Have You Ever Been Electrified?

Not weight, nsv, or band related but an experience I will never forget that I just have to share. If you have a problem with guns and/or hunting stop reading now. 

It's Black Tail Deer season here and this is my first year hunting, ever. (Any Buck, Does off limits) I took my hunter safety class in August and bought my first gun a couple weeks ago. I've gone out and sat in a tree-stand everyday since Saturday and until last night I hadn't seen anything but birds, rabbits, and a some does after shooting hours. I was watching the opening to the field I was sitting but checking the apple tree off to my right periodically, didn't think anything would come in through the woods. The conditions were different last night, it had been mostly clear all day but with patchy fog around. As I was sitting there I watched the fog roll in to the area and the temperature dropped very quickly. I just *knew* something was going to happen. Then suddenly it did, I glanced to my right and saw this deer step out of the woods, my heart jumped. I watched it for a minute thinking, "Oh it's just a doe." "Maybe a buck will follow her in." It stopped and grazed about 26 yards away, then looked up in my direction. That's when I realized it was a buck! It had two spikes just barely shorter than his ears. "Holy cow! It's a buck! It's a shooter! I can shoot him! OMG! OMG! OMG!", was what I was thinking. Ever so slowly I started to bring my gun up into position, but I was at a bad angle so I had to rotate in my seat. I made some noise and he started looking my way again. It couldn't be helped, all I could do was sit still and let him decide I wasn't a threat. I had what could have been a full on face shot but wasn't sure I could pull it off. Besides, my heart was pounding, I was breathing hard, and I was shaking. Not a good time to try to pull off that shot. I kept thinking to myself, "Calm down. Calm down. Relax. The shot will come." My arms were getting tired holding up the gun but I couldn't risk lowering it and freaking him out. After what seemed like forever he finally dropped his head to graze again. I readjusted and he turned completely broadside to me. I took my first shot ... BOOM ... he paused, looked around then started to move, racked my second shot ... BOOM rack BOOM. He ran back the way he had come into the field. Then I was struck by lightning, not literally, but it felt like it. My whole body was electrified, tingling, pulsing, rapid breathing, heart rate through the roof, light headed, I was crying, and whimpering. It was AMAZING. I have never felt that way before in my life and it's giving my chills reliving it as I type. I dug out my cellphone to call my husband who was sitting in the next field over, as I was dialing him it started ringing in my hand. "Was that you?", he asked. "Yes!" "Did you get him?" "I don't think so." We then decided he would come over to my field and we'd see if there was any sign that I'd hit him. It took the whole 10 minutes it took him to get to me for my body to go back to normal. We checked the area and found a small amount of fur but no blood, and some deep foot prints in the soft ground where he took off in the woods. I gave that young buck a haircut, probably the scare of his life, and a little education. I know where I went wrong too, I remembered every piece of advice my husband gave me. Except to aim low. Aim low, Dammit! I shot right over his back!

All in all it was a successful hunt. If I'd been noisy in my sit he never would have come into my field. If I hadn't been diligent in my de-scenting routine, he would have smelled me and took off because where he stopped was directly down wind from me. (Granted it was a very light wind and I was 15 feet off the ground, but they have pretty good noses.) My harvest was unsuccessful and that sucks but I learned somethings and for that I am grateful. I ordered a scope mount when we got home, we'll go buy a scope when it gets here. The next buck to walk out in front of me and my Remington 20 gauge Express Compact won't be so lucky.

Edited to say, now that I think more about it I guess this is a NSV. Last year I had the desire to hunt but physically it would have been very hard for me. Hiking into the area would have been quite a challenge and there is no freaking way I could have hauled my 243 pound ass up into that tree stand. It has no ladder, I literally have to climb the tree to a platform and pull myself up over the edge. So YAY for losing weight, building stamina and muscle!