In the stand before the sun came up. Sitting in the cold pearly reflected light, listening, when the sounds began.
Clack.
Antler or brush?
Clack, crash, crash, clack, clack, clack, clack, definitely deer.
Definitely two deer.
Then came a loud scuffling, snorting, crashing, banging and bashing. Cough! Bark! Cough! Did you ever hear a deer bark? There is nothing quite like the sound.
Two bucks were fighting right in the 30-acre Lot. I am told it was the most amazing experience in the world, listening to that battle out there in the dark, senses heightened by the lack of light, only the scent of the rut and the sound of the fight to tell the tale.
Later came the light and shortly after sunup came one buck, a heavy 7-pointer. The victor. Maybe, maybe not.
Like in fishing it was of course the smaller of the pair. The big one got away.
It was the first shot of the season (other than sighting in) of the .308 Winchester recently added to the collection here.
We will be eating well this winter....
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6 comments:
Well done!
I, too, have been in the tree stand, in the dark, and heard those magical sounds of antlers crashing. Sends a thrill down your spine! And you sit their waiting and hoping the dang-blasted sun would come up so you could SEE what was going on. And, hoepefully, get a shot.
Well done! Excellent food for the freezer.
Linda
This is not a practice that I would take part in; however, I have no problem with people hunting for food and I suspect that the meat will have a lot fewer chemical in it than beef from the grocery store. (Has anyone had venison tested for chemicals? Deer are free to graze in fields that may have had chemicals added. Just wondering.)
Joated, he invited me to go with him and in a way I wish I had. I knew my presence as a slow old fogy wouldn't be any help to him though, so I stayed home. I sure would have loved to hear it.
Linda, we do like venison!
OW, we like the idea of both wild and tame food that comes from our own land. I know a lot of people don't hunt, and I understand, but for us, it is a good way to fill the freezer and keep from being overrun, while having a pretty good idea what we are eating. I don't worry over much about chemicals in beef, as long as I can get American beef. I hate the idea of getting it from other countries, as is going to be the case now. That is another place we grow our own though, so we do know exactly what they have eaten. We have a pasture raised heifer now that needs to go to freezer camp.
Congrats to the mighty hunter, and you folks have some good eatin' on the way. :)
REv. Paul, he sure was happy. He bought a new freezer this weekend for the deer as our old big one died and the little one has cow in it. lol
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