I was able to “slip” out of work after a 9.5 hour day and join my wife Stacie in the stand last night. It was still a little on the warm side yet, but still about 15 degrees cooler then the last time we sat on Saturday evening when it was 85 degrees. We were set up on the edge of a open field that was a well used travel route from the bedding area to an adjacent property food source. Our plan was to sit and Stacie had a green light to harvest a doe or any buck that she wanted to. The weather has been a little on the warm side as of late, but we had a good wind for this stand and we were hoping the over cast sky would get the deer up and moving before darkness would set in.
As we got settled in with all the gear and the circus that comes along with filming a hunt, a weird feeling came over me. Not sure what it was but, I think I want my wife Stacie to harvest her first deer just about as bad if not worse then she does. We got settled in and as I was setting up the camera she started to range her distances and get herself situated and set up for her hunt. The evening was nice and overcast with a few glimpses of sun with not much action to speak of besides a few a squirrels running around on the pine floor below us. That weird feeling was growing stronger inside of me and as the Sun started to hit the horizon, knowing that the magical 30 minutes of the evening every bow hunter lives for was just minutes away. The magical time of day when the deer get on their feet and meander there way to the food source for the evening. With the high hopes that the deers travel route, includes walking within bow range of a hunters stand. We sat there just enjoying a beautiful sunset, as the clouds cleared the horizon right at the last few minutes to allow us to see that bright orange ball sinking below the horizon.
The sun was down and the light slowly started to fade away. The coolness of the night was just starting to set in when at about 10 minutes after sunset, Stacie pushes the word ‘BUCK’ out of her mouth. I scan the open field in front of me and hit the record button on the camera. Still I can not see anything in the field as my heart quickens. With a portion of the field blocked by the tree we are in and Stacie, I move forward and look over Stacie’s shoulder to my left as I see the buck enter the open field. Still unable to get the camera on this buck as it begins to move towards us, it finally clears the tree and Stacie. I zoom in and notice it is a very nice buck for Stacie to shoot but knowing her standards are pretty high our conversations start as I struggle to keep this deer in the camera lens and help determine if Stacie wants to shoot it. I tell her it was up to her and what ever she wanted to do was fine by me. She asked me if I would shoot it? I tell her no, but that it was a 2.5 to maybe 3.5 year old 110-115 inch deer. This buck is now coming across the field and within her comfort zone as it stops and I range it @ 27.5 yards. I relay the info to my wife as the deer is standing there feeding slightly quartering to us. I can tell my wife is struggling with her decision as to what to do, as the buck closes the distance again and is now standing 21 yards broad side feeding in front of us. As I get done ranging him again and relaying the information to her, Stacie is still standing in the ready position to draw her bow. This buck makes his way a little closer to about 15 yards and stops to feed a little more. Then the buck turns and comes directly at us and walks behind a pine tree in front of us as he continues feeding directly below us. I tell her if she wants to take him, she could draw on him as soon as he starts to move as her last two shooting lanes are to the right of us and the direction the buck will most likely move. Sure enough the buck begins to move to our right and I see out of the corner of my eye Stacie draw back, as I’m trying to keep this buck in the view finder. The buck comes out into the open as he is moving to our right and goes behind some Pine limbs and stops @ around 20 yards quartering away from us. My camera view is totally blocked by the thick pines, but her view is perfect with the deer quartering away from her.
Even though the camera lens had no view of this buck, I was not going to tell my wife that and ruin her opportunity, I let her make her own decision and she finally let down on this buck as he begun to walk away. I then pan the camera over and could see the frustration in her face. The same frustration that I have felt many times before. Wondering, did I just screw up? Should I have shot this buck, that game me multiple opportunities? Only time will tell, but she impressed me very much last night, with her ability to hold back on a very nice buck and with her calmness during the entire encounter. Part of me wishes I would have told her to shoot last night to get her first one under her belt, but part of me is glad I let her decide and mature as a hunter. Knowing it is still September and having quite a few farms with very similar caliber and better deer on it. Along with the fact she has much more hunting time thsi fall, I think she made the right decision. Well that was our night last night and I’m looking forward to many more sits with my wife in the tree this Fall, as we pursue this passion of bow hunting big whitetails together! 
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