM until 10 AM sometimes as close as 20 yards. If the birds were in season I could have easily taken one of the four gobblers that walked around my ground blind for a total of four hours.

Every year this hunt gets better and better. This year Bob was able to take his first Whitetail deer ever. Mike who usually takes at least two deer missed one this year. I had an opportunity to take a small doe in the evening at 15 yards but opted to pass. I seen a total of 12 deer in the evening (two really nice bucks) but did not have an ethical shot.

This gobbler and his buddies were at 20 yards numerous times I love watching them and hearing them. Seeing turkeys up close is fantastic.  The hens gave me a great lesson in calling that I hope to use next month.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this hunt! I look forward to this every year and really appreciate all of your hard work and giving up your first day of buck season so that I can have an opportunity to get out and hunt.

Pa GAME COMMISSION RELEASES DEER HARVEST ESTIMATES 2013

Harvests up 3 percent statewide in 2013-14, report shows.

 

The Pennsylvania Game Commission today reported that, in the state’s 2013-14 seasons, hunters harvested an estimated 352,920 deer – an increase of about 3 percent compared to the previous seasons’ harvest of 343,110.

Hunters took 134,280 antlered deer in the 2013-14 seasons – a harvest similar to the previous license year when an estimated 133,860 bucks were taken. Also, hunters harvested 218,640 antlerless deer in 2013-14, which represents about a 4 percent increase compared to the 209,250 antlerless deer taken in 2012-13.

Harvest estimates are based on more than 25,000 deer checked by Game Commission personnel and more than 110,000 harvest reports submitted by successful hunters. Because only about one-third of hunters report their deer harvests, the Game Commission uses data from deer checked in the field and hunter reports to estimate the total harvest.

WMA Accessible Archery Hunt 2013

On Saturday I had the pleasure to go hunting with Whitetail Management Associates of Pittsburgh.  They set up a special doe hunt for four hunters with disabilities.  All of the members gave up their first day of archery season to get us into blinds, drive deer and assist us hunters with disabilities.

The day started early for our host Ryan, he was up at 2:30 AM putting a whole pig on the smoker, and getting everything ready for our arrival at 5:00 AM.  We would be hunting on his farm where he built several ground blinds specifically for wheelchair users.

After saying hello to several volunteers which I have met over the years, we were off to the ground blind.  By 5:30 AM, Beth and I were sitting in the middle of an apple orchard waiting for a mature whitetail doe to walk by.  The weather forecast was severe rain, but the rain had not started yet.

 

About 7:00 AM we were able to spot this buck 20 yards from my blind.  Unfortunately it was Doe only, so all we could do was take pictures.

 

By 8:00 AM several doe had been by the ground blind, unfortunately my limited mobility kept me from taking an ethical shot.  That did not stop Beth from taking pictures.

 

9:00 AM brought the rain.  This rain would continue all day until 8:30 PM.  I felt really bad for the volunteers who were driving deer to the hunters.  They never complained and could not do enough to assist us.  They were successful in pushing at least 11 deer close by me, but again I could not take the shot.  At 11:00 AM they came to take us back to the barn for a lunchtime feast!

I quickly learned that one of the hunters (Mike) who happens to be a double amputee was successful in taking two doe with his Tenpoint crossbow.   Zach and Bob had the same results as me, seeing lots of deer but were unable to pull the trigger.

 

Lunch was fantastic and I was able to speak with two Pennsylvania game commission officers about their work in the commonwealth.  One of the officers, Jack, told me an interesting story about recently rescuing a buck from a well and another buck that was tangled in a soccer net.  I also spoke with a few of the hunters who will be joining me this year on my bow hunt in Illinois. 

After a few hours in the barn enjoying the great food and camaraderie of the other hunters, we loaded up in the rain and headed out to a new location using a portable blind.

 

The evening hunt was almost an exact copy of the morning.  I was seeing lots of deer; unfortunately I was unable to get on them.  Hunting with a disability can be very challenging which makes the rewards that much sweeter.  Legal shooting light eventually came and I had to quit for the day.

