DieHard Bowhunters of NY and PA
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Off to a good start...

I was born on April 22,1967 in Susquhanna, PA. My father owned and operated a family dairy farm on 270 acres in Jackson Township. There was always a lot of work to do but he always managed to get out and rifle hunt on the first day of gun season. I was around 7 years old when I started tagging along with him on his yearly quest for vension. In '79, my time to carry a gun finally arrived. A year later I finally brought down my first buck with a 30/30.

Life changing event

In November of 1981 when I was 14 years old I was out for a ride on my enduro motorcycle on the dirt road which we lived. I was setting up for a hard left hand turn when I collided head on with my nieghbor who was riding his new dirt bike. I was knocked out cold. I had a broken foot and my right arm broken in three places with the worst break being a compound fracture of my upper arm. I had sustained nerve damage to my radial nerve. After arriving at the hospital the surgeon removed my bicep which had been torn to shreds by the bone going though it. I spent 46 days in the hospital with my arm traction and was released from the hospital November 23rd, 1981. I was in a cast for many months after and in the spring I began to be able to move my index finger the slightest bit. After getting the cast removed in the spring I began months of physical therapy. When the therapy had ended I realized that I would never have most of the use of my arm and hand back due to the nerve damage and bicep that had been removed. I began writing with left hand (previously had been right handed). It didn't take me long to adapt to doing things left handed but the reality of the situation was that there were some things I would never be able to do. Like pull back a bow.

Life goes on

Througout the rest of the '80's I always gun hunted with my family but never experienced a lot of success. A few doe and small buck here and there but I never put too much effort into it and didn't hunt for more than a couple days each season. A friend, Clint, who was an avid archer, had encouraged me to try to come up with some sort of rig that would hold the bow while I would draw it back with my left arm. I seemed like a good idea but it went no further that talking about it.

A move changes things

In the summer of 1990 a new job landed me in Stueben County, NY. In '92, my boss at that time informed me about the special crossbow permit that I was eligible to get in PA, and requested the info and forms from the PA Game Commission. After a visit to my doctor to get my form signed and a $5 application fee, I was business. That next summer I bought a PSE crossbow and began preparing for the '93 PA archery season. I hunted at the farm without any success. Part of the problem was crossbow was so awkward to hold when it was cocked while in the stand that I couldn't sit still for very long. The next season I spent more time in the field down in Tioga County PA SGL#37 which was a closer drive from my place in NY. I found I could be alot better prepared if I sat on the ground and I had some good action but couldn't manage to hit anything. The crossbow was so loud when I shot it the deer would always junp or duck before the arrow got there.

A new opportunity in NY

In October of 1997 we bought a home just outside of Bath, NY with 35 acres of land. YeeHa, now I could hunt on my own land. Only problem was that the way the NY law is written, one can't use a crossbow unless you can't squeeze a trigger with either hand. That is when I found out that there are several devices that can be adapted to a compound bow that will hold the bow at full draw until you are ready to shoot. This sounded exactly like what I needed. But first you need to be interviewed by a NYDEC officer who determines your eligibility. I was interviewed and granted a "disable archers permit" which allowed me to use a full draw device. I immediatley bought a PSE Thunderbolt compound bow and ordered a full draw device from BoePro in Saginaw, MI. Go to BowPro website

What a difference

Once I was set up with the right equipment and started dedicating more time to hunting, it wasn't long before I shot my first buck with the bow. He was a 2 1/2 year old 7 point that I shot the first day of NY archery season, 1999. (photo on right) Since then I have taken 5 deer with the bow.