Larry A. Smail's Blog

The beginning of Pennsylvania’s Primitive Deer season proved to be a warmer than usual day. temperatures climbed to the low sixties in some areas.

I wasn’t sure how I would do this time afield. A bad cold and asthma conditions have been keeping me coughing a lot. I did very well this day for I only coughed  maybe a dozen times all day. (That changed once I got home!)

I consider the day very successful although I never managed to get a good shot on any deer. My hunting style consisted of sneaking around and looking intently for deer. I had seventeen deer sightings from dawn to about three o’clock. However, none allowed me the shot I desired.

I saw around 15 Gray Squirrels and three Fox Squirrels. I saw turkeys and a coyote. My step-father Bob hunted to close noon and he didn’t see any deer all morning. I had to describe, once again, that deer don’t have bushy gray tails!

Tomorrow I will be out again  enjoying nature and making up for lost time.

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“old Jacob” and my gear.

The “Hunter Mode” evades me easily. Many things can trigger a lack of desire to shoot. With me, weather can play a part. Traditionally, I butchered 98% of what I have taken over the years, so I want cool weather to work with.

Other reasons include my attempts to help others harvest over myself. I have been working at having  deer pass by my step-father, Bob. I may tend to pass up shots while doing this task. I actually allowed several close range shots to not happen. There are times I just do not want to take an animal. Some may call this weird, and maybe it is. Whatever, I have passed shots on gobblers, many deer, and even a bear one time. I think of these times as “Counting Coup”. Many Indian tribes, especially the western ones, considered touching an enemy over killing  to be bigger “medicine” than killing the opponent.

I haven’t hunted the long times as I tend to do. My leg feels like it gets fluid at times, so I have limited some woodland hunts. I didn’t hunt on Tuesday. On Wednesday, I passed up two 20 plus yard shots. I was standing, and thought maybe I should end this hunt. At the “click” of the hammer, being pulled back, the two deer bolted. Later, I missed one of these same deer. Then it happened! The “Hunter mode” kicked in.  I had 32 deer sightings by noon when I quit.                                                                                                                              

Thursday morning, I hunted about one hour, and a half behind where I grew up. I was trying to move some deer for Bob. This area was fields for most of my life. They had been abandoned and now the briars and goldenrods encompass  everywhere. the deer love it, but the goldenrods are over my head.

I was walking the old farmer’s road when I heard deer moving in these towering goldenrods. I quickly moved only to see two doe at about eight yards. They instantly took off never to be viewed again. I saw five deer totally.

Today, January 1st, I couldn’t stand being home, and took off to hunt. I was still hunting and saw two deer. I continued sneaking along when I saw a deer down over the hill walking towards me. I stopped. The deer turned broadside. The shot was true, and humane. The big doe lay still. The distance was over seventy steps.

I offered up a prayer of thanks, and the dragging began.

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December 26 witnessed the first day of the primitive deer hunting season. This is my personal favorite time to hunt. I decided to be a “dog” this day for my cousin, Donnie Smail, and step-father, Bob Miller.

Briars!!!!!!!!!

I was walking through some clear-cut areas on some of these pushes for deer.  Brambles; logs; multiflora rose and young growth saplings made moving difficult.

Prior to the first drive I maneuvered myself to a place to allow the “boys” to get into their position. prior to the deer drive, I went up, and over, to see where workers had removed the top of the hill. I wanted to observe how much woodlands were dozed over.

The Ram! (Note erosion control fencing.)

I was seeing a lot of deer sign when I looked along a grass-covered  area. I saw an animal. I first thought I was seeing a deer, but the colors didn’t look correct. I could see the colors of an elk along with deep blackened areas along the legs , and belly. The animal continually fed. I glassed it. Later, I saw the head and it was a ram!  What the heck was a ram doing way out here?

Well, as for the drives I placed deer went past the hunters at different times, but not a shot was fired.

I saw a grouse, and some squirrels as well.

We quit about 11:30 since some rain began falling as predicted. However, The rain didn’t amount to much all afternoon. Next time out, Old Jacob may get a shot! That rifle was named after Captain Jacob the famous Delaware warrior, and chief in Kittanning, Pennsylvania  in the eighteenth century.                                                                                             

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  I have been negligent with my posts as of late. I believe I need to catch up some. The first day of Pennsylvania’s Primitive deer season began the day after Christmas. I forced myself to hunt as usual despite bouts of pain in my upper, inner thigh area.

A camera shot instead of a flintlock shot!

This first day I saw nine deer. Some deer were close enough, but brush caused a pause hoping for that perfect shot. Those waits often cause failure to get any shots. I did see a Least Weasel this day. That little weasel is rare and I felt privileged to see one. I quit a little after noon due to pain. I didn’t hunt the next day.

  I saw plenty of deer the next several times I hunted. (I took pain-relieving pills to make the hunt as tolerable as possible.) On Tuesday, the 30th, my cousins, Donnie and Bobby, as well as, my step father, Bob engaged in some hunting. Bobby and I dogged all morning. I had the hammer back of several potential shots, but I didn’t shoot. Two of these potential shots were near horizon lines. Another shot had two deer standing side by side. The closest deer was back  some, but I thought the deer may step just as I shoot potentially harvesting two deer. I hoped they would separate. Donnie and Bob missed  during this drive.