 

Some people may not view this hunt as being successful, because I did not harvest a deer.  I know it was successful because I had the opportunity to hunt with great friends and experience bow hunting again in Pennsylvania.

Thank you to all the volunteers at Whitetail Management Associates for all you do for individuals with disabilities every year.  I’ve made some great friends within your organization and really appreciate everything you do for conservation and the sport of bow hunting.

 

 

 

 

Doe Decoy

My Doe decoy arrived this week from Amazon.  I am really impressed with it and can't wait to use "Jane Doe" on my archery hunt in Illinois during the rut.  Hunting from a ground blind and in a wheelchair presents a lot of challenges.  Doe decoys can help focus a bucks attention away from the ground blind.

I like to use a doe decoy during the rut but not during doe season.  I have had a doe decoy scare away doe before and I feel they are more effective on bucks during the rut.  What are your thoughts on deer decoy's?

Disabled Hunt

I am preparing now for Whitetail Management Associates of Greater Pittsburgh's annual disabled archery hunt coming up in September. I started hunting with this group in 2010 and they are the reason I am back in archery. Prior to 1999 I was a passionate bow Hunter to say the least. That all changed with my spinal cord injury which paralyzed me from the chest down.

In February of 1999 I broke my neck in a diving accident and spent five months in the hospital and Rehabilitation Center, having several surgeries. I never thought I would be able to archery hunt again and it took me almost 10 years to get strong enough mentally and physically to try again.

I contacted Whitetail management and explained my situation. Joe and Ryan were more than willing to take me out hunting and understood my limitations hunting from a power wheelchair, using adapted equipment and hunting in a ground blind.

That first morning as my brother John and I sat in the ground blind I was both excited and scared. I had spent months preparing and practicing with adapted equipment and a crossbow in order to get back into archery hunting. It would not take long before a doe would arrive and give me the opportunity I was dreaming about for years.

I had a broadside shot at 23 yards and took it. The bolt found its mark and the doe quickly went down, I was back hunting again! Whitetail Management Associate's provided me the opportunity to hunt again and have been with me every year since.

I have harvested two doe and one very nice eight point buck hunting with them.  I have made several friends in the organization and shared wonderful experiences in the ground blind with some fantastic people. Thank you Whitetail Management for all you do for individuals with disabilities. I think of your group not only as excellent sportsman and hunters, but great friends as well.

Deer Vitals

As we are practicing for archery season it's very important to understand the anatomy of the deer.  Shot placement has to be our goal for a quick, clean, ethical kill. 

Aim small, miss small, pick your target for the best possible shot.  Good luck!

Scott's Big Buck

ILLINOIS WHITETAIL ADVENTURE

By Scott Hall

 

   To those who don't know me, my name is Scott Hall and I am a disabled hunter with spina bifida.  I hunt small game, doves and turkey but my passion is whitetail deer.  While most of my hunting is done in my home state of North Carolina, I have also been blessed to be able to hunt in Virginia, Texas, Ohio and most recently Illinois.  My most recent hunt in Illinois is the purpose of this article. 

 

   Those who know me know that I am an avid Facebook user and log on nearly every day to keep up with family and friends, to read all the latest hunting news, and to enter online contests. 

  

   In April of 2012, I entered a Facebook contest to win an all-expense paid whitetail hunt with Trophy Buck Outfitters in Hillview, Illinois.  Having never hunted in Illinois before, and knowing the kind of bucks that come from there, I was hoping against all odds, that my name would be drawn and I would be hunting trophy whitetails in an area where so many Boone and Crockett bucks have been taken.

 

   In June 2012, the date came for drawing the winner of the contest.  When the winner was drawn, I was a little disappointed to read that someone from Tennessee had won the hunt instead of me.  Rather than brooding about it, I quickly dismissed it and just moved on and looked forward to the upcoming deer season in my home state of North Carolina instead.  That is when an unexpected event took place.

