You need to read and share this. We all want to shoot a big deer every season, and there’s certainly nothing wrong that, but we all need a dose of perspective occasionally. Thanks to Zach and Maren for giving us that today:
Mike: I am not going to lie, after finding our big deer dead in August, I wasn’t as excited about the upcoming deer season. I was so consumed with the pursuit of one deer over the last couple years that I forgot to have fun while I was out hunting. And having fun is why I started hunting in the first place.
My wife was able to remind me again of why we hunt this past weekend. I hunted with her Saturday morning, but Saturday night she sat by herself and watched a food plot, while I went to check out another spot. Late in the evening she had several does come into the plot and she made a perfect heart shot on a big doe. The doe went down in the food plot, but then got back up and made it into some thick brush.
We went back to the house and got our dog Sig, and he quickly tracked the doe, which went down just a few yards into the brush. Maren was so excited. Days later she is still excited about the hunt, and talks about it all the time. I couldn’t be more proud. This is what hunting is all about. Making memories with family, enjoying Creation, and putting fresh meat on the table. This has already been a great deer season!—Thanks, Zach from Kansas
As for this trail-cam image Zach says: “You can see the doe running after the shot. If you look close in the cloud of dust behind the doe, you can see Maren’s lighted nock. Pretty neat image to preserve the memory. Another sort of strange thing…when the doe headed to the brush, she actually walked over the bones of the fallen giant we called “The Freak” that died this summer. Sort of brought final closure to that whole chapter…
First I’d like to say well done Maren, and what a great couple of photos.
Second I’d like to say that Zach’s comments are spot on. For the first time in 30 years I haven’t made it into the woods to bow hunt. A neck injury has kept me from drawing my bow. I’m a diehard bow addict and it’s killing me not to be able to be in my tree stand. I’ve recently decided that I will sit in the woods without my bow just to recharge my batteries ” so to speak”.
So until next season I’ll settle for shooting a deer with a camera and getting my daily dose of the big deer blog.
Also thanks to Zach for replying to my question about the “Freak Buck” and the condition of the leg bone wound.
It’s so easy to focus on trophies and not realize everything that goes on in the deer woods. It’s nice to be “pulled back into the room” and realize what it’s really all about. Thanks for sharing, Zach.