Big Nasty

Went hunting in Texas this last weekend. I have grown up hunting among the scarce deer population of southern Missouri my entire life. Deer hunting in Missouri included a few things: cold temperatures, camping (in the cold), beer, sitting in a racketing tree stand for a few hours without seeing a thing before finally getting down to go look for the deer, and then finally heading back to camp cold, tired, and depressed because you hadn't seen anything.

However, hunting in Texas is a very different experience. First, I climbed in my stand and sat in my warm deer blind, which is very different than a tree stand. A tree stand is made of random pieces of lumber nailed to a tree that will somehow support human weight. These stands are very cold and very scary. A deer blind on the other hand is positioned in the open next to a deer feeder, which almost guarantees at least seeing a deer. The deer blind has four walls that stop the wind and windows that can open and close to get a shot. You can balance your gun and just wait for the deer to come. If you get down to walk around it is because you missed and scared all the deer away thus nullifying the guarantee of the deer blind. In addition, you sit on an office chair and not cold hard lumber.

This morning the feeder did not go off, but the deer still came. I had to wait about an hour or so before I spotted two does. I watched them about a hundred yards off to the east grazing by a big cedar tree. They would move in and out of the cedars but stayed pretty far off. I looked at them for about twenty minutes through my scope thinking about whether or not I actually wanted to take the shot. I didn't want to settle for a doe, but I was not seeing anything else. I waited too long and the two does finally disappeared for good into the cedars.

I waited another long 20 minutes before a small buck appeared by the feeder looking for food. He walked into the pin surrounding the feeder and grazed in the grass and the corn. I watched him for a while as well. I could see that he wasn't legal because there was not a 12 inch span between his antlers, but I did want a buck and here was a little four or six pointer. I had my safety off, but I still didn't take the shot. He walked off to the west, and as soon as he was out of view behind a cedar, the big nasty showed up.

I had seen this deer before. I had even taken a shot at him, but missed because I was too excited about getting a big deer. He had at least ten points, and walked very slowly across the field. I could feel my pulse quicken and my breath get much shallower. He suddenly stopped and I said to myself that I was not going to let this one pass. I slowly pulled the trigger, learning from my last shot that if I was excited I could yank it too hard and pull the gun off target. The rifle sounded the shot and the deer dropped without a fight. It was the best shot I have ever taken. It only left a small hole in the shoulder, but did not ruin any meat. It was the biggest deer of my life, and the best shot. I have it all to owe to patience in not taking the two little does.