My heart is pounding as I stand as still as possible. Hoping not to be seen. I pull back as my heart pounds so roughly that I could hear it. My fingers release. A loud thump, and the sound of blades cutting through the air at an extreme rate hits my ears. The sound of leaves rustling quickly after another loud, body-like thud rushes through the air. Leaves are crunching everywhere; then I hear something strike the ground.

Two Hours Earlier:
My dad and I were walking out through the field, about to enter the dark forest. We prepared to go deer hunting. He put his finger to his lips, and told me to now be quiet. We walked through the trails and avoided the crunchy leaves and the sticks. He brought me to the tree stand.

When we arrived at my stand, my dad whispered to me, “ I’ll come and get you ten minutes after the sun goes down.”

I respond to him in quiet excitement with, “What if I shoot one before dark?”

“You should text me to let me know, then you can go look just a little bit. Don’t wander off too far, though,” my father preached sternly.

He went off to his own deer stand, just out of my sight. I took out my book and got lost in the story. Thirty minutes later, I heard a twig’s crack. I fell out of my trance and looked up. A large doe is walking 50 yards away, going straight towards large brush. I got excited as my heart started pounding, although I realized the deer won’t get close.

About ten minutes later, the same deer started walking quickly back towards me. It was on path to walk straight out in front of my tree stand. I slowly stood up and prepare to draw back my bow.

After I hit my deer I texted my dad to ask if I can go and find the deer. He said,” yes.” When I found the deer and confirmed the kill, my dad had came down and cleaned the deer for me. I then had to drag the deer to the car, then we drove home.

Shooting my first deer with a bow was a great experience that helped propel my hunting career into something I enjoy. As I watched the deer walk by so gracefully, it made me appreciate the wilderness more.