Western MD Bear Hunt 2026 - Some Deer Success

I drew a 2026 Maryland bear tag again this year, so the week of bear season I finally broke free of my obligations on Wednesday to head to my favorite WMA in Allegheny County to hunt Bear with my longbow.  My co-hunters this year were my brother Chris and his in-law Walt.

I set up my tipi and stove just before darkness fell and enjoyed a mild temperature evening around the campfire.

In the morning I headed up to the mountain top via a long woods trail in a hickory and oak saddle where I had seen bear in the past, as well as good deer movement.  I set up my waldrop seat backed up into some thick brush surrounding a tree. 

The thick area would not give me much notice before the deer were on top of me, but that is where they prefer to move through.

I expected the deer to some from the thicket to my front, of course before long I heard something over my right shoulder.  Glancing, back I caught the back end of a large doe jumping this downed tree:

Now out of sight behind me, she was heading toward my wind.  I tried to stand and turn to my left to catch her on the other side of the brush, but she immediately saw me and bounded away with some snorts.

After a while I heard some strange purring going on behind me again.   Then I realized it was a group of turkey approaching from behind.  Not being able to wind me, they approached very close before I saw them.  A huge Hen was in the lead, and there were six birds in all.  Fall turkey didn't start for two more days, but there was no way I could have moved an eyelash at that distance.  They were very nervous and putted here and there, but never flushed away.  They slowly fed off and I had no way to sneak a photo or video.

Many hours past and I ended up sneaking around a bit before the long walk back to camp.  No bear sign at all.  No buck sign either which was odd for this time of year.   There would always be several scrapes along the trail at the minimum.

Back at camp we enjoyed some beverages and we prepared to bury a dutch oven with some pheasant. I was the only one to even see any game that morning. I browned the meat and sautéed onions, celery, and garlic before deglazing and adding a full can of PBR along with a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup.  We surrounded the oven in hot coals and covered it up before the evening hunt.

I hunted in the evening walking from the camp, and gave my mountain top a little rest.  I didn't see anything until darkness crept in and I headed back to the buried oven.  The meal was delicious and the campfire and camaraderie was very enjoyable.  

The next day was Friday, and I headed back out to my top saddle.  It was another dark long walk, and I approached my area just as it was starting to get light enough to see a little.   SNORT!  CRASH, CRASH... dang, the deer were already there and I blew them out.

I set up my seat about 10 yards higher and overlooking the area the deer approached from last time.  Sure enough as I was sitting, I heard a bounding animal stop directly behind me!  Just behind the brush I was in front of.  I slowly turned my head to peak, and it saw me and jumped away.  A small doe. The jig was up!  However, farther down the hill 2 larger females were approaching.  Wouldn't you know it, they all came from the area I was watching yesterday and if I was in the same spot would have had great opportunities.  I was hoping the other two would come closer, but the spooked one took the other two away nervously.  No shot opportunities.

I sat back down and ate an apple.  

Later, the wind had picked up and started to swirl a bit on top.  Not good.  I was looking closely, when I finally spotted a deer feeding on top.  I stood slowly and got in a position to shoot once she came out of the other side of the brush pile it was passing.  

Then, a deer came around the bush quartering slightly towards me and getting closer.  10 yards now and as the deer passed into an opening, I saw it go a bit more broadside, though still quartering to, and I knew it was time to shoot, or get busted.  My aim was true, and the Ace tipped arrow tore into the shoulder.  It hit at the base of the scapular ridge dead center of the blade which usually is a bad thing, but with this smaller doe, my 60- pound bow punched that Ace standard on through the offside ribs getting both lungs.   I could see the arrow wagging as she ran off and hoped it penetrated deep enough.  It did.  I found her piled up just 50 yards from where I was sitting. 

After taking the picture, I decided to drag her back.  If it was a larger deer, I probably would have carried out the meat only in my game bags and butchered it there.  It was a long walk.  Being smaller and having a pile of fresh leaves to slide her atop of, I decided to drag her out.  I ended up using my bowstring and bow to help with the drag.

Back at camp I took a break from butchering in order to fry up some onions, deer heart, tenderloin and put it all on a roll with some good jalapeno cheddar.  Super meal as I took in the fall colors of camp.

Having the butchering done, I salted the "bucktail" and re-sharpened and cleaned by arrow for another hunt,

I was now hunting only antlered bucks and bears as my doe tag was filled.  However, Saturday morning was the opener of fall turkey.  Perhaps I would see those birds again!

We took both trucks up to the mountain top again in the darkness, and this is when tragedy struck.  Walk and Chris pulling in a little earlier, had started to get unloaded.  Unknow to me, Walt put his crossbow next to the truck on the ground.  The camo did a fine job as I pulled in without seeing it, and I heard and felt a large crash in my undercarriage of the truck. Yup, I ran right over his cocked and loaded bow!  

The bow was demolished and no one knows where that bolt ended up, but we were lucky it was not in a person or automobile!  

Luckily Chris had along a shotgun with a selection of buckshot and goose loads.  So, the turkey and bear hunt was still on for Walt.  He just couldn't get a deer now. 

The last hunt though was uneventful for everyone except Chris, who spotted those turkey although he wasn't able to get a bow shot on them.  

I felt terrible about the crossbow, so I agreed to send Walk some money for a new one. 

It was a pretty good hunting camp for just a few days.  

Back at home I made some delicious bone broth from the long bones, rendered a little tallow for some future use, and finished the meat packing and freezing.  Ready for a big buck now.