 

   One night about two weeks after the contest ended, I received a Facebook message from Andy Chandler, co-owner of Trophy Buck Outfitters.  The message simply said, "Scott call me at this number please.  Thanks, Andy."  I called him back but was unable to reach him.  The next morning the phone rang and it was him.  He introduced himself then asked if I had entered their contest on Facebook?  I replied that I had.  I also told him that I also knew a winner had already been chosen.  He laughed and said, "Well that's why I'm calling, we have had a problem getting in touch with the original winner so we drew another name and had the same problem so basically you're the fifth person I've tried to get in touch with to give this hunt away.  Would you like to come hunt with us?"  When he said that, I could hardly believe it!  My hands started to shake just like they do when I encounter a big buck and my reply was a very enthusiastic "WOULD I?!  YOU BET I WOULD!"  This was just like buck fever.  The only thing missing was the buck.  He said, "Okay then you're our winner, I'll post it on Facebook."

 

  At that point Andy began filling me in on the process of applying for a non-resident tag, buying a non-resident license and habitat stamp.  He also gave me a list of all the things I needed to bring with me.  I hung up with him and immediately called the Illinois Department of Natural Resources where a very helpful agent was able to walk me through the process for applying for my non-resident deer tag.  In September my tag arrived in the mail and I was pleased to see that I had drawn both a non-resident buck tag and a non-resident doe tag as well. 

 

   My dad Ken has been instrumental in nurturing my love of hunting and the outdoors and so I wanted him to come along with me on this hunt to make another hunting memory and to share some time out in God's creation together. 
 

   Finally the day of my departure had arrived.  After leaving North Carolina on November 14th, we drove to Corydon, Indiana the first day where we got a motel room and got a good night's rest, then drove the remaining 250 miles into Illinois the following day.  After arriving, I went to a local Wal-Mart store near where we were staying and bought my non-resident license and habitat stamp.  I was now a "legal beagle".

   We arrived in Hillview, a small community of just under 200 residents, on November 15th and after stopping to ask for directions, we found our way to the Trophy Buck Outfitters Lodge where we were greeted by Andy and his guides as well as the other hunters who would be in camp that week. 

   Situated in the rolling hills and farmland between the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers, Trophy Buck Outfitters has a fully handicapped accessible lodge that sleeps up to 14 hunters.  With two large sitting rooms, two fully stocked kitchens, private bedrooms with 2 beds per room, two handicapped accessible bathrooms, and satellite TV, a hunt at Trophy Buck Outfitters is a trip I will always cherish.     At Trophy Buck Outfitters, meals are provided but breakfast is a do it yourself affair and hunters are asked to take a sack lunch with them into the field because unless other arrangements are made, hunting takes place from daylight until dark and a deer can be spotted at any time of day during the rut.  A deer is not guaranteed at Trophy Buck Outfitters, but the owners and guides go out of their way to place you in big buck areas and make your hunt as enjoyable as possible. 

 

   With a minimum harvest requirement of 130 B&C or P&Y points, there are many trophy bucks in the 150-180 inch range taken there every season.  Hunts take place on several different privately owned farms and there are thousands of acres of land on which to hunt.   Trophy Buck Outfitters does not overbook their properties and there is plenty of room to hunt.  I never encountered another hunter in my hunting area during my hunt which is more than you can say on many properties in big buck states.

 

   After my arrival that evening, I talked with Phil who is one of the guides and he told me that in his opinion, the gun I had brought from home may not be suitable for the terrain on which I would be hunting because it did not have a rifled barrel.  Going into the next room, he returned carrying a brand new 12 gauge Savage Model 212 slug gun.  Holding it out to me he said, "Here! Take this and try it out.  I just got it yesterday and it's never been hunted with but it's sighted in to hit dead on at 200 yards so if you can see him, you can hit him with this!"  I graciously accepted his offer and I am glad that I did.

