Ireceived a message this week with a set of photos from my friend Brian Rumsky from Clearfield.

Brian and I met a few years back as he was guiding PA elk hunts with Jeff Colwell, operator of the Hicks Run Outfitters out of Driftwood, Pa. Brian was eventually my elk guide for a successful cow hunt during the latter part of the PA elk rifle season.

This year, he was guiding an archery hunter out of their camp for the first season archery hunt for a bull elk. After a long search for the right bull, Brian and his archer were able to call in a bull and successfully harvest the magnificent animal as the season was coming to a conclusion.

Like all hunters in PA, the hunter had to submit an application and successfully be drawn for his once-in-a-lifetime hunt to happen. Brian was happy as he was scheduled to hunt out west at week’s end and wanted to see his hunter through his quest … and he did.

Every archer remembers that first archery deer as a neophyte deer hunter. When I tried my hand at archery many years back, I hunted with a Browning recurve bow in the 55# draw weight. It was a nice looking and compact laminate composition bow and I had custom made cedar arrows made for me and the bow to use.

Arrows are expensive and back then I had a very limited budget and I ordered six arrows to hunt with and three to practice with into the farm bales of straw. I actually became pretty proficient with that rig and was hitting my target spot with regularity.

I had a leather quiver and finger guard pads and excitedly anticipated the first day of archery.

A couple of buddies and I made a plan to hunt in northern Butler County in some woods that had a lot of mature oaks, which on that year were dropping a nice crop of acorns. The deer loved those acorns and that was the good news … the bad news was that there were acorns everywhere and the deer were unpredictable in their feeding patterns.

I decided to settle in the middle of an oak grove and take my chances that a deer would feed my way. My hunch was correct and I did see some deer … but my hunting skills needed some sharpening up and I blew a chance on two bucks walking through my grove of oaks. I was feeling a little salty as my buddies gave me alleged good advice for a beginning archery hunter.

As the day proceeded into the evening hunt, I made a decision to settle in the same area and try to make a good shot on the first respectable deer that afforded me a clean shot.

I picked my spot carefully and cleared away twigs and leaves that might give me away to a wary deer. The PA archery season allows either a buck or a doe to be harvested on your buck tag, and if you possess a doe tag, you can take a doe only.

There was no antler restriction during the past hunts and everything was good for a deer that came into your range. I had set my range limits at 25-30 yards as I was hunting with open sites and instinctual. I was confident at that range and felt sure that I could put my arrow on target proficiently.

The afternoon was a glorious fall day with a bit of crispness in the air and a great day to be in Penn’s Woods. I heard a rustle and a squirrel hopped up on a deadfall with his acorn in paws as he looked it over.

Another rustle drew my attention once again and I saw a lovely sight, a lone doe walking and feeding my way. She would be in my range in a few minutes and I had to make a decision, would she be my first deer or not?

I decided that she would be fine table fare as she was nice-sized and healthy looking. In addition, she was relaxed and not running in alarm as some deer come to you.

I leaned back against the large oak and began my draw of the bow; I would not be full draw until I was sure of my shot as the deer came closer. Finally, the deer was in range and I made my decision to take the shot and the arrow flew true.

It was surreal to me as I realized that after all those weeks of practicing and scouting, I had my first archery deer. Over the years, many more hunts ended up with both bucks and does as the hunting seasons melted into one and another.

One thing for sure is that I will always remember my first archery hunting success as if it was yesterday. The PA archery season opens Oct. 3 statewide and it is legal to harvest bucks or does with the proper tags.

Jay Hewitt is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle.