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 Snow was filtering down through the timber as Paul Rolko left the Hunters Lake cabin north of Harrisburg where four generations of family had grown up hunting. Paul played the game a bit different from the rest of the group, he never left camp until he could see and as he was stepping off the porch the first light of dawn backlit a sky full of falling snow.  He had developed this routine after a few bad experiences bumping deer in the dark.  That’s a problem when they can see and you can’t! His relatives and hunting partners had left an hour earlier; their rule was to be in their spot before daylight.

 Paul carried a .300 Winchester Magnum topped with a 4-12 scope in one hand and a three legged stool in the other while headed for The Ravine. The .300 is a lot of gun for a Pennsylvania whitetail but Paul had found that when he made a good shot he never had to track a buck very far. The Ravine was a named stand, a familiar practice in many hunting camps where the best stands make up the preferred list of places someone has to cover. Depending on where you hunt the names will be different but each stand shares a common trait – they are all places where a camp member had been successful.  Paul’s magic spot was a crease in the terrain that allowed deer to pass between two mountains using a low spot, sometimes called a saddle, making their walk easier.

 Paul traveled slowly that morning on his way to The Ravine as the soft snow quieted his steps in the wet leaves. With the falling snow helping to conceal his movement, he took advantage of the perfect stalking conditions, slowly working the ridgeline while watching the deer trails that angled upwards toward the ravine he had targeted for a morning stand.  During the trip he saw a few does and even a couple of bucks but none meeting Pennsylvania’s antler requirement of three points on one side.

 It was 8:30 when he finally crept onto the high spot that overlooked The Ravine where open spaces in the trees allowed him to see in both directions for almost 100 yards. Some places were a little more difficult to cover but Paul had learned a long time ago that a scope helps separate the buck from the tree bark quite well and had taken many deer as they walked through cover only to find that Paul needed just a 4” gap between trees to slip his bullet into buckskin.

 Paul quietly set up his stool and began the silent vigil he calls “sit and freeze.” He didn’t call it this because of the temperature but rather his attempt at making absolutely no movement. In this spot his silhouette blends into the trunk of a large oak and the fallen limbs in front help conceal any movement as well as hide the last portion of the route to the stand.

 It took less than a half-hour before he caught movement and was amazed at the large 8-point crossing through the ravine below him. The Ravine watch was situated perfectly and allowed Paul to remain hidden as the buck walked within 30 yards.

 He had kept the rifle on his lap pointing toward the ravine and allowed the buck to pass by so it wouldn’t catch any movement. After 40 years of hunting this area Paul knew how quickly the buck would spook if he caught sight of any human motion.

 As the buck passed by and began walking away, Paul raised the rifle to his shoulder, brought his eye to the scope, and waited for the perfect shot. A few more steps and the buck stood in the clear offering the opportunity Paul had been patiently waiting for.  The shot from the big magnum changed the silent woods with a noise Paul felt could be heard for miles. As the recoil from the .300 subsided, the buck was running full tilt but soon expired within sight.

 The buck’s body was big for a mountain buck, but his rack was enormous. It was just an 8-point, but what an 8-point, with a 21.75” spread, scoring 143! Paul had just shot the largest buck he had ever seen and the biggest one ever taken by any family member.

 As Paul held the buck’s head, well within sight of The Ravine watch, he thought to himself, “This buck doesn’t look like a local; he must have traveled from the agricultural area 10 miles away.  He was just passing through!”

S. L. Merriam