Ben Pearson Archery

It was here. Departure day. Mike, Pup and I were headed out to Alabama to do some bowhunting with Pearson Archery. It was the first time that we would be making this trip and to say we were excited was an understatement. A better comparison would be kids in a candy store. After making the drive to meet up with Mike and Pup, we loaded up the truck and headed south. Destination, Brewton, Alabama. From Mike's house it was going to be a 12 hour drive which meant we were pulling another all nighter to get there by morning.

Once in Brewton our first stop was to head to the Ben Pearson Archery plant and see Jon, Carolyn and the rest of the crew. For me, this was going to be one of the coolest parts to the trip and it didn't disappoint. Not only did we get to catch up with old friends, but also got a sneak peek at the 2009 lineup. All I can say is wow! I don't think I have ever been so excited to be part of the Pearson team.

After leaving the plant it was time to head to the farm. Word on the street was that quite a few folks were in camp and to date nothing had been put down. Mike, Pup, and I had pretty high expectations that we could change that. After arriving at camp we were introduced to a bunch of great guys. Everyone there was part of the Pearson team and it awesome to be with them. After grabbing a bite to eat and settling in, it was finally time to head to the woods.

Hunting in Alabama was something that none of us were used to. Camp procedure told us that before you left you scanned the map, picked your spot, and then signed out so everyone else knew where you had "laid claim". After a short discussion we settled on a piece of timber that looked promising. Seeing how we only had time for 3 hunts during this trip, there was no time to scout and no preset tree stands. It was just us putting our heads to it and coming up with the best option to roll the dice.

After putting boots on the ground and scouting on the go, each of us settled on a spot for the night. Never laying eyes on an Alabama whitetail before I was told that they were small compared to the whitetails we were used to in Ohio. Boy were they right. One of first deer I saw was a fawn that I would guess to go about 20-25lbs soaking wet. Tiny to say the least.

As the sun started to set that evening I caught movement in front of me. It was a mature doe and she was headed my way. As she moved in front of me I stood and grabbed the Z-34. At 15 yards she made a turn broadside and that's all it took. I pulled, centered the bubble, placed the pin, and the arrow was gone. She went down within 60 yards and I had an Alabama doe in the books. After a short drag to the truck it was great to find out that Mike had put one down as well. It was 2 on the board for the Ohio boys after being in camp for less than 6 hours. The rest of the hunts we found ourselves coming up empty handed, however all of us saw deer and had some very, very close calls.

In the end the trip to Alabama was awesome. We got to catch up with old friends, make new ones, and do a little hunting on the side. I would like to give a big, huge, special thanks to everyone at Ben Pearson Archery for their support, hospitality, and friendship. It was great to be part of this hunt and I am honored to part of the team. 2009 is going to be a great year!