All across the state this week, hunters are telling their deer-season tales. The camaraderie that comes with sharing experiences is as important to the sport as the venison that ends up in freezers and provides sustenance for months to come.
Some stories are likely to grow over time, but others don’t need embellishment. The undertones are bigger than the best antler scoring system numbers. Remarkable circumstances connect memories to more than time in the woods.
Paul Vandeven was my good friend for almost 40 years. His son Eric played on an under-10 baseball team I coached, seemingly about 100 years ago, but it wasn’t the diamond that connected us. Paul and I talked about hunting and fishing every time we were together.
Henry Paul Vandeven Jr. of Arnold passed away suddenly Oct. 24 at age 87 and leaves his family and friends with a hole in their lives that will be difficult to overcome. His funeral Mass was Nov. 3, so even though archery deer hunting’s prime weekend started the following day, Eric said he wasn’t in the mood for heading to the woods without his mentor and best friend.
But things started happening early Saturday morning that seemed more than just coincidence. Eric’s phone repeatedly received notifications from his trail camera, and the photos were consistently of impressive bucks.
“My camera went crazy. I’ve never caught pictures like this,” Eric said, along with a Facebook post that showed eight pictures of a big buck overnight and two more in the middle of the day. “I think Dad wants me to be out hunting today.”
By 1 p.m. Eric decided he would go to his favorite spot near Arnold and spend the evening hoping for something good to happen at the end of a tough week. Whether it was the distraction of emotions, his trip to the woods seemed more like a practical joke than pre-event preparation.
He stopped to buy a bow hanger, but the store was sold out and he settled for a large screw hook. Not ideal, but it would have to do.
When he arrived at the property, he looked for a tree that could provide concealment along with an elevated perch. None seemed to fit the bill, so he settled on one that was more exposed than he wanted.
He attached his portable climbing stand and began working his way up the trunk. He wasn’t able to get as high as he hoped, and he noticed the angle of the platform was wrong. He would have to reset or try to find a different tree.
Rather than waste more time, he decided to make the best of his situation, so he started to pull his bow up into the stand using a cord he had attached to it before he began the climb. While he was raising the bow, the line holding his rattling antlers broke free, and they fell to the ground. What else could go wrong?
“I was getting discouraged by this point and thought about climbing down,” Eric said. After sitting for an hour or so, he decided to reposition himself and remain on his feet. Another 40 minutes passed without any action, and his legs were telling him to sit down again. Then, like a mirage or a magic trick, the deer was standing in the open field behind him.
“I turned around, and there he was, walking across the field in my direction. I grabbed my bow and started shaking.”
The big buck was walking in the same path Eric had taken across the field to get to his stand location. He could tell it was sniffing the grass on the path. Big deer survive for years on the strength of their sense of smell.
Finally the buck reached a shooting lane 25 yards away. The arrow flew true and the deer went down.
The official scoring on the rack will have to wait, but in simple terms, the 15-pointer has eight points on one side and seven on the other. The trophy will be a treasure for years to come, but the memory will always be priceless and the story supernatural.
John Winkelman has been writing about outdoors news and issues in Jefferson County for more than 30 years and is the Associate Editor for Outdoor Guide Magazine. If you have story ideas for the Leader outdoor news page, e-mail ogmjohnw@aol.com, and you can find more outdoor news and updates at johnjwink.com.