What can I say?The woods are full of Bucks in Rut
~~ and Men in Strut...
This morning my hubby and I walked out together before dawn arrived.
[This is the first time ever that I've participated as a hunter.
Don't get me wrong I think deer are beautiful, but I am a carnivore who really happens to like venison in my freezer.
I thought that I'd go ahead and do this thing called hunting.]
I found a spot to sit and waited, listening.
First, I heard a cardinal begin a song...a chickadee chimed in as the darkness began to lift.
The skies were gray and every once in a while little spurts of rain would fall making 'ticking' noises around me.
In front of me was our valley and creek bottom. This is the place I wander all of the time with my camera and I fairly much know each nook and cranny, each rock and tree. So I sat watching the deer trail that wound in front of me and let my eyes drift in the gray light.
A squirrel came down from an old oak and pounced through the leaves. It sounded like an elephant in the quiet forest.
So surprising to just sit and listen~
I was at the 'bottom' of the gelding mules pasture, so I didn't think much of the soft footfalls behind me.
Until I turned....
...and saw a doe slipping through the tangled mess of windblown tops of old trees.
I just watched her slip through the pasture. I couldn't shoot as it would have been towards where the mule boys were chomping happily on their round bale of hay...and towards our house and shed.
I had to silently chuckle. I'd been outfoxed by lady luck.
This doe deserved a 'pass'.
I turned back towards the creek bottom and listened and watched.
What a really beautiful morning.
I think that your deer stalking story is very funny. A survival story of sorts!
ReplyDeleteYears ago my dad went hunting with a brand new shiny rifle. He had shot and killed many deer in his lifetime, but this was the first rifle that he had ever owned that had a scope for sighting the game. To make this reminiscence short ... he aimed at a perfectly wonderful deer, saw every hair on its head and couldn't shoot. He came home, gave the new rifle to my brother and as far as I remember, he never went hunting again. He claimed that it had taken the challenge out of the hunt ... but I think that he just got too up close and personal with his target! ;o)
I think the deer stalked me. My husband says I'm not too good of a hunter as I get distracted by thinking about taking pictures!
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm better with the camera!