Second Chance

​I woke up for another deer opener, even more excited than the previous year. I put on the gear that I had prepared the previous night and got ready for what I hoped would be an eventful day.

The usual first day process ensued; we headed down over the hill and across the creek. All the guys from our group split up in an attempt to cover as much of the wilderness as possible.

My Dad and I were planning on making a loop around the right side of the group while heading up towards Coon Point, which was always my dad’s favorite spot.

We changed out of our sweaty gear and tucked ourselves up against the land in hopes of getting some action. Unfortunately, our spot did not produce the early morning movement that we had hoped for, and my eleven-year-old self was getting bored of the motionless wait.

I told my dad I wanted to move down lower to the edge of the meadow at the bottom of the ridge. He agreed to do this, but I can vividly remember him telling me deer did not often hang around in those open meadows. 

Only a few minutes after we settled in, a small buck appeared from behind the tall grass. We quickly determined it was a legal spike, and my dad gave me the “O.K.” to take the shot when I felt ready.

~ As I look back on previous experiences in the woods, I can always seem to remember even the smallest details. However, when it comes to this story, I can’t even recall what shooting position I was in. All I remember before taking the shot was that my feet were tangled up behind me and I was too scared to fix them thinking the deer would bolt away ~

I felt the deer had sensed us and I decided to take the shot regardless of the uncomfortable situation; a decision I still regret to this day. I was knocked over by the shot due to my poor stability, and I lay there behind a cloud of smoke produced from the inline muzzleloader.

When the air cleared up, we saw a deer standing motionless in the opening. It appeared to be the spike I just shot, and it just slowly walked out of view.

My Dad and I weren’t completely sure of what had just happened, so I reloaded my gun and we started to plan. We decided that the deer that walked away had to be the one I just shot at, and there was a chance I missed, making the young deer confused.

We got packed up to go look for a blood trail, and when we got to the spot where it was standing, all that lay there was a patch of white hair. Just a few yards away was a small spot of blood, and a thin trail for us to follow.

After a few minutes of tracking we jumped the spike, and it got away without offering a chance for another shot. It is evident that I made a bad shot and we would have to give it some time before resuming tracking.

When we did take up the blood trail, we headed to the spot where the deer was bedded, only to see a small pool of blood. We continued on this thin blood trail for hours without seeing the deer again.

The trial suddenly stopped, and we realized the blood had clotted.

We had confidence that I had only grazed the deer and it would survive, so it was time to move on. We were on a whole different ridge now, and we decided to just sit down before making any new plans.

As I was looking up the hill, I caught movement on top of the ridge. A brown body was making its way between the trees. Before I could get the scope on it, my dad told me it was a legal spike and that I could shoot. 

It appeared I would get a second chance. I put the sights on an opening it would step through and steadied my breath. It showed itself and I took the shot.

No tracking necessary on this one. We walked up to where it was standing, just to see it laying on the ground a few yards away.

I learned some valuable lessons that day, mainly that it is more important to make sure you can deliver a quick clean shot rather than hurry it in an attempt to fill your tag.

At the end of the day I was able to celebrate after a long time in the woods, and I continue to use the lessons I learned to make me a better hunter.