|
Written by Rachel Jones Burchett
|
|
Sunday, 17 January 2010 13:33 |
|
(My first successful hunt)
 It was November 22, 2002 I was getting ready for a weekend of hunting. As we piled supplies into the truck I was filled with mixed emotions. Part of me couldn’t wait to go on the weekend hunt with my boyfriend and his family, but the other part of me was worried about actually carrying a gun and shooting a deer.
I had never harvested a deer before. My dad and brother had hunted when I was younger and when they brought a deer home my little heart just didn’t understand. As I learned more about hunting I began to open up to it, but I had never pictured doing it myself. Then I met Richard and that changed everything. When we began dating I knew hunting was a very big part of his life. We started dating in March and he was getting ready for the upcoming turkey season. I went with him to roost turkeys the night before which can be a real advantage for the hunt the next morning. I hunted with him several times and he was very patient with me, never pushing me. He always waited until I showed interest. During that turkey season I learned to love the conversation between hunter and turkey. I loved hearing the woods wake up at daylight. It amazed me to learn that hunting was mostly about being out in God’s beautiful creation.
As turkey season came to a close, I assumed it would be awhile before I heard anything else about hunting, butI was very wrong. The next day he started preparing for bow season by target shooting every afternoon. I scouted with him all summer and learned that I loved every minute of being out there. Richard’s patience continued and he never failed to answer every question of mine thoroughly. He also never laughed at the question no matter how dumb it sounded to him. He taught me the purpose of hunting and how it had always been a ‘given’ in his family. He explained to me the way it keeps the herd in check and why that is so important. I began to really understand that hunters are not only people who love the animals they hunt, but they are necessary part of nature.
Richard encouraged me to give it a chance and by then I didn’t need much encouragement. The opportunity came for us to go on an either sex rifle hunt and we were on our way. Richard had prepared me well in the weeks ahead and my skills were ready, but was I? Richard felt confident I would get the opportunity to take a deer on this trip. I was carrying a Winchester lever action 30-30 that he had carried when he was young.
After an almost sleepless night, I was awakened by Richard shaking me. It surprised me how excited I was pulling on the camouflage. I walked outside and almost turned back around, because it is so cold in November before daylight. The excitement I felt made me keep going and now I thank God for that feeling! I walked into the shed where everyone was standing contemplating who would go where. Richard walked in carrying our guns with a big smile on his face. He looked around and said, “I don’t know what you guys are doing, but Rachel and I are going hunting.” Everyone grinned and gave me thumbs up as we stepped out the door.
Daylight was breaking as we walked out the door. We didn’t get 50 yards from the shed and Richard spotted three does walking out into the nearby field. Richard let me know they were at around 350 yards which was out of range for my 30-30. We continued on to the spot where we were going to set up. We sat side by side all morning watching and waiting for a deer to come within range. The sun melted the frost of the ground as it stretched out over the earth. It was a beautiful morning even if the deer weren’t cooperating. We stayed until our stomachs were growling loud enough to run everything off.
That afternoon we set up in a different field nearby. Soon the deer began to filter into the cut corn. All the deer were coming out on the far side of the field. I was having the same problem from the morning. Richard couldn’t take it any longer, after asking me to set the 30-30 down he laid his 7mm in my hands. Now a 7mm is very capable of taking a deer at long range. As he pulled out the bi-pod, I was thinking he had lost it if he thought I was going to shoot that gun. At the time I hadn’t shot a lot of different guns and was afraid of a 7mm’s kicking abilities, but temptation and curiosity took over. The minute I put my hands on it he began whispering instructions, “Pick out the closest one, which is at about 250 yards, find its shoulder, relax, pull the gun into your shoulder and flip the safety off.” This is where things went terribly wrong. You see Richard had his trigger turned down for a very light pull, yet his safety is turned way up so he doesn’t bump it off. As I tried to flip the safety off I thought I was using the trigger guard for leverage, but no, it was the trigger. So I was actually turning the safety off and pulling the trigger at the same time. I hadn’t even pulled the gun into my shoulder yet. It went off blowing dust up in front of us as it slammed back into my collarbone. As big tears welled up in my eyes I watched the deer run out of the field. Not knowing exactly what had happened I was scared and in pain as Richard explained to me what exactly I had done. He wiped my tears away and told me we would go back to camp if I wanted. As the words left his lips I saw a puzzling expression cross his face as he looked past me. The lead doe had stepped back into the field stomping and blowing. She hadn’t figured out where or what we were. He asked me what I wanted to do. I wiped my tears away with my camouflage sleeve more determined than ever. Richard helped me set up again and even though my collarbone throbbed, I wanted to do this right.
I lined up behind the gun pulling it hard into my shoulder. This time Richard flipped the safety off for me. The instructions began again, but when the rifle cut him off on this go around it was a good thing. As the rifle sounded I knew I was on the doe’s shoulder, but the first time it’s hard to feel sure of yourself. Richard took the gun from me and stood up to see where the doe had gone. I asked him how it looked, but the smile on his face let me know. “She’s down,” he assured me. With that we exchanged hugs and kisses.
Even as I stood over my first deer, I was full of mixed emotions. I think that is a key factor though, even now 4 years later having taken a deer with my muzzleloader and several with my bow, I still feel all the emotions I felt that day. Feelings of pure excitement, accomplishment, respect, thankfulness, and sadness are a big part of why I hunt. I love and respect the animals we hunt, whether it is a whitetail deer, turkey, duck, or African big game. God gave us the outdoors to enjoy the fellowship, the food, and the mixed emotions we feel on the hunt. So next time you are standing over a successful hunt let Him know what it means to you.
|
Firearms 
