My First Buck

It’s that time of the year again….deer hunting season. Deer hunting has become one of my favorite hobbies. As a child growing up in Michigan, I occasionally went hunting with my father. I’ve hunted duck, geese, pheasant, and rabbits but I never went deer hunting with him. His deer hunting trips consisted of a week with his buddies in northern Michigan or the UP (Upper Peninsula for non-Michiganders). Deer season took place during the school year and I couldn’t take a week off of school to go hunting. Plus, I never thought deer hunting would be that much fun anyway. I was content with plinking squirrels and black birds from my 2nd floor bedroom window with a .22 rifle.

Fast forward 20 some years…….I first went deer hunting with my buddy Jeff Whetzel in 2003 and now I’m hooked. Christie’s Aunt Marilyn has about 10 acres of wooded property behind her home here in Marion. Appropriately, Deer Creek flows through the property.

On the first day of the season I took a shot at a doe and missed. I saw a few more deer during the next several days and finally on the last day of the season my luck changed. As daylight was fading that Sunday afternoon, I big 8 point buck came walking up the trail below my deer blind. The adrenaline rush that hits you when you see a big buck is something that you have to experience to properly describe. My heart immediately began to beat hard and fast. (I now know why some deer hunters have heart attacks while hunting).

I drew my gun on the big buck waiting for the perfect shot. The deer looked up towards me and I pulled the trigger. Blam! He dropped like a brick. I could not contain my excitement. I remember yelling, “jackpot!” Why I said “jackpot” is beyond me as it is a pretty silly thing to yell out. Anyway, I ran down the hill to view my kill. Jeff came running over from his blind to see the fruits of my labor.

I shot the deer, just below its right eye. I was aiming for his chest. Lucky shot perhaps, but a kill is a kill. Ever since that day in 2003, I’ve been hooked on deer hunting. Last year I didn’t have any luck and so far this year, I haven’t got one, but Jeff got a nice 6 point buck on opening day. Sitting out in the woods on cold fall days can get boring at times, but it is peaceful being out in nature waiting for the trophy buck to appear.