Meat in the Freezer

Well I myself am a hunter as many of you out there yourselfs are. Last season I had high hopes for what was to come. Dreams of a nice big racked buck and meat in the freezer would haunt my dreams on a nightly basis. My twelfth season of my hunting career and I was hoping to go for the win. I decided as time demanded it I would hunt muzzleloader. As our late season here in Washington runs just short of a month. I started out my season like I do every season scouting and talking game plan with my hunting partner Joe. He reassured me as he does every season our deer were no problem but we should focus more on the elk. Well to be honest I have never been the worlds greatest elk hunter but deer I have found more success. So my number one priorty in my own eyes was to make sure that I put a deer in the freezer as thats a primary source of meat. Well after a season of helping others fill there tags and watching buck after buck go down and passing on the only buck that I would end up seeing during my season a spike that was no taller then a pen cap I just knew it was only a matter of time before I would get my chance. Finally late season came but now the deer had been fairly well wiped out during the modern firearms season. I hunted day in and day out and wasn’t worried my luck had failed me. Five bucks alone had been taken in the new clear cut next to my house and I knew there was slim chance of finding a horn among them. Luckily during Washingtons late season its either sex in my unit. I don’t typically like the idea but if pressed meat is meat and I’ve never been a big trophy hunter. Even with that I had seen nigh a deer in a week.

A week earlier the only deer I saw was a doe and debated the shot broadside at 80 yards. Joe talked me out of it saying we still had plenty of time to find a good buck. Begrudgingly declining the shot I trudged on my spirits dashed. Now it was three days before the end of the season and I find myself utterly frustrated with Joe for making me pass on the only deer at this point I thought existed. For whatever reason his spirits were still surprisingly high and told me there still time but it was cutting her close to the wire for my taste. On our last trip that evening as if out of nowhere we came around the corner and there in the clearcut would be my deciding factor…..A healthy doe not more than 65 yards away broadside. Being so close to the end of the season I was having a hard time passing the only deer I had seen in over a week. Joe told me to take it as he knew there truly was not much time left. I capped my muzzleloader and took aim freehand as soon as I fired Joe said I made a good shot and the deer was down. I shot right behind the shoulders and made the humane kill. We then proceeded to drive the truck out into the clearcut load her up and head for home.

Although it was a doe every deer to me is a trophy and I have the utmost respect for my quarry  for whatever reason that deer was just as special to me as all the others as it was one that was worked hard for. Hunting for me is a pass time I hope to never leave behind and the happiness it brings me is not in the kill but just in the experience of being away from it all and being at peace with yourself void of all troubles if only for the time being. Also I have made some bonding relationships with people through hunting such as my hunting partner Joe he is one of my best friends and we met through hunting. Happy hunting to you all.