"Rib Rackers" - That's My Story!

Saturday morning, 5:30am.  My hind end is firmly parked under a tree with Pig Pen 10 feet behind and 20 feet up in a tree stand. 

He's facing one direction, I am facing another.  I'd tell you N-S-E-W coordinates, but let's face it, in the Forrest...I'm lost.

In daylight hours, this was my spot:

A nice thicket for cover opening into the woods.  Or...The Honey Hole.

This is what Pig Pen faced:

With daylight approaching, my gun propped on my knee and my hand gently holding the stock, I wait.  Praying that maybe today I would at least get to see a deer.  If I could at least see one, then I could sit that fire at night and finally have my own "Deer Stories" to tell back at camp. 

The sun finally makes it's appearance and my eyes are hungry.  It's actually very beautiful.  There is a nice fog cover and it looks like a picture book.  It really looks surreal.  One second, just thicket.  And in less than a blink of an eye...two doe.

Everyone had told me that when you see your deer, albeit your first or five hundredth, your blood pounds in your ears and your heart races.  I apologize if this comes off as cold or unfeeling, I really do.  But I didn't have that sensation.  For me, it was steps.  Motions that I had been schooled in repeatedly by the seasoned hunters.

Move very slowly.  Position your gun.  Gently pull the hammer (in my case).  Exhale.  Aim.  Well you know what comes next. 

By chance, mine was the first shot of the morning!  The doe jumped and took off!  I don't think I hit her, so now I have to slowly reload but do it quickly.  If that makes sense.  Pig Pen later told me I scared the hell out of him.  I suppose that would, considering he wasn't seeing what I was seeing.  As I was reloading I peeked at him.  He too was sighting the doe in as she ran across his lines.  I knew that if I didn't hit her, he would.

Now what I should have been doing, was sighting the second doe in.  He had the first one within range.  So that was a lesson learned.  I don't know what happened to the second doe, she is safe.  Pig Pen shot twice at the first doe that I pushed his way.  So we waited.  Keep in mind, it's the rut, so where there are doe, there are buck.

Twenty minutes later, just like from a movie...Up lifted a buck out of the thicket and fog.  One second they aren't there, and the next second they are!  This buck was probably a 30 pointer.  Hey, it's my story! :0)

This time, my thumb did quiver on the hammer.  I think because it was such a big buck, my thoughts must have been "Whoa!".  So I went thru all my training in my head again, and fired! 

Pft!  This bad boy flipped me the bird, casually turned and walked away!  So I had to giggle a little at that.

Now it's time to go track down "my" doe.  I told Pig Pen on the walk that I truly don't think I hit her and he disagreed.  He said he was sure that I did.  If so, then it was a team take, I at least knew that much.  We see her in the distance and he said as we got up to her, "I bet you wounded her, but I think I finished her.  We'll know by the number of shot in her". 

Bless his little heart!  She did have two!  But try as he might, he couldn't convince this novice that one was mine though.  I even told him, "Babe, I am not that stupid.  It's called entry and exit, and they are yours."  Oh, but he tried.  Ya just gotta love him for that!

He goes about the field dressing and proceeds to drag her out.  Now I am left to sit some more.  Being alone in the woods is shockingly not scary at all.  I enjoyed it.  If you have never done so and you can safely find your way out, I  highly recommend it.  It's a great way to have thoughts all your own and just "be".

My thoughts at this point included ones of "Wahooey!"  I hadn't bagged my first deer yet, but I was learning and experiencing things I had been looking forward to!

A few hours go by and I am content just sitting there by my lonesome.  And again, out of no where, I see a doe.  This time I told myself to aim and aim good!  Remember, I have iron sights!

So I did just that!  This doe, like the last buck, just flipped me the bird!  So I have to reload, gosh darn it!  She didn't run!  I had to extend my leg fully to get to my ammo...she still didn't move!  My gun is a break away and I thought surely with all that deliberate motion, she would move!  Nope, just stood there.  So I am reloaded and she is now moving slowly.  She turned and faced me!  I am sighting her back in as she is moving again, and unfortunately she is in a spot where I didn't think I could get a clean shot, so I called to her and she stopped.  No clean shot!  Darn it!

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch movement to my right.  So I very slowly turn and yup...a buck!  Knowing I can't get the doe, well what's a girl to do???

Do you know that I am a lousy shot???  I got flipped the bird a FOURTH time!  Geesh!!!  

So that's my story...Four shots...Four misses. 
I-STINK! 
But ya know what? 
I'm am a happy little camper!
And I am still getting to "The Rib Racker" part...