“BEEP! BEEP! BEEP BEEP!” The loud alarm awoke me like a painful ear infection. I did not want to wake up! Then I remembered, this was it! This was going to be the morning when I could finally say I killed my first buck. I could smell the fresh venison and eggs as I slumped out of bed. Five AM in the morning let me tell you, not easy. We had stayed the night at camp up in Tionesta PA. Home of where Native Americans once hunted. I slipped on my boots as if I were once an Indian apply war paint and preparing for the hunt. I did a check list in my head to make sure I had everything. Gun? Check Bullets?  Check flash light? Check Hunting license? Check I was ready.

As we drove I swear we passed thousands of trucks I couldn’t help but think about the deer. How do the big bucks do it? To get a three year old buck that means it has to survive three harsh winters and the dreadful hunters. In PA we have more hunters per square mile than Texas! It’s really a miracle that they can grow and thrive. Also in PA the point restriction is only three one inch points on one side. That could mean someone could shoot a half rack or even a one year old good genetic deer. The outlook for getting big bucks with those two facts is slim to none. Yet, it happens! Out of the mystical swamps boom! A giant thirteen point walks in and its beauty sends your heart through the sky! I was awaken from my deep thoughts when my grandfather put the Chevy in park. “Oh! We are here!” shaking my head and brushing the sleepy out of my eyes. “Yup, let’s go!” my grandfather said opening my door. We got everything together and situated. It was important that I and my grandfather to wear no less than an orange hat and vest for safety reasons. I also had to make sure the gun was on safety and pointing the opposite side of where my grandfather was walking. Once everything was in place we were ready to go. My brother and dad parted one way and me and my grandfather the other way.

We began to take the hike through the woods to the blind when I became immersed in thought. Deer are truly remarkable creatures that get over looked. The whitetail deer is the most popular game animal in North America. They have a range of colors from a golden orange, dark brown, or even a tan color. The deer often will have spots of white under the tail and neck or even around the nose. They use their white tail to signal other deer of danger. Deer also have spectacular hearing! Their ears can turn in any direction without moving their head. Talk about pressure on a hunter to be quiet. Each deer is unique and interesting. I have spent months feeding, tracking, and viewing pictures of each deer. Out of respect they are all given a name. Let me tell you they definitely have personalities! My thoughts were shook when out of nowhere a branch slapped me in the face! And now, my right contact is gone. This hunt just got interesting. We finally made it to the blind and I crawled in and got everything set. My heart was pounding like feet running on cement. I had nerves, excitement, and pure happiness. I sat and waited searching, scanning, and panning every inch of woods waiting for God’s beautiful creature to step foot on my platform of hope. I slowly fell back into thought thinking of how truly powerful the deer is. Every year doe give birth to one to three fawns and take care of them all on their own. Then the mothers will kick them out during breeding and later will often (not always) reunite with their offspring. Bucks spend their life fighting for a spot to belong. Often they are left with scars or broken limbs. All to find a place and win a ladies heart and they do this year after year. All while trying to find food, avoid hunters, and get through harsh winters. A deer's powerful legs allow it to run at speeds of up to 40 Miles per hour and jump fences up to 9 feet tall.  A deer at a run can broad jump 30 feet. They can also swim across bodies of water. On top of all this they travel on average two miles every hour!

Snap! Crunch, crunch  I was awoke from my thought when right in front of me about 60 yards stood the beast.  My breath was shallow and my hands were sweating. I held the gun tight to my shoulder trying to steady my shake. The cross arrows were right where they needed to be, behind the front shoulder. I took a deep breath, said a prayer, and toke my shot. The gun rung my ears and it felt like my soul left my body. I leaned back trying to grasp my breath and my grandfather looked at me with joy and said now we wait. As we were waiting I noticed a rip in the blind, I turned to my grandfather and said “ummm…. Did I miss?”  He looked at me dumbfound “I don’t   we waited two hours before going to check the blood trail. There was a possibility I didn’t get the buck. Believe so? I watched the shot through me binoculars… why?” I looked to the blind “I shot the blind” He just stared at me than chuckled. “Yeah, I see you did…Well, we will just have to see.” We got up and went down to the location where I had shot. I panned the area for blood when finally I found some we tracked and track and as we did I just prayed we would find him. Its amazing deer spend all this time trying to survive and hunters spend all their time trying to feed and harvest. They both work and fight for something so simple yet so complex. Then lying there under a tree was the beautiful buck. Full of character, eleven point, and a scar under its ear. My grandfather looked at me “wow! Do you realize how lucky you are?” I smiled and said “yes!” I was over whelmed with joy. I knelt down and thanked the animal for everything and said a prayer. I imagined his life and pondered everything this deer has been through. Whitetail bucks are truly an amazing and beautiful creatures that I will always continue to appreciate through the hunt.