 

   We turned in very early that night and by 3:30am we were awakened to the sound of guides and hunters already up and preparing for the first days hunt.  My dad and I got up, dressed and ate a quick breakfast then Andy and one of his guides loaded me and my dad and my wheelchair into a van and took us out to our stand location for the day.  After they left, my dad and I settled into the blind and awaited shooting light.

 

  Situated on the edge of a large CRP field with thick hardwoods and brush on all sides, the blind faced east and the CRP field we were on rose gradually from our blind to the top of a ridge some 160 yards distant.  This particular farm we were hunting was over 3,000 acres and we were the only ones hunting there.

 

   In my opinion, there is no better place to be on this side of Heaven, than in a deer blind with my dad.  As the sky started to lighten in the east, the creatures of the forest began to stir from their slumber.  As I sat there in silence, taking it all in, I said a silent prayer thanking the Lord for allowing me the opportunity to be here and listen as the world woke up around me.  As the sun rose above the horizon, I saw a deer about 150 yards away, then another and another.  Slowly lifting my binoculars I was able to make out the shape of a doe then following her were two small bucks, both non-shooters.  I was a little disappointed at the size of these bucks but I knew the area held bigger bucks and the hunt was young and I still had plenty of time remaining.

 

   Just then, the tranquility of the morning was broken by a large fox squirrel who was chattering noisily just to my right.  I slowly turned and scanned the woods to my right then up the field edge in front of me until my eyes caught movement further out.  Raising the binoculars I picked out the shape of a deer.  An old "high headed" doe as I call them, came out fully alert and looking for any sign of danger.  I slowly pulled my camera from my pocket and snapped a quick photo just as she spotted me.  She stomped her front foot, then bounded back into the forest, blowing loudly as she went.

 

   Unfortunately the remainder of the day passed uneventfully with no other deer spotted before nightfall.  Back at the lodge, we found a very nice 150 class ten pointer hanging on the meat pole, and a very happy hunter sitting in the lodge.  He re-told the story of how he was able to take this good looking buck and we all congratulated him on his achievement.  That night around the supper table, I was able to get better acquainted with Andy, his partner Eric and the other hunters, all of whom were from the state of Michigan.  They were all a great group of guys and I enjoyed my time spent with them and with my dad.  After a supper of pizza from a nearby pizza place, we turned in and prepared for day two of our hunt.

 

   Arriving back in the same blind, we settled in again and shortly after sunrise were treated to the sound of a turkey gobbling just behind us and coyotes howling way off in the distance.  A short time later a very large and beautiful coyote trotted out of the timber some 180 yards away.  I had the green light from Andy to shoot one if I saw it, but this one never paused long enough for a shot. 

 

   All during the day we were treated to the sight of several deer but no shooters.  About noon, a yearling six point buck, sporting the smallest six point rack I think I have ever seen, came out in the field.  Sniffing the ground for sign of an estrous doe, he slowly meandered across the field from our left to right before disappearing again into the woods.

 

   About an hour before dark, and with my confidence on a downhill slide, my dad tapped me on my right shoulder and motioned for me to look straight ahead.  I looked and there was that same "high headed" doe we had seen the day before.  I sat motionless this time and watched as doe after doe filtered out of the timber and began to calmly feed in front of us about 160 yards away.  Just as I raised the gun to attempt to fill my doe tag, I caught more movement out of the corner of my right eye.  Glancing over, I saw the glint of antler as a buck strode out of the brush.   I glassed him and saw that he wasn't particularly wide but he was still a good buck.  His rack was tall, extending well above his ears and while he didn't appear to be an old buck, I knew that day two of a three day season was nearly over and with only one day remaining, I did not want to pass him up then go home with an unfilled tag.

