First Deer Hunt of the Season

Squirrels were abundant, woodpeckers were present, and birds were everywhere. The scurrying squirrels made a lot of noise keeping tune with the percussion section of the woodpeckers. The morning was cold, but not breezy. This is a perfect set up for the first deer hunt of the season. Sitting in the treestand with your 10 year old son, who loves the outdoors, waiting patiently for a big buck to show itself makes for a great day.

A heavy frost covered the ground and we had to wait a while before we saw any deer. We were about ready to pack it in when they appeared. The deer were too far to shoot when they appeared but moved slowly in our direction. The deer were just feeding along the edge of the woods enjoying the cool weather. A couple of them stood on their hind legs to eat some acorns off a low hanging limb.

Ever so slowly, they made their way toward us, but before they were in good shooting range, they wandered off into the woods and out of site. My son was positive he could have made the shot, but I explained later that he stood a good chance of not making a clean shot and we might not find the deer. He added, "Yea, and it might suffer" which made me realize he understood. He still told everyone he met the remainder of the day he could have made the shot.

All in all, it was a great hunt. We didn't fill the freezer with any meat, but the memories will last a lifetime. This is what hunting is all about and why we pile on the clothes and head out before daylight anticipating a big buck stepping out of the woods.