WEST SUNBURY — To say deer hunting has been a big part of Jim Keefer's life would be a ridiculous understatement.

To say it's not a big part of his life now — at age 88 — would be even more ludicrous.

A West Sunbury resident, Keefer has been hunting deer for more than 80 years.

“My father took me when I was 6,” he said of hunting. “Now I go out every year with my sons and grand-kids.

“I look forward to hunting season every year. I get excited about spending that time with family every year. When that feeling goes away, I'll quit hunting. That hasn't happened yet.”

Keefer has adjusted with the times. He's hunted with a rifle. He's used a muzzleloader. He's hunted with a compound bow.

This year, he hunted deer for the first time with a crossbow.

“It's just easier for him,” his son, 64-year-old Mike Keefer said. “He does whatever he needs to do. I think it's fantastic that he still gets out in the woods.”

Jim Keefer said he got a used crossbow, “fired six or eight arrows with it for sighting and headed out.”

The first Saturday of bow season, he shot a doe. He had to wait until Nov. 16 — nearly a month later — to harvest a buck. He bagged a 7-point.

The Keefers hunt on some private property in Armstrong County.

“We went out there practically ever day, at least every other day,” Mike Keefer recalled. “Dad hunts hard. He never quits. He doesn't get tired.”

But he gets frustrated.

“Sure, it gets frustrating at times,” Keefer said. “I saw a lot of deer, but couldn't get a good shot at one.

“The first Saturday, I had a buck maybe 20 yards away. All I could see were the legs and belly. If I don't have a clear shot, I won't shoot.”

He added that he had to be within 30 yards of his prey to successfully hunt with a crossbow. That requires more patience in the woods.

Mike Keefer couldn't help but chuckle at the thought.

“Dad likes to be on the move,” he said. “After an hour, maybe 90 minutes, he's ready to move to another spot. He had to wait three and a half hours, at least, in one spot, before getting this buck.

“When he got it, he was pretty excited. He actually started shaking. It was pretty cool.”

“I'm not one to sit,” the elder Keefer said. “I like to walk around. I'm not a very patient hunter.”

He's a pretty good one, though.

Mike Keefer said he couldn't start hunting until he was 12, but recalled his dad taking him with him on hunting excursions when he was 8.

“I've hunted with my father for more than 50 years,” he said. “We both get a deer pretty much every year.”

Jim Keefer has hunted through the years with sons Mike and David, 58, along with grandchildren Holly, 25, and Jay, 22.

It's time with family and nature that makes him cherish hunting season.

“I just enjoy getting out in God's creation,” he said. “Every year, I'm amazed at what I see out there.”

Even if it's with a crossbow.

“It took me a while to grow comfortable with it,” Keefer admitted. “But it enables me to stay out there. We eat the venison. I won't shoot anything I can't eat.”

His son has grown to appreciate — and inherit — his father's passion for the sport.

Mike Keefer got his buck — a 9-point — on Oct. 16. He continued taking his father out for weeks afterward.

“He's still having fun with it,” Mike Keefer said. “Waiting to get that buck kept him motivated. We're all lucky we get to enjoy all this time with him.”