A small deer.

I elected to head off after the others went their separate ways.  I missed a shot at a deer for I misjudged the distance. I did see a coyote this day.

Today, January 2nd, my friend, Terry Williams and I went hunting with our flintlocks. Terry has limited time to hunt so I did some dogging hoping he might connect. He did get a nice buck in archery season and a doe earlier during this flintlock season. I saw a lot of deer with  two times having the hammer back hoping for that perfect shot. In fact, I had 22 deer sightings. Terry didn’t see any. Fate is like that!

I was circling Terry when I saw a deer in goldenrods and briars. I instinctively raised  Old Jacob and shot. The deer dropped. The shot was seventeen yards via Terry’s range finder. Tomorrow will be butchering day.

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Things were not going very well. I was sanding in the garage and upon stopping the sander I could hear something in the basement. I investigated to see water shooting up from the hot water tank. I immediately shut down the water and called for plumbing assistance.  I could not obtain their services until December 26th. (Lucky for us we had water stored  here for such emergencies and I “fetched” water from the creek for flushings!) I would missing the opener of the flintlock season.

We did, however, have some quality time with family on Christmas Day.

Deer feeding site.

Today, along the road in the area I hunt I could see a buck in the pre-dawn light.  He would be crossing into the area I would be hunting in a short time. I mentally decided I would  be hunting for buck only until 9:00 A.M. I had plans in the afternoon so my day afield would be short too.

I passed up on two bedded deer and watched another walk below and bed down as I was sneaking along. The deer didn’t see me. I shot this deer with the camera. Suddenly, a deer bolted and stopped into the field. A buck appeared out of my range and with that classic head down proved his intentions. He was chasing the doe. They crossed over the road again.

Bedded deer.

I circled around and spotted four more deer bedded in a deep ravine. I was about forty yards from them. They were all doe and they remained until the one noticed the camera being pointed at them.

I worked along a hillside and had a few more deer sightings. I spotted an owl flying through some pines. Two deer walked out of some tree tops and passed me. I failed to shoot. The time was 8:45 A.M. I began to walk up a slope and I saw these two deer again. There was a lot of feeding activity so I knew more deer needed to be close. I saw a place where a buck had pawed his scrape out again from snow.

I approached a small round top area and saw two deer jump up at point blank range. The one went to my left and the other bolted to my right. The one on my right stopped and was wondering why it had bolted. The deer didn’t see me. It had reacted to the deer that had seen me.

Old Jacob and the doe.

The 58 yard shot was true and I found the deer 70 yards farther along. The time of the shot was 9:05 A.M. The mile long walk would be reality now. The snow cover made the drag easy. I saw five more deer as I closed in towards my vehicle. In total I had about 26 deer sightings with some being the same deer I am sure. I am now out of tags and will be “dogging” for my step father, Bob and my cousins.

Tomorrow will begin in a somber tone. We will be attending  a friend’s memorial service. Randy Tost had passed away earlier this month.

Laurie and I will be spending time with her family later on.

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I was a little late entering the woods this morning. We had a fresh coating of snow, but not very much. On top of the snow some light freezing rain had fallen over the nighttime hours. I cleaned off the drive and decided to head off to the woods to hunt for an antlerless deer. Our venison supply was extremely low.

I entered the woods after 8:00 A.M. and immediately saw fresh deer and turkey tracks.  I later saw 10 turkeys at two different times over the next hour or so. I saw two deer before I was 50 yards from the road. My still hunting approach allowed more sightings.

Old Jacob and the deer

My 50 caliber flintlock, affectionately named “Old Jacob” was itching for a hunt. (The muzzleloader’s name was given in honor of Delaware War Chief, Captain Jacobs who lived in Kit-Han-Ne in the 18th century.)

Thoughts of my friend’s passing surfaced from time to time. He would have loved this story!

I had hunted for about sixty minutes when I spotted a deer stand up among the fallen tree tops. The deer was 40 yards or so and allowed me a limited, but doable, target. Somehow my shot went low and entered in the brisket area. A non-fatal shot. Never-the -less, I owed the deer a complete follow-up.(This is one of those unfortunate scenarios that occasionally happens while hunting, especially with a flintlock. I may have had bullet deflection from a limb.)

I trailed the deer for about another hour seeing it once. I encircled a very brushy area and spotted a deer laying. When I felt confident it was the same deer I cocked the flintlock and the deer jumped up and took off. Obviously, this deer was in good shape!

Later, I circled around in the direction to where I had watched the deer go. I walked an old gas well road to try to catch a view of the deer. I looked to my left and saw a bedded deer about 15 yards from the road’s edge. The site was very thick with tree tops and briars. I couldn’t shoot because I wasn’t sure if this was the same deer. I continued moving quietly along until I spotted the deer’s tracks crossing the road. I knew this was the same deer now.

I eased back and once I had spotted the deer again I picked an opening and shot. The time was 10:15. What a chore removing the deer onto the road where dragging would be easy.

I had about 12 deer sightings and saw several squirrels in the short time of my hunt. A great morning indeed.

Tomorrow I will be butchering. Randy this one is for you!

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