Weekend after weekend during the late deer season we got up hours before daylight, ate a huge hunter’s breakfast, and then drove out to the woods stopping only to put chains on the truck.  When we couldn’t drive any further, out came the headlamps and the hike began.  Every evening when we rendezvoused and began the reverse trip back to civilization, the men would make me green with envy about this deer that they took a shot at or the rack on the buck was THIS BIG.  I had only knocked an arrow once during the season thus far and this wasn’t even a serious opportunity since some crazy gadget hunter happened to be walking by and wouldn’t stop talking to me while I watched the deer up the hill.  He then offered to call out the distance with his nifty range finder.  I wanted to throw him and the range finder down the hill.  But I digress.

It was the last day of archery deer season and though the guys had thrown a lot of arrows, there was not a deer permit with a cutout in it yet among us.  I reached a critical moment in my day around noon.  There were 4 hours of daylight left and I was done…… hunting.  I was so tired and grumpy that I threw the biggest pity party for myself.  I lay down in the snow and stared at the sky.  Once the pity party ended I reached a mental crossroad.  I could sit around and feel sorry for myself or I could get up and hunt until it was dark.  I chose the latter.  Because I was so tired I simply could not make my legs walk up another hill.  I let gravity do the work and headed down the hill.

I couldn’t believe it!  I heard the shuffling sounds of deer just over the crest of the next hill but I could not see anything because I was down in a gully.  I waited on the uneven surface until my legs began shaking and soon reached another critical moment in the day.  There was a skinny tree I could see on the hill.  I decided that I couldn’t wait any longer or I was going to give myself away.  I knocked an arrow and decided I would shoot the tree and hopefully scare the deer down the hill.  I took my shot, heard the whap of an arrow hit the wood and used that chance to sprint up the rest of the hill (or as much as I could sprint in the snow with less than fresh legs).  I eagerly looked down the hill fully expecting to see the deer I was trying to manifest staring back at me..  Instead of the deer I hoped for, I saw trees, snow, and air.  I looked ahead and saw nothing but more trees, snow, and air.  I looked up the hill and there was a large mule deer staring at me with her ears up.  Without a moment’s hesitation, I knocked an arrow, drew back, whispered a small prayer and let it fly.  The deer took a few stumbling steps down towards me followed by some sliding and then rested on the ground waiting for me.  I stood in the snow staring at her for as long as I could stand it before walking down to check on her.  It was a perfect shot and she did not suffer.  I sat down on the snow next to her and poured out my heart.  I had so much gratitude and joy pouring out of my mouth that any eavesdropping squirrel or bird must have thought I was nuts.

My friend’s dad was the first person on the scene about 30 minutes later.   He went to find the other guys.  I could hear their voices echoing down through the woods as Rick told them the blood on his hands was not from his deer, but from mine.  I grew about 2 inches taller as they paraded down the hill to admire her.  Here were some of the men I love who had, without meaning to, made me so jealous merely hours before. And they were coming to see what little old me with my youth bow could accomplish with a lot of determination and an attitude-shifting, personal pep talk.  Let the heart thumping continue!