Due to work and the daily grind of life, I was unable to hunt Alaska frequently this fall. Knowing that the Thanksgivng holiday coincides with the opening Pennsylvania deer rifle season, I could potentially make up for lost time in the woods. This year Jordan Pokryfki decided she wanted to partake in the annual whitetail hunting festivities. After several days of hard work an preparation, this hunting season was about to pay off. Hanging tree stands, putting out trail cameras, sprinkling doe urine on our feet, you know the works…
I even resurrected the dead this year. I cut off and froze my last years buck’s tarsal glands, thawing them out and dragging them to Jordy’s and my tree stand. This drag mark made deer think that we were just another deer, possibly an old herd member.

The Hunt
We woke up at 430am, showered then began eating breakfast. Slamming three cups of coffee, Jordan, Auggie, and I were ready to attack the woods. Auggie headed to his tree stand, while Jordy and I headed for the double tree stand at the top of Allegheny ridge.
Jordan and I arrived at the double stand around o dark thirty(6:15am). We climbed into the stand and lashed our saftey harnesses to our anchor tree. We sipped on coffee till the sun rose, then began to wait. The waiting and the freezing was the hardest part, although we were determined. The one factor during opening season hunters can rely on is that close to a million hunters, maybe more, hunt Pennsylvania opening deer season. With hundreds, maybe thousands, of coordinated drives, hunters no-doubt move deer. Sitting and waiting a good travel corridor is often the most boring but most successful technique.
Jordy and I waited and saw eight doe run by at mock speed. Then it was silent for an hour or so, a small six point buck came strolling right past our stand at 40 yards. Three points a side is legal in the county we hunt, so I asked Jordy to put her cross hairs on the buck. She did and said, let’s let this guy get bigger for next year. Tapping cou on this small buck Jordan demonstrated traits of a seasoned veteran to the outdoors.
Letting the smaller bucks get bigger for the next hunter is always hard to do, however is a necessary part of being a true sportsmen. After the buck caught wind of us, he took off for the next county. We sat patiently another 4 hours before Jordy spotted two bucks running a top the ridge. I grunted using my primos buck roar and they turned on a dime running exactly for our double stand. Around 70 yards I yelled “burrrrrap” then whistled. After a brief moment of communication I told jordy to shoot either buck as I saw both were eight points or better and legal to harvest in our WMU. They both stopped when they heard my mouth grunt and looked beyond our stand. Jordy and I both shot, with the plan that she went for the first buck and I went for the second buck. Jordan’s shot connected with the first buck while my shot was deflected off an oak tree branch and missed. Her deer dropped. I reloaded my rifle immediately while the second buck pranced across the forest and almost out of shooting range. He stopped for a brief moment only showing his vitals through a tangle of beech nut trees, I touched of a shot and the deer walked off. Climbing down from the tree, Jordan and I walked to examine her buck. A beautiful eight point laying on snow covered forest floor. Being so excited and proud we both hugged.
I decided I had better check the deer tracks and the area of the second buck, as any ethical sportsmen would do. I found no blood, however I did find hair. Following the bucks tracks in the snow, Jordan and I noticed more hair and tiny blood droplets in the snow. Following this blood track another 70 yards, I stumbled upon my buck a beautiful broken tined 10 point. Exhilarated from our successes Jordy and I both hugged again and I cheer in pure excitement. What another wonderful time spent in the woods. Hard work and preparation payed off in a big way for Jordy and I, these sportsmen could not have been happier.