My First Hunting Trip

MY FRIST HUNTING TRIP

It was a cold November morning as we loaded the truck to go to breakfast. We put our gear on and placed our weapons in the back of the truck. I was daydreaming of the chance to bag my first buck that I was promised I would have a chance at by my father; an avid hunter in his own right.

He has been coming to this spot for many years with a great percentage of success year after year. His father had brought him here years ago and now he’s bringing me. He told me stories of all the deer that they see here and how they always waited for the big buck to come out of the swampy area in front of the pine trees and was hoping he was not just storytelling.

We got to the diner and ordered. I wasn’t even hungry; I was anticipating the day in woods. The food arrived and I ate like I haven’t eaten in days hopping he would get the message that I was ready to go. As he finished his last bite he looked up at me and gave me a smile and asked “are you ready to go”, with that I jumped up and went for the exit like my ass was on fire. I heard him say relax I have to pay the bill; start the truck.

This is it, we were on our way to the best spot in the woods. As we arrived he told me about the spot he was giving too me. There would be a fallen tree that you can sit behind that the sun will warm you once it comes up, there will be lots of pine trees in front of me and a swamp that the deer pass through. To the right side of me there would be an apple orchard that the deer feed from and to the left is a huge pond. It is the perfect spot for you to see the deer passing back and forth.

As we slowly make our way down the path I can hear the birds singing, the squirrels rustling in the wooded area and what I believe to be was a raccoon scurrying across the path. I felt a hand on my shoulder as he points to a red ribbon tied to a branch and motions for me to go down there. As we arrive at the spot he raises his finger to his lips signaling to me to be quiet and whispers to me to watch in a 180 degree radius in front of me as he positions me behind the fallen tree. He hands me a two way walkie talkie and says to call him when I get one and reminds me not to shoot till the sun rises. The only thing I heard was “When I get one”. He turns away and heads down the path behind me to another spot; he’s footsteps getting quieter the further he went.

I looked at my watch and realized it was only 5:30 am, another half hour before sunrise. The coldness is already started to set in as I sit Here starting to shiver. I clench my hands into a fist and open them several times to try and get the feeling back. I look at my watch again 5:45 praying the sun would come up to help warm me. My toes are started to get cold, I can’t feel my hands and my ears are numb.

Then I hear something. I grab my rifle and rest it on the tree, my heart starts pumping, and the awareness of the cold is now secondary as I fix all my attention in the direction of the noise. It starts to become louder as I see the head of a six point buck. My heart racing now feeling like it will explode in my chest. I glance at my watch 5:55, 5 more minutes to sunrise. I pick up my rifle to look through the scope to get a better view of the deer. As I do this I hear noise from the left side over by the pond, I turned my head slightly to see what it was and disappointingly enough it was a doe with two fawns. I turn my attention back to the six pointer. I glance at my watch; 6:10, the sun is breaking through the tree tops and can feel it starting to warm my face. I slowly take the glove off my shooting hand and raise the rifle to shoot. There are two of them! I said to myself. I wait to see if the other will come out from behind the brush so I can get a better look at it, remembering my father’s story about waiting for the big one.

The other deer comes out of the brush and in full view about 25 yards away. I stared in awe at the size of the antlers and just the massive size of him. Snapping out of the dream I raise my rifle, tucked it tightly into my shoulder, and looked though the scope, aimed at the heart and started to squeeze the trigger. The rifle fired and startled me; as I see the buck jump straight in the air for what seemed to be about ten feet. He landed and turned back for the swamp but fell just shy of the underbrush.

A huge grin forms on my face” I got one” I proclaimed. I grab the walkie talkie to call my father and I can hear my voice coming from his walkie talkie behind me. I turned around and the whole time he was about 40 yards away just standing there watching me.

Smiling he starts coming over to me and say’s I told you. This is the best spot around. You aren’t even in the woods for an hour and you bagged your first deer. Not only that but it’s a ten pointer.

I still have that deer head hanging up in my den and every time I look at it I remember the fun that we used to have together hunting year after year until he passed on. I think to myself I would give it all back to have him beside me laughing and joking again.