virgin wilderness, virgin hunter ...

Yesterday, I spent the majority of my day, sitting very still, being cold, watching for a deer I could kill ... in some very pretty woods/fields ... it was quite nice.

It also just happened to be my first time hunting, ever! I came to learn several things:1) patience is a virtue and it does pay off, 2)sitting waiting for a deer to kill is good reflection and prayer time, and 3) I love hunting ... those would be the three essentials I took away from my time yesterday. 

Hunting builds patience b/c as everyone knows, all you do is sit and wait and wait and wait and wait and watch and wait and wait.... and .... Wait! Exciting huh?

Well, sure enough, at some point in time my mind started wandering and dreaming as it were, not sure about what (but probably something worthless) ... and then after having waited for oh two and a half hours or so ... I snapped out of my day dream and there she was, the first of two deer I saw all day ... about 75-80 yards off.

She was a full grown, mature doe, beautiful and majestic ... very very aware too! Aware of what...? Well, everything ... my breath, the creaky chair, the thoughts in my head of shooting her ... and over the next few moments as I positioned the 270 Browning rifle I was holding, adjusting so the crosshairs were right behind her shoulder, she walked behind a large tree with a lot of dead leaves still hanging on ... out of sight, but certainly not out of mind ... So as any eager virgin hunter, I took a few deep breaths and I adjusted my sight to take her out as she walked out from behind the tree ... but not three minutes after her arrival did another, very similarly sized doe walk out right behind her!

Number two stopped shy of the tree, and low and below, I was already adjusted for aiming right at her! I gave her about a minute and then ... it happened ... WHAMMY! BLAST! CA-POW! BAM! (I know my sound effects are amazing!)

She leapt about 8ft in the air, ran for about twenty yards and fell dead! My very first deer, dead and ready for butchering in a matter of seconds ... and as for me, well, I have lost my hunting virginity at the ripe ole'age of 23. Not a day too early. 

I still cannot get over that feeling ... the adrenaline and excitement pulsing hard through my veins, the heightened senses and quickened breathing ... before I totally knew it; I had her down for the count... coldstone dead... but not cold at all.

We field dressed her, took her home, butchered her up, and in the realm of hunting, I became a man!