 

  I quickly ranged the yardage to be 167 yards.  With the buck calmly feeding broadside and totally unaware of my presence, I rested the gun on the window of the blind and with hands shaking, settled into the gun and eased off the safety.  Placing the crosshairs directly behind his shoulder and taking a deep breath, I exhaled half of it and slowly squeezed the trigger.  At the sound of the shot I heard the thwack as the 12 gauge slug hit home and I saw the buck mule kick with both back legs then take off quickly to my left.  Thinking fast, I doe bleated loudly with my mouth and he stopped dead in his tracks and looked my way.  Ranging him again I saw he was now at 176 yards.  I quickly racked another shell in the chamber and slowly squeezed the trigger.  This time the buck "hunched up" in the middle, lowered his head and took off again to my left.  Stopping a second time, he began to flick his tail vigorously from side to side, a sure sign of a hit.  I ranged him a third time and saw the distance was now 202 yards.  This would be the longest shot I had ever attempted on any deer and especially the longest shot I had ever attempted with a shotgun.  Settling in for the third time I squeezed the trigger and saw the deer run off to the left, this time disappearing from sight. 

 

   I felt fairly confident of the shots but still with the buck out of sight, the presence of coyotes around and night quickly falling, I knew it was important to find the deer as soon as possible.  After calling Andy on my cell phone and telling him I had a buck down, my dad said he was going to go look for the downed deer.  He walked across the CRP field and over the rise and disappeared from view just as the buck had.  A little while later he re-emerged and began waving both hands back and forth over his head.  I thought this signal meant "no sign of him".  What it actually meant was "buck down".  Dad got back to the blind a couple of minutes later, breathless and telling me "He's down but he's way out in the field.  A long way off." 

   The later it got the more anxious I became for Andy to arrive.  Just a few minutes before dark he and Tim, one of the guides, rolled up in the van.  We quickly loaded up then drove in the direction my dad said the buck had taken.  As we scanned the field for sign of the deer I saw a dark shape just ahead.  I pointed and said, "There he is!"  Andy stopped the van, got out and went to the buck then gave me the thumbs up sign.  He and the guide then unloaded me and my chair and after congratulations and a few back slaps, we took a few photos before night fell.  The buck was a nice mainframe nine pointer with a kicker point off his left G-2, making him a legal ten pointer.  He also had a crab claw on the end of his left antler.  A real "character" buck.  He wasn't an old buck, probably three years old, but he was a trophy to me and I was blessed to have been given the opportunity to take him. 

 

After Andy and Tim loaded the buck, we headed back to the lodge.  As news of my success spread in camp, all the guys were coming up congratulating me.  Someone who has never hunted or been in a deer camp has no idea what this is like but to a hunter, it’s one of the best feelings in the world to be congratulated by your peers.

 A little while later, Andy came into the lodge and announced to the whole group that "Scott hit that buck with all three shots and I could cover all three shots with the palm of my hand."  He went on to say that, "The first shot was a double lung hit.  Shot two hit dead center in the heart and shot three was one inch to the right, but also dead center in the heart."  Even after taking three fatal hits, the buck still was able to run 186 yards before collapsing.  This just goes to prove how tough that a whitetail can be.

 

   That night, sleep came easily and I slept the sleep of the just.  I chose to sleep in the following day while others in camp went out in a last ditch attempt to fill their tags.  That afternoon with a doe tag still in my pocket and hearing that there was a family in that community with small children and they had recently fallen on hard times and who could really use some meat, I decided to go out for the afternoon to try to take a doe in order to donate to that family.  I was unsuccessful in doing so, so I opted to donate the meat from my buck instead.

 

  It was sort of a somber mood around camp that last night.  Not everyone in camp had been able to fill their tags, but that was not the reason for the somber mood.  Nobody really wanted the season to be over or for this time to end.  Filling a tag is not the primary motive for going to deer camp.  The primary motive should be having the opportunity to experience God's creation in all its majesty, to form friendships, and to share experiences with your fellow hunting brothers and sisters.  Taking a buck is just a little extra icing on the cake.  While the bucks taken in these deer camps may not all be record book deer, the memories made there are ALL Boone and Crockett size!