Just over two weeks ago my stepdad moved on to heaven unexpectedly. Although unexpected he realized wasn’t going to be able to hunt this year and the last time we talked he told me I was going to have to shoot his deer for him. I got him Steve and I know you were right there with me!
Here is the story.
I chose to sit in Steve’s stand on opening day from sun up until sun down. By 9:30 In the morning I had already seen more deer than either of the past two years including 3 small bucks who were out and moving with a purpose. The stand sits on a 100′ wide section of the local snowmobile trail running between two groves of white pines. It’s a beautiful place to sit but requires quick decisions as every buck that came thru was across in just a few seconds. After 9:30 things slowed way down: A single doe came crossed at 10:15, 3 deer ran across too quickly and too far out to get a good look at 1:00. At 4:36 the entire opening was now covered in shadows and the temps were starting to drop, I looked quickly to the south and when I turned to look North again a large bodied deer had stepped partly out of the pines. I pulled up my gun to get a better look and he moved his head out from behind an overhanging branch… Shooter! I squared up and squeezed the trigger (Probaly quicker than I should have) and he was gone in an instant back into the pines. The whole sequence of events lasted less the 5 seconds but was an amazingly emotional experience. I thought I had made a good shot but he was gone so quickly that I wasn’t positive. The next few minutes were a flood on emotions as the excitement of the moment was mixed with the sadness of missing Steve. I replayed the scenario in my head and also remembered the deer that Steve taken over the years… I’m pretty sure this was the same buck he had encountered and not taken the year before.
After 30 minutes I texted my friend Garret and got down to make the walk of 123 yds (I ranged it after the shot) to where he had stood. Immediately my anxiety peaked. Where he was standing was nothing but a few white hairs. I couldn’t have shot low, could I? We slowly started looking for blood into the first row of pines but not wanting to continue further without blood. Just when I was ready to go back and return in the morning we found a red drop in the grass, then another, and quickly a carpet of blood. How he continued for almost 100 yds with a hole thru both his heart and right lung I’ll never know, but there he was on the ground. He was my biggest buck to date. My eyes filled with tears… I know it was you Steve who guided this deer to me, you’ll always be there with me in the stand.
We love and miss you very much!
– Will
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