The summer evenings are now cooling to the point that a sweatshirt is needed. If you’re a bow hunter, our time has come. As you read this, our target bucks are getting close to scraping the velvet from their antlers leaving behind smooth blood-stained headgear that will become vital on their quest to preserve their legacy. When it’s all said and done, the season is a success when you reference a doctor and a newspaper man from San Francisco, Calif. More on that later.

For me, the fall season has always been my favorite time of year but as I get older, Spring is starting to carry equal significance but for different reasons. There is something to be said for drinking a cup of springtime coffee with winter safely in the rearview mirror. If you listen closely to the tree frogs, red wing black birds and other spring harbingers sing a harmony that translates to “we made it through another one.”  

Fall is chuck full of “To Do’s” and the time frame shrinks with each passing day. The trail cameras are a constant reminder that when the time comes, if you’re not ready, you’re already late. Tree stands need to be tuned up and re-tightened, brush has to be cut down, and you cannot shoot enough practice arrows. The deer and the deer season care nothing about those things. 

During this entire process we are all evaluating our trail camera bucks and putting together a power ranking. Those number one target bucks are the ones we only talk about with our closest bow hunting confidants for fear of the neighbor catching wind of the monster buck that we have been watching for three years and is finally mature enough to harvest. The ironic truth of the matter is that our neighbors probably know about that buck and hope that we don’t get wind of it. When we say “he’ll make Book,” we are really talking about a Pope and Young buck.

So what does it mean to be a Pope and Young buck? The simplest answer is that a Pope and Young buck is any buck taken with legal archery equipment scoring over 125 inches typical, or 155 inches nontypical. For reference, if you’re using a rifle or any kind of gun the counterpart record organization is called Boone and Crocket. Everyone knows those two names.

Who are Pope and Young? The quick answer: Saxton Pope is regarded as the father of bowhunting. He was a doctor from San Francisco who befriended a Native American named Ishi, who taught him how to shoot a bow. Pope then involved his friend Arthur Young, a newspaper man by trade, and they began hunting together. It has been written that they shot three grizzly bears in Yellowstone Park in one trip. Their legend grew even more after giving a talk in Michigan to some automobile workers where they made a huge impression on a young man named Fred Bear. He of course would go on to become known as the father of modern bow manufacturers.   

Later this fall when you’re holding the horns of your book buck for that victory photo, you’ll know a little bit of the history behind Pope and Young. 

Didn’t get enough Dave this week? Visit “Outdoor Trails and Tales with Dave Beck” on Facebook for photos and video of Dave’s adventures. You can share your own photos and video with him there as well, or by emailing him at dave@piercecountyjournal.news Also, check out OTT content on Instagram @thepiercecountyjournal