The month of November was an eventful time for me in my outdoor pursuits.

It started with a crazy archery season and an even wilder bear season. With the next to the last day of archery season being a beautiful sunny day, I couldn’t resist being out in the woods. The morning hours were pretty uneventful as all we even saw was a beautiful red fox trotting down a trail toward us. My old pal Jimmy is a great companion as he just enjoys being out in the fresh air and appreciating everything Mother Nature sends our way.

After a quick lunch at Annandale Station we decided to hit the local woods once again. I had a place in mind that always seems to have a lot of deer activity. With the end of archery looming I was willing to be less picky about finding a trophy buck and was seeking a legal buck.

Pennsylvania sets a standard of a 3-up rule for antlered bucks. Brow tines do not count and the results are that, often, seven points or better must be in your sites!

We sat on a log in the mid-afternoon chatting and watching squirrels working non-stop on the hickory nuts that covered the ground around us. I thought another squirrel was coming our way and I looked up to see a doe coming right up the trail toward us. With her behavior it was clear to see that she was seeking suitors.

We were not disappointed as a small buck began to chase her around and through the thickets near us. The doe disappeared back the way she came and we talked about her antics and even mentioned that we may be sitting too close to the heavily traveled deer trail. However before we could even think about moving from our comfortable log perch, the doe reappeared and this time she brought along a bigger buck. Right up the trail she came until she was 10 yards from us. We couldn’t move as she knew something didn’t seem right. I mentally slapped my head and thought, “you should have known better.”

Sometimes luck plays more of a major role than all the practice and planning, much to my surprise the buck kept coming and presented me with a wide-open shot. I picked up my venison from the butcher tonight and thought that was more luck than I deserved on this hunt!

The end of the month found us on our Butler County Big Bear Hunt this past Saturday. Twenty of us decided to give the local hunting for PA black bear a try.

Scouting forecasts and our own experiences this year told us that Butler County can present hunters with a chance on one of the most crafty big game animals in the commonwealth. We met at daylight and headed for the State Game lands 95 to try our luck. Previous scouting gave us some likely places to find a bear wandering about … and our instincts were correct.

Unfortunately our activity going in pushed two bear out and into another group of hunters who missed one and bagged one. We were able to check out a Butler County bear and it stoked our enthusiasm for the bear hunt even more.

We were invited to a fellow sportsman’s party barn for lunch. Mark Grossman was a great host and he prepared sandwiches and coffee for our group.

We decided to head out and try a few more areas that would be likely bear cover. One area was a watershed area filled with beaver dams and runs of knee high water and soft mud bottoms. Great walking conditions when you are trying to make a quiet approach to a bedded bear. We found the piles of bear scat but not the bears. In one area 20 deer made a grand appearance for the hunters posted along the drive area. In one week the deer would be a more welcome sight, but not today.

The group was getting tired from all the hiking and we decided to try one more spot on the Game lands. We made assignments for everyone and the fellows who were going to try to walk the thick cover were meeting in a parking lot area. The snow was starting to come in more earnest and the scope covers were capped on tight to protect the scope from moisture and fogging. I was walking to the edge of the lot when I looked across a gully and in a grassy area of a trail. Right before my eyes a bear stepped out with 10 guys talking and joking as we were getting ready for our next drive. Rifles were unloaded and no one was paying attention as I yelled, “Bear!” I fumbled for a bullet and loaded my rifle. I yelled bear once more … all they replied was, “Where!”

I pulled up my rifle for a sure shot as the bear decided it was time to scoot out of there. What was a sure shot became a major blunder as I tried to flip off the scope covers for a shot. The others were loading rifles as well … seven shots later the bear was heading for safety and thanking his lucky stars that the boys needed work at the rifle range.

They all better get down there this week because the First Day of Buck is on Monday and they will need better skills for the white tail bucks! Safe hunting and accurate shooting!