My Twilight Buck
It was a cloudy, chilly day in December of 2017. I wanted to get out to my spot pretty early. I just had a feeling it would be a good hunt. Being 15 weeks pregnant, I needed to pace myself on getting out there as well. Got to see some early movement of several does and a little spike. After that I didn't see anything for about an hour, and by then it was getting dark. I was just about to pack up when I noticed a deer to my left. My heart began to race when I realized it was a buck with a decent wide rack and a big enough body. It was too dark to film but I wasn't letting him get away. He finally came through my shooting lane, roughly 60 yards away. So I stopped him, aimed, and pulled the trigger. He then bucked, tucked his tail, and took off across the field. I knew he was going down, so I just watched where he went that way I'd know where to start tracking.
I then packed up my stuff and made my way back home. I felt he needed some time to lay and die without me jumping him up. Once enough time had passed, my husband and I headed out there to get on his trail. After discussing what happened and the direction he went off in, we made a course of action. There wasn't any trace of blood in the field so I searched the tree line while he went through the woods.
After searching for awhile, I finally came across a few spots of blood at the edge of the kudzu area. Since I was pregnant, I waited for my husband to join me just incase I tripped going through that mess. We followed the trail until he goes "There he is". I looked around until I finally spotted him. Wanted so bad to run up to him, but knew that wouldn't be too wise.
Once I came up on him, I was overcome with excitement and thankfulness. After jumping around with joy and hugging my husband, I went back to admiring my buck. He wasn't a huge shooter, but he was the biggest buck I ever shot. He was a wide 6 point with a short nub on one side. Beautiful healthy body that I knew would go well in our freezer. While I sat there giving thanks to God for such an amazing animal, my husband brought the 4-wheeler over. Once he was strapped down tight, we headed back to the house for processing. Due to my nausea, I couldn't help my husband with it.
After cleaning the meat and packaging it up tight, I couldn't help me relive the experience I was just blessed with. Sure any trophy killed is great, but it's the meat from it that goes to feeding your family. Hunting is more than a hobby or pastime to us, it's a way of life. It provides healthy meat for our family and even great moments to share with our children. I thank God for every experience I have out there, good or bad, because you can learn something from them both.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Holly Overman
I grew up with a love of the outdoors, fishing and hiking through woods. It wasn't til I met my husband that I really got into hunting. He took me on my first hunt and even taught me how to shoot a bow. I was instantly hooked after that. He taught me the basics and I grew my own knowledge through self experience.
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ABOUT US:
ReelCamo Girl is a lifestyle brand focused on ladies who love the outdoors.There is a growing need for a place for women to share their outdoor experiences, as well as an interest in clean eating and self-sufficiency. Through our website and social media networks, we offer a safe place where the ladies can share their pictures, stories, wild game and fish recipes, and news articles about conservation and hunting perspectives.
ReelCamo girls are strong, capable, kind, compassionate, nature & country-loving individuals. We encourage responsible and ethical hunting. We care about the land and wildlife management and about long term sustainability. We hunt, fish, dive, shoot and hike…for peace of mind, happiness, pure clean protein & connection to the outdoors. ReelCamoGirls can shoot a gun, draw a bow, track an animal, get CAMOed up, bait a hook, clean a fish and still be feminine.