Fall, that time of year when the heat of summer wanes, the leaves turn from green to bright hues of red, orange, and yellow, and the cool, quiet mornings are shattered by the sounds of ATVs and rifle fire as hunters around the country take to the woods. That’s right, hunting season is upon us and I, like many, took to the woods to harvest some game. I look forward to Opening Day of deer season the way a young child looks forward to Christmas morning. This year, I followed my familiar routine of heading down to the farm on Friday night, going to bed late, getting up well before the sun has even considered making it presence known, and heading out into the woods, rifle in hand. On a side note, if you have never sat in the woods and watched as nature seems to wake up and come alive with the sun’s rising, you are truly missing out on one of life’s most enjoyable experiences.
I arrived and got situated in my stand around 5:45 that morning and began the less enjoyable part of the hunt, waiting. Fortunately, on this particular morning I did not have to wait long before I saw the first deer walking my direction. It is a really neat thing to watch deer as the walk around, graze, and even chase each other around the woods. Animals in nature are a beautiful thing to observe. Following shortly after the first deer were three other deer meandering through the woods, seemingly without a care in the world. Like most hunters on opening weekend, I was not interested in a doe, I was waiting for that certain buck to show itself before I pulled the trigger. At 6:15, just 30 minutes after I entered the woods, he showed himself. Enticed by the irresistible females grazing in the area, he stepped out of the thicket and began chasing the unwilling does around the area. Upon watching him get rejected by one doe after another, I decided enough was enough, this fella needed to be put out of his misery once and for all. I slowly raised my rifle, clicked off the safety, and waited for him to present me with the opportunity for that killing shot. After getting rejected by yet another doe, he dejectedly stopped, lowered his head and began eating some acorns. I chose that moment to pull the trigger. Embarrassingly, the shot did not drop him and he bolted! All I could think of was how my poor shot might have just lost me my buck. Twenty minutes later, I climbed out of my stand, got the 4-wheeler, and began following the blood trail through the woods. So intently was I following the trail that I almost walked right into him as he hunkered down in a ravine.
I arrived and got situated in my stand around 5:45 that morning and began the less enjoyable part of the hunt, waiting. Fortunately, on this particular morning I did not have to wait long before I saw the first deer walking my direction. It is a really neat thing to watch deer as the walk around, graze, and even chase each other around the woods. Animals in nature are a beautiful thing to observe. Following shortly after the first deer were three other deer meandering through the woods, seemingly without a care in the world. Like most hunters on opening weekend, I was not interested in a doe, I was waiting for that certain buck to show itself before I pulled the trigger. At 6:15, just 30 minutes after I entered the woods, he showed himself. Enticed by the irresistible females grazing in the area, he stepped out of the thicket and began chasing the unwilling does around the area. Upon watching him get rejected by one doe after another, I decided enough was enough, this fella needed to be put out of his misery once and for all. I slowly raised my rifle, clicked off the safety, and waited for him to present me with the opportunity for that killing shot. After getting rejected by yet another doe, he dejectedly stopped, lowered his head and began eating some acorns. I chose that moment to pull the trigger. Embarrassingly, the shot did not drop him and he bolted! All I could think of was how my poor shot might have just lost me my buck. Twenty minutes later, I climbed out of my stand, got the 4-wheeler, and began following the blood trail through the woods. So intently was I following the trail that I almost walked right into him as he hunkered down in a ravine.
Not wanting to drag this out any longer, I stepped back a few feet and shot him again. This was the first time I actually got a good look at his rack and I counted 9 points, not a bad way to start off the season.
When the deer was cleaned and quartered, I called my beautiful wife and, much to her chagrin, informed her that we now had fresh meat for the freezer. There was a palpable silence on the other end of the phone as she tried to avoid showing her disappointment at the news. Lauren, for those who don’t know, has not quite developed a taste for venison; chicken is her meat of preference. However much to her credit, within days of the kill, she was out hunting for a jerky maker and recipes to make deer jerky. What a wife!! She did not even care when I killed a second deer the following weekend, she just continued trying to find that perfect jerky recipe. I am so very fortunate to have a wife as patient and accommodating as Lauren. She puts up with so many things and even though she does not like hunting, she knows I enjoy it and she tries to learn more about it. Not only that, but she even allowed me to have the deer mounted and put in my Man Room. Now that’s love! One of these days I am going to get her out in the woods with me and even though it probably won’t happen within the next decade or so, I am certain that she will thoroughly enjoy watching the woods come to life and taking pictures of the wildlife with her ever-present camera.
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