By: Dakota Chase

Archery hunting begins in early to mid-November when the deer start to hit the rut. It is a different, funny, crazy, and most importantly, an exciting time to hunt for a whitetail deer. During this time of the year the weather is great; the leaves are falling, the weather is changing to the colder months, the mornings are cool and crisp, and the bugs aren’t bugging your ears. The Squire recently interviewed one of Eisenhower’s own, Mr. Stimmell, to talk about the season. This is a huge season to a lot people who love the rush and the feeling of accomplishment when you walk up on that huge buck you’ve been tracking all year.

Mr. Stimmell puts a lot of time in on the offseason. When The Squire asked him what he does in the offseason his reply was, “Oh gosh, my girls and I shed hunt in the spring, and more towards the middle of the summer; we sit on the edges of fields scouting and spotting. We also start to learn some of the signs the deer give and start reading the different signs.”

The big woods of the Allegheny National Forest right by his house are where he prefers to hunt. “The rut, from about Halloween on” is Mr. Stimmell’s favorite time to hunt “Because the time is different everywhere.” He also said he likes the morning, which gives him the rest of the day to spend with the family and show off his deer, although he has also killed a lot of deer in the evening.

When The Squire asked Mr. Stimmell what kind of bow he uses and why, Mr. Stimmell’s reply was, “Compound, because I think adult men should use them, unless you’re physically unable to draw back a compound.” The crossbows are crazy accurate, almost like a gun: there’s a season for using guns, but this is archery season. The compounds are more challenging, because there is a lot more to go wrong, like the arrow doesn’t come off right, you snap your arm with the string, or you just plain flinch when you shoot making the arrow sail away from where you wanted it to go.

Every outdoorsman will encourage you to go out in the woods and hunt, but you’ll need to get your hunter safety course done. These courses are usually held in the spring all around. You’ll also need to go purchase a hunting license, which you can get at Wal-Mart or Tall Tales. At these places, you can also get your compound or crossbow and the arrows. You will need to look at the rules and regulations in the hunting booklet you get when you purchase your license to be sure that you are properly prepared to safely hunt. Keep watching the W-IKE Morning Show for some more hunting tips during hunting season.