Grab a cup of coffee...this is a story you won't want to miss!

So the great hunt of 09 proved itself to be a MUCH more successful hunting trip than the trip in 08. And I know there are some of you reading who have been waiting for this blog as you already know what I am about to write about. As I had a GREAT time. And I have to stop and thank the Lord first for providing the bounty for us this trip. Because my freezer is full. And for that, we are so thankful.

We literally left last Thursday in a whirlwind.

Why is it , every time you try and go out of town quickly, there are always things that prevent you from doing so? It is like a nasty curse...We really tried our best to get home from work, change, and be on the road by 6:00...but without going into great detail; let’s just say we weren’t so successful and ended up getting on the road a bit later than we thought we would...
And, After a LOOONNNGGG trip through nasty Atlanta traffic...We ended up pulling into Fitzgerald, GA around 1:30am.

So when the alarm went off at 5am I felt like I had been hit by a Mac truck and I really didn’t know if I had enough strength to go and sit still in the woods...but, not wanting to waste the money we spent on my hunting license, I dug down deep and drug myself out of bed...cammo’ed up from head to toe putting on my own pants, shirt, and vest Wes purchased for me from Wal-Mart last year when everything went on sale...

(*I even bought cammo colored eyeliner and eyeshadow for the trip this year...hey, I still wanted to look like a girl...I call the ‘look’ GIRLY REDNECK...)

I grabbed my gun, sprayed a little “essence-o-the-woods” scent all over me (which made me smell like a big pile of leaves)....and jumped in the car with the guys.

Wes and I sat together that morning. As tired as I was that morning, the time spent with Wes just sitting still together enjoying watching the GA woods wake up was worth way more than the cost of the license. There is something really soothing about stopping and being still. And maybe that is why I keep going. That morning was like a big exhale for me. No work, no worry, no stress...just peace and quiet. *ahhh*

Around 9am, just like a breath, out popped a deer from the woods. It was my first one I have seen since I started learning how to hunt so my heart was pounding. And I was excited.
So I froze as Wes aimed his gun and looked through the scope to realize it was just a little guy with baby horns (4 point). I was whispering, “shoot em shoot em”...

But he chose to let him walk on. Now, I probably would have taken a shot if I were by myself...but because I was with Wes, I confusingly submitted and figured that he knew what he was doing.

I guess the part that confused me was that the whole car ride down all the guys were saying was, “Man, if its brown, it’s down”...I want to come home with full coolers...And this little one defiantly was brown... so....he should have been down....Oh well...

No one else had seen anything that morning so we all came out about 11 and went and had lunch.
I went back out that night with my father-in-law and sat in a double stand on Mike and Jennie’s property while the guys went out to another man’s property to hunt. I was a bit intimidated to go with the guys to Martin’s as he had a bunch of rules about what you could and couldn’t shoot, and me being a rookie, just wanted to be able to hunt....and not have to worry about how far or big the rack was from the ears. (?)

Anyways, As the sun went down, the only thing we saw were two fox that made their way through the forest. Steve did see three deer down one track, but they were too far and it was too dark to make a shot...so we climbed down and made our way back to “the camp”.

Luckily Charlie had had success that night and came back with the first “doe” of our trip! I tried my best to last through the “skinning” process but as my lack of sleep was having its way with me in the form of a pounding headache, I asked Wes to take me back to the cabin so I could shower and go to bed.

I laid my head down that night and as I was drifting off to sleep, I heard a dreaded scratching noise coming from under the stuffed chair beside the bed. Yes, it was a mouse. And it freaked me out. Kinda ironic huh? I just sat for hours hunting in the woods, watched them partially skin a deer, and was FREAKED out by a little ol’ mouse beside my bed. Oh well, I really was too tired to care too much, so I put a pillow over my head and drifted off to sleep. *counting deer*

When the alarm went off Sat morning however, I popped out of bed feeling like a new woman. It is amazing what sleep will do! I suited up and watched as the guys pulled out. My father-in-law was going to go with me again that morning as he had three deer in his cooler already.

If you have ever walked into the woods in the pitch black, it can be kind of creepy. And I have to admit that I am not a fan of that part about hunting. But you have to do it. From what they have told me you have to beat the deer’s alarm clocks going off by a few hours so you can get to the stand and get settled....so they won’t realize you are there. It is pretty much an “outsmarting” game. And I have always been a fan of games.

We were in the stand by 6am. About 8:30 I started getting antsy. I text Wes. I tried sleeping sitting up. I prayed. I was trying to do everything I could think of without moving around. I was thinking about how a big cup of Starbucks would taste really good right then....but instead I chewed on some deer jerky that Steve offered me...which...seemed to do the trick and settled me back down for a few minutes. I was about 5 min away from climbing out of the stand and going on foot for a bit when Steve nudged me and pointed.

Just like that a deer appeared from the thick.

*pound pound pound...my heart began racing*

Trying not to make too much noise, I positioned my gun so I could see the deer through the scope. Steve wanted me to have the shot so he talked me through the best he could as we were trying not to make noise or movement. Leaning way over him, I watched the deer eat. Unfortunately she was facing me and I had no shot. So we waited.

At one point the deer stared us down as she possibly caught onto us. It felt like 10 min that I froze and tried not to even breathe, but it was probably closer to 1 min.. They are smart creatures. But we won the staring contest and just like that she got comfortable again and went back to eating. But this time she turned her body. My heart was pounding out of my chest as I knew this was my chance. She was about 50 ft in front of us.

