A diehard bowhunter, Scott Kerschner of Pennsylvania first started pursuing deer with stick and string in 1967. He has taken a buck every year since, with 75 percent of them coming during the archery season.
It wasn’t until about a dozen years ago, however, that Kerschner picked up a crossbow. The state had legalized them in 2009, and he purchased an Excalibur to introduce his two grandchildren, Haden and Connor, to the sport. Then, after developing shoulder troubles, he decided to hunt with the bow himself in 2011.
“I picked it up and took it out,” Kerschner said. “From that time on, I’ve used it every year, except for one year, and I’ve harvested my buck [each year] with the crossbow.”
At one time in the not-too-distant past, Kerschner would…