My First Real Deer Hunt

My First Real Deer Hunt

After deciding I wanted to start hunting deer

I attended hunter’s safety the very next year

The women’s class was great and I passed the test

I was now a hunter, no longer a walking guest

I was lucky to use my grandfather’s Winchester .225

He had used it for coyotes and fox and left few alive

I purchase my ammo, orange sweatshirt and was ready to go

Fortunately there was little wind and no snow

On opening day my hands shook with fright

I hadn’t hardly slept at all the previous night

The first few does I saw but didn’t shoot

I decided I needed to find a place to root

After posting in a few different spots

I still didn’t get very many good shots

My husband said to my sister-in-law and me

Let’s go up to that large belt of trees

When we arrived there wasn’t a deer in sight

And I got downhearted as we were running out of daylight

We crawled in the mud along a fence

Then we heard that “ping” of the barbwire – this perked up each sense

Then we saw four does, no five, no six!

My husband said shoot as I kneeled in the sticks

I took a shot at a doe

And heard the sound only a hunter would know

It was the sound of success I had used good aim

My heart was pounding – I had killed my first big game

While it took us awhile to track her in the evening light

I’ll never forget that feeling of my first big hunt that night