Anyhow, I made it to the stand annoyingly late, feeling like the rank amateur that I am. It was barely 10 minutes before sunrise, I hadn't needed my headlamp for a while. The trek was still a great experience however. While I was wandering around confused in the dusk I listened to a few coyotes howling off in the distance. For another instant I was terrified by the sudden explosion of turkeys from their roost above me, probably the same flock that I'd watch amble by the day before.
I climbed up and settled down in the morning chill to wait. I could occasionally hear some movement off in the distance to my left. I had heard a lot of armadillos closer to the truck, and it was likely that's what was moving. I blew a few calls out in that direction just in case. Most of the morning was quiet however, except for a few busy squirrels. Its amazing how much noise one little tree rat can make, but wild squirrels are always cool to watch.
Around 9:30 I heard some soft footsteps approaching in front of me. I soon caught movement, and saw a doe approaching. A yearling appeared, trailing behind. The two were in no hurry, calmly picking their way across the pine-needle carpet. The yearling snagged a leaf now and then, perhaps still testing what was edible. The doe crossed my trail and got a little more alert, not scared but cautious.
The two paused for about a full minute about 25 yards ahead. At one point the doe's body was broadside to me, but with its head concealed behind a pine. A perfect shot. What an incredible temptation! It was as if the Goddess Diana was testing my worth as an ethical hunter.
I reflected that the whole three-day experience was a test. First I resisted the temptation to take a too-fast shot at a legal buck, then a shot at flock of illegal turkeys, now a shot at an illegal deer that in addition still had a young one attached to her. I think by any measure I passed those tests, and even though I have no meat to show for it I have the satisfaction that I made the right choices.
The doe and yearling calmly turned and slowly worked their way back as they had come.
I remained in the stand another hour and a half, then decided it was time to call it a hunt. I collected my gear then pulled down the tree stand and transformed it into its backpack mode, but not before I posed for a self-portrait as a memento.
My last duty was to discharge the rifle that had been loaded since Friday (although with no firing cap when it was in transport). Although I was loathe to disturb the morning's peace, I would not have another opportunity soon. I picked the cat-face of an old turpentine stump about 30 yards away as a target and using a small tree to steady myself I let fire. Note to self: don't fire a muzzleloader upwind. When I cleared my throat of the acrid smoke I saw the round went a little low and to the left, not sure if it was me or the gun. It was still within the zone of a boiler-room shot on a whitetail though.
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| Guess you could say it did end with a bang, at any rate. |
I drove back home with a sense of melancholy, but very happy and grateful to have had the awesome experience. I had a rare lunchtime beer as I cleaned my rifle in my kitchen, then headed to work for the rest of the afternoon (reports need to go out, you know).
A man I know who hunts with a primitive bow and arrow in Goethe for both archery and small game season says I was very lucky to see as many deer as I did. I have plans to head back over myself for small game season, feral hogs of any kind as well as squirrels are legal at that time.
I should be hunting back at 40 Acre Pines Friday and Saturday, most likely using the muzzleloader. However, I do think that once I finally get one (if that happens) and the mental pressure to restock my freezer is off I may go back to archery for the rest of the season.
OK, enough for now. Two new recipe posts coming soon, and I have an idea for another.
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