Waiting Fourteen Years for the Deer Hunt of a Lifetime
Posted: Thursday, December 02, 2010
by Marijo Phelps
Deer, buck, rack, crawling over desert terrain where there is supposed to be snow this time of the year. Tomorrow we will leave our home in the mountain meadow to drive four hours to Pinon Canyon for me to hunt for a “trophy buck". I have been collecting “preference points" for fourteen years to be able to make this hunt. We have to get drawn to go and need those costly preference points to have a hope of being drawn.
I have been target shooting to get ready. My favorite position is sitting with my left knee raised to steady my left elbow in holding my 7mm08 rifle. My husband thinks I should impress guys who hunt by saying that a 7mm08 is a necked down 308 so I will throw that in for those who care.
No, I was not a tom boy growing up and I didn’t have any brothers. I was the ice skater who began that sport a bit late in life to do anything serious with it except pass a few tests and be in several ice shows having fun and making friends. Yes, I have always loved the outdoors, hiking, canoeing and camping. The only PE course I got above a C in was shooting in college. Last Saturday I practiced.
“Hey, Jo, that’s a good group – they would all be killing shots!" my hubby the Tour Guide is quite the encourager. As we went “down range" to look at the target I could see that he was right. That was a relief to me.
He tried to take some shots the way I was shooting. Sat down, left knee up and used to steady his elbow. Soon he stopped and said “I don’t know how you can shoot that way, I am moving all over the place and would make a real mess of this. You know, Jo, those shots you made most guys couldn’t do with the gun in a gun rest on top of a table." OK should I be impressed? Mick is a superb shooter and can always make a tight group of shots with any gun, at any distance with any weather conditions. He has coached me for years and I guess something is working well.
“Are you getting excited about your hunt?"
Pausing, I think. That would not be the word I would use, excited. “Honey, I am actually dreading it. My main focus is getting a clean quick shot which will drop that buck in his tracks. The worst thing which could happen would be for me to miss a bit and wound him but have him suffer."
“Jo, if you don’t want to go I would not think any less of that decision. It always leaves most hunters with a bit or remorse after they shoot an animal, you know."
I remembered back to his last deer. I fixed some venison chili about two weeks later and he took one bite and couldn’t eat it, said to wait awhile longer before cooking it for him.
“Hey, I have been waiting fourteen years to do this hunt and I have to go, besides it is meat in the freezer and that would help out the grocery budget, right?"
The hunt is on. We plan to stay in a hotel and make sort of a vacation of this since we can’t camp in the hunting area. Wake up warm and take off before the sun comes up to get to the site and catch an evening meal in a restaurant. That should work.
Today I am running around the house in my cammies. No, I am not a nut, I have to unpack my usual hiking fanny pack and put all the things I take in that into my cargo pants with many pockets. Makes sense to wear them as I am packing, since I am packing them…. A knife and lighter in this pocket, gloves and a pen to fill out the deer tag in that pocket…… my hunting tag, all the ID the military requires to come on that base, gun permit, wild lands hiking permit, driver’s license and insurance card because I am definitely not taking my purse…. Do you suppose I will even be able to take my sitting shot after I get the pants packed? Yes, I tested that out earlier.
I work up this morning to hear Mick in the kitchen yelling NO, NO, NO…. I was sure our orange tabby was bring bad and could see him up on the counter top. Finally I heard “are you dead in there?" It was then I realized the Tour Guide was hollering “Jo, Jo, Jo…." “Come quick!"
I jumped out of bed and ran to the kitchen where Mick was – the blinds were open and in the dawn we looked out across our back fence and there were right around two hundred elk grazing in the neighboring land. What a sight but I was still sleepy and didn’t try to find the camera or my shoes to go on the deck and capture their picture.
About an hour later the phone is ringing “Jo, I want you to go and get your 7mm08 and practice on those elk." I grinned as I knew he was kidding and those elk were long gone but it showed me that Mick was really excited about my hunt.
He told me not too long ago that he hoped I got an ever bigger buck than he did as he’d love to be able to point to it on our living room wall and say Jo got that one and the littler one is mine.
Stay tuned and we will soon find out about that one! And tomorrow the ice skater becomes, once again, a hunter of Buck-bi. (That’s Bambi’s pop) GRIN
(C) Marijo Phelps all rights reserved. Use with proper credits.
Marijo Phelps,saved by Jesus grace in 1974, from 9 years atheism into His loving arms. She is wanting to spread the good news about His redemptive plan for our lives through written media. Her name is pronounced Mary Jo. She was an RN for 23+ years, missionary with YWAM,statistical analyst for Every Home for Christ 9 years. Her first poem published when she was four years old. (her mom had much to do with that!) She has been writing ever since.
Her new blog can be found: http://myincrediblelord.blogspot.com
Her new blog can be found: http://myincrediblelord.blogspot.com
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)I wish you luck my dear. I'm not a hunter but I love to fish. My dad went deer hunting every year in N. Mex. and that's helped feed us. I'm anxious to hear the outcome.Well, so far he got away but we had an awesome time seeing 9 bucks - most wereincredible. We saw up very close 2 bull elk, coyotes, herds of antelope, kit foxes, badger, eagles, hawks and other birds, it was amazing! And I go agian this coming week.
Hi Marijo.
Interesting. Your article is different - I mean I'd never in a million years have figured you to be a hunter. I hope you enjoy your trip. Have great hikes. Commune with nature. Have great lodgings. I believe everyone has to be passionate and I applaud your drive for this hunt. but . . .
I'm rooting for the deer (sorry) to get away! yet ...
fine article. HeidiSo far we didn't get a deer but had an awesome time hiking and seeing much wildlife (see comments to Linda above!!!) I go again for 3 days next weekend.
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