Most hunters have probably had the taste of “Tag Soup”. It’s not one we enjoy, but it happens to even the best outdoorsmen. The 2018 deer season in PA was a tough season for me. It was a wet and windy season in my area. Due to time constraints and not the greatest weather, looks like this hunter is eating “tag soup”. Although the freezer may be empty of  venison for another year, this season I had the opportunity to hunt more with my father than I have for many years.  

In Spring of 2018 we went on a joint turkey hunt on a leased property where I have had the pleasure of chasing birds for the past couple of years. This would be my Dads first time turkey hunting, and on our first day hunting he was hooked. The evening began as we slowly walked to our desired hunting area. That evening we planned to go sit out and see if we could roost some birds for the morning. But, on the way in I did some calling using my mouth call and we had a gobbler sound off close by. We quickly set up and tried to call the bird in. We were unsuccessful getting the bird in range, but just the experience got our blood pumping and couldn’t wait for our next opportunity. Unfortunately, the turkeys out smarted us and we couldn’t seal the deal on our trip.

Deer season brought much of the same pains as Spring Turkey. Preseason scouting showed some promising pictures on trail cameras, but finding the deer on their feet proved to be troublesome. The farm, which we hunted, had tons of deer sign and the owners were experiencing crop damage and needed some deer off the land. The deer were primarily nocturnal throughout the whole archery season, and again the season closed without a successful harvest. For the first time ever, I was able to go out for late season archery which ran from December 26th until January 12th. The late season saw more action but still no success.

Even though we were unable to successfully harvest an animal this year, the soup does not taste as bad this time around. I am glad I was able to spend time with my father, creating more memories together while doing something we both enjoy. I cannot wait to try again next year. We have already planned to try our luck at Spring turkey again, hopefully with better luck this time around.

So here is my recipe for some good tasting “Tag Soup”:

• A big scoop of quality time with family

• A handful of enjoying the outdoors

• A nice helping of learning experiences

• And so it’s not too sweet, a dash of frustration from an unsuccessful season

-Adam Sites, Fall Obsession Field Staff