My morning had not begun promising. It started with hitting an old piece of metal on the dirt road which punched a monster gash in my back right tire. To my brain still in the process of warming up, the sudden appearance of the tire pressure monitor did not register until the unfamiliar rattling of the rim caused me to stop. As if my season could not get any more difficult. Now I really can’t complain to much, this tire was more of an aggravation than anything else. I could have been in a much worse situation. Thankfully My father and brother were with me for the day making the idea of changing a tire a whole lot more comforting. None the less, this just added to the obstacles I’ve been hurtling all season. Yet this blow tire mixed with my strange encounter with some Jehovahs Whitenesses the day before reaffirmed the lesson, always expect the unexpected in the wild.
Tossing aside the worries of the tire climbed into a stand for a few hours which proved to be painfully uneventful. My body was screaming from painful fatigue even as my mind told it to shut up. Does that ever happen to you? Up to this point in the season I had been putting way to much access pressure on myself to kill a deer. I had been pressuring myself for the wrong reasons and I finally dropped that pressure from my psyche.
9:30 we decided to start doing some small drives. I am not a huge fan of drives, I would rather let the deer move naturally. However, at this point of the gun season, the deer are really not moving all that much on their own and I was beyond caring in what form or fashion put a deer in front of me. Team work drives became the order of the day.
Our second drive stationed my father and me guarding the upper half of the hill as my younger brother pushed the bottom. Overlooking thick saplings and browse, two heads popped up behind a log. The two doe were scurrying directly in front of me forty yards away. I honed in on one deer in particular and my eyes never left her. Turning away she exposed her rib cage to my crosshairs. Standing on the steep wooded northern facing hill side, my mind acted like a true predator. Nothing extra, just decisive thoughts blended into one swift calm action. I felt no recoil as I touched the trigger. flame jumped from the barrel and the sound of my rifle echoed across the hill side causing my ear to pop. In slow motion I watched the doe collapse in classic fashion. She did not move an inch, quick, painless and humane.
Feeling like a boss the way I ejected the shell out of the chamber, then reality sped up and hit me like a brick. A huge smile flashed immediately across my face as I fell backwards into the damp leaves. Throwing my hands to heaven I soaked up every moment of emotion. This satisfaction can only be found at the end of a successful hunt, and only those who have experienced it will understand what I am talking about.
I became a mess of smiles and prayers upon walking to the deer. In usual fashion I laid my gun down, took a knee, placed a hand on the warm body and started praying. Every deer I kill I find it only fitting to take a few minutes and really pour out my thankfulness to the Lord not just for the kill but for the life of the animal, the nourishment it will provide, the hunt, family, and the opportunity.
I hesitated to show the reaction video since I act fairly corny due to all the emotions and excitement surging through my veins. yet as slightly embarrassing as it may be I think it is good for others to see what hunters really feel and act like after a kill. You cant’ say that hunters are out for just blood after watching my reaction.
This is a view into one of the most intimate moments on this planet, Hunter and prey joined together through the presence of the Creator. The outside world really never sees this, even on professional television its usually about showcasing the animals and the products used to in the hunt. This is what everyone does not see.
Sorry for the fern and No I wasn’t crying.
Where Eagles Dare, PWL,
Jason
Pushing the Wild Limits 
Congrats on the successful hunt. That is an incredible bit of video. Thanks for sharing it.