There is something incredibly therapeutic about hunting whitetails. I absolutely love it. Every year, when I head back east, there is a certain amount of eagerness combined with internal electricity that can’t wait to get out. 2019 was no different and I also had better planned this trip, as opposed to other years.
For me, planning a hunt is a gift I savor. Some of my friends and family may think otherwise, but I like to plan a hunting trip with great detail. I know it almost never works out exactly, but I enjoy the planning part. The temperatures in NY were going to be in the teens and with the wind, even colder. Knowing that Badlands had just come out with the new PYRE gear, I made sure to purchase a set of bibs and coat. More on that later on.
The red eye flight to NY was uneventful, but my baggage didn’t make out so well. Fortunately, it was my Pelican camera case and not my SKB rifle case. It turns out JetBlue somehow busted off my lock and tab on my 1510 case. I filed a claim and went on my way. My rifles were intact and I took them to a friends house to verify zero. Two shots were fired and my Vortex Viper PST-Gen II scope had maintained zero.
Opening day of the Southern Tier deer season with a firearm was November 16. My dad and brother had set up stands, maintained the property and had game camera pics of many different bucks. Knowing that was great, but we all knew that on opening day anything could happen. Bucks were bound to be pushed from other properties and take up refuge where they could. The temps were in the teens and I opted to wear my Uintas vest and Ascend pant under my PYRE gear. You know, just to be on the safe side. That would turn out to be overkill. We all set up and watched as the sun came up and the deer materialized.
This deer trip was different for me as I wasn’t hunting to simply fill tags. I wanted to shoot a mature buck and had four days to do it. That meant passing up other deer, which is tough to do. I normally want to fill my freezer with tasty venison and be done with it, but I thought long and hard about my decision. It was personal for me to be patient and learn what I could. With that said, my dad and brother both filled their buck tags opening morning with mature bucks. I did not. I watched a beautiful two-year old eight point eat and stand at 300 yards for over half an hour. Talk about torture! I wanted badly to sneak through a corn field, set-up in a hedgerow and take that buck. I held off. He then walked in front of my brother’s stand and vanished.
Fourteen degrees with a 5-7 mph breeze felt very cold on my face. The rest of me was toasty. When I say toasty I mean it. I was actually a bit too warm in my stand due to the extra layers I previously described. The PYRE gear is exceptional cold weather gear! I remained warm all day long. We stayed in our stands for 10+ hours that day and I never got cold.
We had button bucks, yearling does and turkeys around us constantly. I had the deer in my sights numerous times, but did not squeeze the trigger. I wanted them to mature and grow. Even with two doe tags in my pocket, I passed and I am 100% at peace with my decision. The seven turkeys were jakes and the colors reflecting from their feathers were beautiful.
Day two found me wearing my PYRE gear with only my Ovis Long underwear underneath. Yes, when the temps are fifteen degrees that sounds a bit insane, but I was more than comfortable. I was mobile (less bulk in the apparel) and happy to be out in the cold. It is some incredible gear and in 30+ years of hunting in NY winters, this was the first time I was comfortable…all day long. I was actually happy to be hunting in the cold. That doesn’t normally happen to me. Badlands knocked this one out of the park.
The only time I actually sighted a mature buck was on day two. Actually, I spotted two bucks. I set up in the stand where my brother had taken his buck. I was watching the button bucks play and headbutt one another through my binoculars for about five minutes. Growing bored, I turned to place them back in my pack when I spotted the white antlers connected to a decent buck a mere fifteen yards away. Unfortunately, he had already spotted me and was making a hasty retreat. Later that afternoon, the property owner came out to hunt and left his ATV in the middle of the walking path. After he settled into his stand, a beautiful, mature eight appeared nearby, but just out of his view. Broadside to me and oblivious to my presence, I reached for my rifle. He was broadside at 275 yards and within seconds spotted the green ATV in front of him. It took him only a few seconds to turn and bound off. They don’t get that big by being stupid.
The weather warmed up in the mid-thirties for the next couple days and the deer movement slowed considerably. I continued to stay warm and have a great time. The lack of traffic, smog, and people talking made for one of the best times ever in the woods. I was happy. I didn’t see a single deer on day three, but the grin on my face from spending time in the woods with my family couldn’t be wiped away. Plus, we had tenderloins to eat from the deer my dad and brother killed in the days prior. Tenderloins don’t last very long.
My New York tags were left unpunched, yet my heart was filled. The time was short and I had an amazing trip. I left NY wishing I could hunt another seven days because it was so much different than California. The few days I had left me with a clear head, new stories, and an appreciation for so many things. God had given me a chance to fully enjoy a hunt without having felt the need to fire one round. It was exactly what I needed.
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