MikePTv

So this year was my year of a few firsts and it made me really passionate to hunt as hard as possible again. I first felt the drive like this when I started bow hunting about 10 years ago or so. This year was my first year switching from a traditional platforms and climbers to a saddle. It made walking all these miles on public much easier and more effective to me. We used to scout and pick out spots set stands and then come back the following mornings with our packs and bows. Boy were we killing ourselves before we had a chance most the time not even knowing. I used to mess around and film deer that I would pass on and ones I couldn’t get in range I never thought of actually investing in a decent camera and filming my hunts. But watching THP and Dan and DIY hunter and a lot of others I became very interested in doing the same even it was just for the sake of reviewing shots or just to show my time in the woods back at camp and home. So this season I dove in full speed and invested in a cheap go pro knock off and a nice hand held camera and a cheaper camera arm. Boy did I learn filming is harder than it looks I respect those guys that much more now as in the video you can see I almost cost myself a deer trying to get the camera around and on where I was going to shoot. I rushed the shot skimming his hind quarter I was so mad at myself for missing that easy of a shot but I kept composure regained and took a nice shot at about 35 yards and ended up getting it. It didn’t go 15 yards and fell over. I didn’t film any interview that morning or anything after like I should have I had been doing it every day leading up to that day I guess beings it was last day I just didn’t think about it . I guess you learn as you go on that it doesn’t come natural to do these things when you never did them before. That morning I snuck into a spot that I had killed my buck that scored 148 in 2018. This time the wind was blowing opposite so I worked to the other side of the hill which was the leeward side. About 10 I was thinking of getting down I had to use the bathroom and my brother wanted to relocate from where he was in the am to a evening spot and I was our only transportation. About 10 mins after I told him I was getting down while taking camera equipment down I thought I heard a deer blow behind me a ways so I hit the grunt. Eventually the first 2 came out and I couldn’t pass on this deer on the last day of the trip so I took the first chance at a nice buck I could get. In hind sight I definitely should have waited because a tank came out after I had shot mine already. But I have never experienced all those bucks together in the rut so I thought it was only 2. Boy was I wrong eventually 5 bucks and one doe worked their way out in my area. Now I know if there is that many together to wait til I see if there is a bigger one. But I was completely happy with what I shot and hope to see that deer again next year if he makes it. But the best part of the trip was getting to clean and debone the deer with my father. He lives in New York and I live in Va so it’s not very often we get to do things like this together nor have we had that many chances in the past. These trips to Ohio are good to me whether I shoot one or not honestly. I just enjoy the time in the woods to free my soul and enjoy something me my brother and my father all love doing and we get to do it together. My dad shot a nice 10 pt on the first day this year and I have his interview and all on camera too these are the best parts about the hunting trips to me and now I have them on film to enjoy forever and my kids can even go back and show their kids. If you aren’t filming your hunts and experiences you should I will always carry my camera now. But I hope everyone that watches this video enjoys it and hopefully I can encourage some to film like I was encouraged.