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As days get short, hunters long for woods

Ken Perrotte's outdoors column

Date published: 10/2/2008

DEER SEASON must be just around the corner. The bucks I saw sporting velvet on their antlers have scattered or gone more nocturnal; the bean fields are turning yellow; and the orb weaver spiders are cranking out their masterpiece webs.

Early archery season opens Saturday and many hunters will hit the woods and farms of the region. Bowhunting is increasingly popular and, with Virginia allowing everything from longbows to compound bows to crossbows, breaking into bowhunting has never been easier.

Many bowhunters love the unhurried pace of the October hunting and the opportunity to scout deer patterns and try to connect before the frenzy of the rut kicks in and hunting pressure ramps up.

I began bowhunting a decade ago and have come to believe it really does make a person a better hunter. With most shots coming inside of 30 yards, you have to be a stealthy predator to experience whitetail behavior up close.

Few things make you feel more alive than being in a treestand 20 feet up as a deer crunches acorns right below you. Bowhunters may pass on many shots waiting for just the right buck, or they may take advantage of a close-in quality shot on a doe or any deer. Either way, taking a deer with a bow and arrow is an achievement meriting congratulations.

Good luck and safe hunting.

Bass Pro Store Opens

The biggest of the "big box" outdoor retailers has launched operations not far from Fredericksburg with the grand opening of the huge Bass Pro Shops store just south of Ashland at the intersection of Interstate 95 and Lewistown Road in Hanover County.

The place is huge--about 150,000 square feet with big aquariums, dioramas with life-size game animal mounts worthy of the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History, restaurants, and more.

The store had a "soft opening" this week and Wednesday night was dedicated to an "Evening for Conservation," with lots of celebrities, special deals and money being returned to conservation organizations.

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Date published: 10/2/2008