My First Deer

I remember it like it was yesterday. It was Thanksgiving morning and we planned to hunt for just a few hours before making it to the family celebration at my grandmother’s house.  I was just 13 years old. Your typical awkward 7^th grader still growing into his body and into his personality.

          I walked down into the woods in the dark. I climbed up in the wooden stand. I had to pretty much reach for every 2x4 step because I’m sure we didn’t have enough wood when we built the stand so the steps were right on the verge of too far apart.

          I got to the top of my awkward ladder climb and laid my dad’s Charles Daley 12 gauge across the flat wooden platform that made the top of the stand. Then I pulled myself up and spun around placing the gun across my lap and scooted back so my back was against the tree and my legs were laying straight.

          I sat there with high hopes of taking my first deer but didn’t know what the experience would be like. I sat and watched and listened diligently. There was no action early just your typical squirrels running around making you believe for one second it might be a deer.

          Then at around 8:15 I heard something running through the woods that was definitely heavier than a squirrel. I tried to get myself ready and get the gun to my shoulder.

          I looked where the sound was coming from and two does were running through the woods straight towards my stand. It was a larger doe in front of a smaller one running nose to tail. They were going to come in on the right side of the stand. The worse side. If you shoot right handed and a deer comes in on your left you can simply sit still and hold the gun on your right shoulder across your body. If it comes in on the right you either have to stand up and turn or shoot with kind of an open posture.

          I was sitting flat on a platform so standing up in time and turning was not an option. So, I awkwardly tried to turn my upper body and the gun to my right to be ready to make a shot before these deer could run by.

          In what turned out to be a lucky turn of events the doe in front noticed my movement and stopped about 10 yards away from me but directly behind a big oak tree.

          I tried to control my breath and tried not to move at all. My heart was pounding. I knew what to do but it was never a situation I had been in before. I waited for a few seconds that seemed like an eternity. And finally, the lead doe stepped out from behind the tree.

          Just like I had been told to do I looked down the shotgun barrel and put the bead right behind the deer’s front leg. I slowly squeezed the trigger. Bang!

          I looked up and the two does were running back in the direction they came from. I kept the gun up and swung it in their general direction but running through thick oak woods I couldn’t find another shot.

          I was breathing heavily and chills were running down my spine. But as the deer ran out of eyesight I started to be filled with doubt. I thought I had missed.

          Just a few minutes later my phone rang. My dad was hunting in a block of woods not far from me and had heard the shot. He asked me if I got it. I said I thought I missed. He asked how far away the deer was and I said about ten yards, he replied “you didn’t miss from that close.”

          My feelings of doubt changed to feelings of intrigue and impatience. When I was that young my dad would always walk directly to the stand to come get me when he was done hunting. I waited not so patiently thinking a million thoughts and wishing he would hurry up and come get me so I could at least find out if my shot was true or not.

          Also, in Virginia at that time if you were under 16 you could shoot one doe any day of the year. Besides that it was bucks only besides on designated doe days. Now most days are doe days because of the explosion of the deer population.

          I have always tried to be an ethical and law abiding hunter. So I was in a bit of a conundrum. I remember thinking if I had killed the doe I could not legally kill another one. If not and another one walked by I would be passing up on an opportunity. It didn’t end up mattering. Although I did see one other doe. But she snuck in on me and then ran by so I had no shot at her.

          I waited for my dad for about an hour definitely not so patiently. I was curious, nervous, excited, and scared. I had shot doves before and some other small game. But a deer is a large animal to take. And the feelings you get from it can range a long way. I do remember that day feeling bad about it later on.

          But the moment I found out I had made a successful shot I was definitely full of pride. At about 10:00 O’clock I heard my dad’s voice from about 40 yards away saying climb on down. I rushed down the tree. Climbing down was a lot easier then climbing up. Although I still had to carefully slide from each awkwardly distanced 2x4 step to the next.

          My dad had been walking straight through the woods to me and had seen a white belly on the ground and found the deer. I was excited about seeing it but first he had to teach me about blood trailing. My patience was being thoroughly tested.

          He asked me where the deer was when I shot it. I showed him and we looked around at the leaves looking for a blood. This was a great lesson to learn but at the time I just wanted to run over to my deer.

          Finally after learning how to blood trail about 40 yards from where I shot at was my deer. I remember that feeling of pride, power, and accomplishment. And I remember how excited my dad was for me.

          People who don’t deer hunt can’t really understand. We aren’t just chasing white tail deer and we aren’t cruel. You love and respect the animal and have no interest in inflicting pain. I think deer are beautiful and nothing bothers me more than seeing one hit by a car.

          But what you are really chasing when you deer hunt is that feeling. That feeling of power you get from making a good shot. That feeling of accomplishment you get from accomplishing the goal you set out to complete that morning. And the feeling of pride you get from sharing that you had a successful hunt.

          When I was 13 years old I learned what these feelings are really like. I have had seasons of my life where I haven’t hunted much at all. But now I’m back to chasing these feelings.