THE EIGHT POINT BUCK I NEVER SHOT

THE EIGHT POINT BUCK I NEVER SHOT

My wife Bea and I live in a log home on six acres of woods adjoining 2000+ acres of game lands owned by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. We have a resident population of white-tailed deer that we see on a regular basis.  On Friday December 11, 2015,  I drove my tractor up to our barn near the edge of the woods.  When I shut off the engine I heard  rustling in the leaves nearby and I observed a deer stand up and move further into the trees where it stopped and turned its head.  Wow! It had a big rack, but it was getting dark so I could not really count the points.  I was surprised a buck with that set of antlers had survived hunting season.

When I returned to the house I mentioned this to Bea and she remarked that "I hope they don't shoot Bambi tomorrow".  Saturday, the twelfth of December, was the last day of Deer Season and when we heard loud shots during the day we feared the worst.

We did not see any sign of this buck until after the big snow storm.  It started to snow at 3:30 on Friday January the 22end  and ended on Saturday  evening about 9:30. After 30 hours we were looking at 27 inches of the white stuff.

Sunday was "dig out day".  A neighbor plowed out our driveway and I dug paths so we could get around and I would  have access to my bird feeders. I dug out my feeders in the backyard and to help the birds get through this sudden storm, I scattered some birdseed and corn on a piece of plywood.

Monday morning I noticed  the seed and corn had disappeared over night and the area was surrounded by deer tracks. As I was scanning the area for birds I was amazed to see  a four-point antler lying in the snow just beyond the feeders.  Apparently a buck came through the hemlock trees shading the feeders and caught his antler on a low hanging branch causing it to break off.  Although I can not be sure, I do  believe this is the same big buck I saw back in December. Bucks do lose their antlers in winter, but this is the first time I have found one where the location and date could be precisely determined.  Wow! Now I have my 8 point buck (at least half of it).

The antler was still in place when my grandchildren came to visit on Saturday January 30th. When I pointed it out to my granddaughter Bridget, she immediately asked if she could take it to school and show it to her first grade classmates.  I told her she could take it with her when she headed home.  A few minutes later I looked out the window and a gray squirrel was chewing on one of the antler's prongs. Bridget started to worry that the squirrel would eat the whole thing.  We assured her that it could not eat it that fast, but that  the observation of chewing by a rodent would  explain why antlers and bones do not last long in the natural world where just about everything gets recycled.

In rural central Pennsylvania where I grew up, deer hunting is not just recreation, its a passion bordering on religion that is passed from one generation to the next. Everything shuts down on the first day of deer season. Businesses are closed, and schools close at least for the first day.  The reason?  Many adults and any kids 12 years old or older could be out hunting whitetails.

My Dad was a good hunter and he took me along, but my heart was never into hunting like other members of my family. I would go hunting after school and come back with nothing.  Dad once said I enjoyed watching  animals more than I liked to hunt them.  He was right.  I did bag some small game, but I never actually shot a deer. Over the last forty years as a naturalist,  I have enjoyed watching wildlife and trying to understand what make the world we live in tick. It has been the best path for me.

I  support hunting as a recreational activity, but it is not for everybody.  The Eight-Point Buck was the status symbol for a successful deer hunt where I grew up.  The beautiful four-point antler  dropped in the snow in my backyard is as close as I will  ever get to that elusive Big Buck.