Ever wake up in a panic knowing you are late? That is how I awoke the morning I took my best buck to date. I set straight up in the bed, and after looking at the clock, I elbowed my husband to tell him we were late. We both jumped up and began piling on Realtree camouflage. I remember saying, “We are so late, we won’t see anything!” Yeah, I have been laughing about that ever since. After grabbing my Remington 7mm-08 we were out the door. We piled in the truck and fussed about how late we were the whole way there. Thank goodness we had left our tree stands up or we might not have gone.
Piling out of the truck we hurried our separate ways quickly slipping through the woods thinking we might see one on the way in. I eased into my stand and climbed about 20-feet before settling in and getting quiet.
I was there about 20 minutes when I saw a doe come in from my back side. I remember thinking maybe this morning isn’t a total loss. Soon Richard sent me a message saying he had seen two does. With the rut in full swing my spirits began to lift. Knowing bucks were chasing hard and we were seeing does this could get good. Soon another a doe appeared off to my left. She was walking the adjoining ridge feeding on acorns. I did notice she kept looking over her shoulder. Thinking there had to be a buck trailing her by the way she was acting my heart began to pound. I thought: You better calm down or you won’t be able to make the shot when he gets here. I spent 30 agonizing minutes on end as the doe fed across in front of me and disappeared over the ridge. I typed Richard a message Doe to You. In a few minutes he typed back I See Her. We rarely get to hunt together so when we are in the woods together we enjoy knowing how the other ones hunt is going.
As time passed Richard hollered at me on the radio to see what time we needed to get down to make it to Thanksgiving dinner at my Grandmothers. I whispered I am not getting down for a while. I didn’t get “a while” out when I saw him. He was bird dogging straight down the does scent! My heart jumped in my throat. I could hear Richard on the radio in my pocket whispering something about Grandma being mad if we are late. I shouldered my gun and grunted with my mouth. It didn’t phase the mature buck as he trailed his girlfriend. I followed him in my scope and just as I squeezed the trigger I noticed a limb!! It flew to pieces when my Winchester Ballistic tip hit it. In a panic I short worked my bolt and the next shell hung half way between. I remember thinking the best buck I have seen in the woods is right in front of me and I am falling apart. The buck stopped behind some thick stuff to figure out what was going on. Thank goodness I had time to rework the bolt and take a breath. Knowing he would be in a big hurry when he took off again, I prepared myself. Finding a good opening as I heard him take off, I held my composure as the buck ran toward the opening I was scoping. As soon as he appeared in the opening, I squeezed the trigger. He was down in his tracks.
I set there shaking trying to relive what had happened. I jumped when Richard came over the radio. I told him I had what I believed to be an eight point down. He said he’d be right there to help me with him. He beat me to the deer and was smiling when I ran up to him. “It’s a nine point!” he said. I was so excited, I felt like a kid at Christmas. We just stood there for a long time. Finally Richard said get beside him and I’ll take a picture.
After the pictures were taken and the phone calls to parents were made, Richard and I began the long process of dragging the buck out. I remember feeling so blessed to take the buck on Thanksgiving because Richard and I were both off that week. A lot of the time we hunt separate because our days off clash. It was awesome to get to share it with my husband. To make things even better it was his birthday and he had taken an eight point the day before.
The moments shared with nature make hunting worth while, but it is a bonus when God presents a mature buck and you have the opportunity to take him. I was truly blessed that day. True it would have been great to have taken the buck on one of my many excursions to the woods alone but looking back I am so glad it was a day where my husband could be there to share in the joy of my first good buck.
