My Deer Hunting Adventures

It was about ten years ago (before I had children) I loved to go hunting. The thrill, the tranquility of the open woods., it was so relaxing, yet exciting. Yes, guys, some of us females enjoy the thrill of the hunt also. I hunted deer and turkey. However, the deer hunting, especially during bow season, was my favorite time. I was pretty good with my bow, I did a year of bow competition. I would spend hours and days riding thru the mountains. I hiked  numerous trails, scouting for deer.

One of my most memorable moments, (I have so many I could tell) was the two days I spent on a friends property in a small county in Virginia. I had scouted the area and found so many trees with buck rubs, I just knew that I’d get the big one I had been searching for. I had set up a blind the day before the big hunt. I sat down about a hour before daylight and just enjoyed the sounds of the birds singing as the squirrels chased each other thru the fallen leaves.

My guess would be that it had been around thirty minutes or so, after daybreak, I heard that sound. The load crunch of something heavy, breaking a fallen limb that was on the ground. My heart began to pound as though it were coming out of my chest. My body started to tremble and before I knew it, there he was. He was beautiful. He had at least fourteen points on his rack. It looked as though his antlers were touching the sky. He was the biggest buck that I had ever seen, in person.

That buck walked up the path beside where I sat, not even ten feet away from me. I waited until he was a little ways away and slowly rose to my feet. Then the worst thing that could ever happen, happened. I was shaking so badly, I could not  find the strength to pull my bow string back. I know that I tried at least ten or fifteen times, until he was too far out of reach. I fell to the ground in shock. I had let the “Big One” get away.

I decided that the next day I would move to the opposite side of where I had been. That way I would be facing where he walked into the woods and would be able to see him coming, I would be prepared. I found a fallen tree that was in perfect range and set up a blind. The following morning I went to my spot, about a hour before daylight. I leaned against the roots and drifted off to sleep. I was awakened by a loud screech, my guess, an owl. There was a chipmunk on the log beside me. I ‘m guessing he was trying to figure out what I was. The next thing I knew, the tree trunk began to bounce under me. I turned my head, and to my surprise, there was a bobcat, staring at me as though I was breakfast.
 I screamed at the top of my lungs, threw my bow to the ground and ran. I have never ran so fast in all of my life. I was terrified. I waited at least a hour or more, until my heart stopped pounding and went back to retrieve my things. I never went back to that spot. I had enough excitement in those two days, to last a lifetime.

The very last time that I went on a hunting trip, was by far, my best experience. Guys, I landed a beautiful ten point buck. My first and only deer now hangs on my wall. His nickname is “Bud”.