The Happiest Days Of My Life

I have enjoyed hunting since I was six years old, but the second deer I killed is one that I will always remember. The previous year I missed one of the biggest bucks I had ever seen. From that moment on, I planned to hunt every day that I possibly could to try and take one more shot at the deer I had missed the previous year. Finally, hunting season arrived and the day came when the bucks started to come out. Patiently, I waited all summer and now it was the time to strike. Having the opportunity to spend quality time with my Father, learning the importance of patience and persistence, and being rewarded with the chance to harvest the buck of a lifetime made this one of happiest days of my entire life.

That summer seemed to last forever;

We knew I had hit the deer and that it was an exceptionally well placed shot; however, we also knew we needed to give the buck time to die. After patiently waiting we started our search. We were tracking a steady amount of blood but it was already late and darkness was approaching. After tracking for quite a while, we lost daylight and had to quit for the night. My Dad assured me that we would be able to find the deer the following morning. That was quite possibly the longest night of my life. I was so stressed, I did not sleep that entire night. When morning came I was ready to hurry down to the field and hunt this deer down. We began our search back where I had shot the deer. We tracked the deer to a creek at the base of a valley, but the stream of blood was becoming faint and difficult to follow and I was beginning to become distraught. My Dad decided we should hike to the top of a hill and look down into the valley to see if we could see the deer lying anywhere along the creek. If we did not see the deer we planned to call in several of our friends to help locate the buck. After making it to the top of the valley we peered down into the base of the valley hoping to spot the buck. Just when all hope seemed to be lost my Dad turned and said, “There lies your deer right in front of us.” I could not believe it; I was so excited and relieved at same