When I first decided that I would like to go hunting and actually kill a deer, I was attending one of the annual Eastern Traditional Archery Rendezvous. Every time I had been hunting before, I was there to watch or record the hunts for my dad. However, spending some time on the courses and seeing how my shots were actually going where I wanted them to go, I knew I could do it. I practiced shooting my bow in my backyard a few times a week and got better and better.
As the season was nearing, I was learning more and more about the gravity of bow hunting. My dad warned me of a couple of key things that were going to be harder for me than shooting the deer itself. The first thing I had to come to terms with is that I would have to actually climb a tree. I just want to point out that we do not use ladder stands; what I was expected to climb was a small metal stick dug into the side of the tree meant to resemble a step. The second point my dad revealed to me is that I would never get anywhere close to a deer due to the fact that they thought I stunk. So, I executed the scentless process, which included washing my hair with shampoo that smelled like dirt, and then spraying myself with a perfume that also smelled like dirt.
Towards the end of September is when we really began hunting regularly. At this time of the season, the weather is cooling down and the deer are beginning to move. Through the first few hunts, we saw a few does, but they kept their distance and chose another path. Over the course of a couple more hunts, and a lot of tree stand moving, we found a tree we knew most of the deer would pass right under. It was a Saturday morning, and I was heading into town when I passed the corn field that neighbors the woods we hunt. I quickly pulled over and watched as two bucks were chasing four or five does around. I called my dad to tell him the good news and he agreed that we chose a perfect night to hunt.
Around 3:00 in the afternoon, we began to get dressed in our camo and get everything packed and ready. I took a couple of practice shots to gain confidence for that evening. As we set out, I began to have a pretty good feeling - until I got to the tree.
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