So I took a breath and pulled the trigger...but nothing....Oops! Like a good girl, the safety was on. So I gently released the safety and tried again. Inhale, exhale...BOOM!!!

What happened next I couldn’t believe. I hit her...and I hit her good. Right in the shoulder neck area. She took off running for about 15 ft and fell.
I kept saying, “I hit her! I hit her! Oh my gosh I hit her!”...My father-in-law was laughing. I was SHAKING. HOLY MOLY...I couldn’t believe I had done that!

And just like that, there, on the ground before me laid my deer. Dead.

I was shocked, sad, happy, and surprised at the same time...I remember saying to Steve, “Wow that was better than Starbucks!” It felt like it took forever to weed through my fanny pack to get to my phone to just let Wes know what I had done.
*my eyeliner pencil and lip-gloss were in the way*

With shaky hands I text Wes, “I just killed my first deer. She fell 15 ft from where I shot her”....within seconds I got a response back, “Awesome. Good shot. Now I better get a deer or Mike will call me names”...And he would. :-) Like he would call him a ‘sissy tree hugger’.

We waited about another hour to see if anything else would come along. It honestly took me that long to stop shaking. But once I was able to calm down, I was ready to drag her out and take her home.

I think it is important to mention at this point: guns kill. They are powerful and to be handled with care. Killing is not for sport for us. It is for meat. Especially in this economy. To have a freezer full of ORGANIC, non processed meat in our freezer is a blessing from the Lord. Truly what we hope for every time we go out.

So we climbed out of the stand and upon getting closer to her....Steve realized that she wasn’t a “she” at all...but a little HE....yeah, not only did I kill my first deer...but HE was a BUCK...A little spike. “oops”. Hey, I was following the rule, “If it is brown, it’s down”....and Mike told me I could shoot at anything for my first one. So....

We carried him out... (*Which...I am glad my guy was little...dragging a deer out of the woods is hard work*) and took him back to Mike and Jennies. When I got to Jennie, all she had to do was look at my face and see my goofy grin...She let out a scream and hooped and hollered for me!! It was so much fun to have people rejoice with me that have been wanting me to “get one” for awhile now. They have taught me so much. Jennie is quite the huntress herself and I can only hope to kill a big six point like she did just a few weeks ago. For now though, I will be happy with my one point. (ha ha)

So BEFORE the guys returned, we (yes, I helped skin him) had hung up the deer....weighed him (100lbs)....unzipped his fur....and had him almost all the way in the coolers....

I defiantly couldn’t wipe the silly grin off my face the rest of the trip. Poor Wes got ragged a bit that afternoon that his wife shot one before he did. But he was a good sport overall. So as I sat by myself that night in a little blind behind Mike and Jennie’s house, I prayed for Wes to get one. I prayed and prayed and prayed....

But maybe God didn’t hear me right because then I looked up....and um, two more deer were standing in front of me. *They were doe’s this time. I looked.* Honestly, I was praying for Wes. :-)

So I fumbled and fumbled trying not to make a noise...Thinking through what I needed to do and remember...I was by myself this time. And it was getting dark.

They were facing me again and I had no shot. But then the one, decided to turn her head and body. So I figured I needed to not miss my window of opportunity.
So I aimed, took a breath and pulled the trigger.

And I hit her...

But as I stood up, watching her fumble a bit, the other one took off straight at me. I quickly re-loaded the gun as I was about to be deer road kill if I didn’t get that gun back up in time. And just like that, both turned and ran off into the woods.

I sat down, breathed...and went to see if I could find my deer. I found fur with blood on it. I walked into the thicket a bit to see if I could hear her or see her...but it was getting too dark and I didn’t have my flashlight with me. So I ran back to the blind and text Wes to find out what I should do. Well the good Lord had heard my prayers and we must had pulled the trigger at the same time cause he told me he just shot a doe too and was tracking her. I should go back and mark the spot and then they would help me come look when they got back.

It was about this time I heard and felt a loud “FLAP FLAP FLAP” on the side of my head. Turned out my cammo worked pretty well and a poor unassuming Cardinal tried landing on my head. Freaked me out! I was a sight...wish you could have seen me.

I am telling you, the woods get creepy at night by yourself. And I had had enough. Yes I killed a deer...*cough cough* I mean, TWO deer....but I am still a girl who gets scared in woods by herself.

So I ran back to the house. Jennie and I and the guys went back out looking. We found more fur, some blood, and bone...a few good chunks’. But no real distinct trail. It was a learning time for sure. Tracking a deer is like an episode of CSI mixed with Surviorman. As Mike put it, “It is a crime scene...and you are the perpetrator”....

Anyways....we never did find her. But I shot her. And I learned a lot. And Wes found his. So he did end up getting one too.

IF you are still reading this I will let you know that you are finally at the end of my very long hunting story. It was so exciting. And I am still on a high from the hunt. There are some that have given me grief about shooting a poor innocent animal. To which I quickly reply, “Are you a Vegetarian?”....It is no different. Hunting is actually way more humane than how they slaughter cows or chickens in the slaughter houses....Google it...you may never eat KFC again.... SO I will state again, “we shoot for food”...And as I loaded about 100 pounds of steaks and roasts and hamburger into my freezer last night, I thanked the Lord all over again for the blessing of his provisions for us. They are not taken for granted.

And we have enough to bless others around us. That is, if they will eat it. I am learning to just not tell people they are eating deer. Most of the time, they will never know the difference.

Well until next time....be safe out there and wear orange...cause you never when I am in the woods. :-)