[royinidaho]

rick,

I gotcha by 3 years but remember it quite well. I was 15. Missed the school bus cause it was snowing.

Took Dad's 06. I had no respect for my Mod 92 38-40. Went in the morning with a local adult fella. Was a bust.

Came back about noon and walked from the house. Had 11 cartridges. All I could find. Walked a long mile then swung back. Came through a special thicket and there was a bed with the droppings still melting down through the snow. That's when the heart rate came up, I guess.

I sneaked along the tracks and spotted a deer's rump sticking out from behind a large oak tree about 40 yards away. Couldn't see the front end.

I kneld down and put the sights (long before scopes @ our house) right where I figure the chest would be when it stepped out.

All I had to do was wait. the deer was to step out, I would see horns and pull the trigger.

It didn't work that way at all.

All of a sudden everything goes black. I mean totally black. The gun goes off. When the lights came back on there was nothing in sight.

I was a bit worried. What had happened. I ran up to the top of the knob but there was nothing to be seen.

I back tracked and saw sprinkles of blood between each jump. Well, I'd hit something. Buck or doe was the question.

After leaving the protection of the tree that deer ran 40 yards in the open. And I didn't see it?????

Also the shot hit the deer at the beginning of its second jump.

I hit the track. It went down the ridge never slowing. At the end of the ridge there was a small brushy plateau. There it was bedded down with its head turned to watch the back trail. And WOW, there were hornes. At least an 8 point.

I had enough sense to just kneel down and wait. The buck had other ideas. It jumped up. Bang - miss.

From there I went about another mile through the woods hot on the trail. He'd bed down. I'd get close. He'd jump and run. I'd shoot at the flag. I did that till I ran out of shells.

He was pretty warn down by then. He wouldn't cross the hwy and doubled back close enough for me to about touch him with the muzzle. That was my last shot.

It jumped a fence and layed down. I crossed the fence and walked up to him. Grabbed Dad's rifle by the muzzle and lifted it over my head. I was gonna wack him between the brow tines. Then I remembered the the stock was already cracked. Well better not do that. I'll never forget those glowing eyes.

So, I walked over to the Cherry Valley gas station/ice cream store. I knew the owner and knew that he hunted with an 06.

I told he I needed to borrow some shells. He asked, "Was that you coming down from Eau Claire?" I answered yes. He went in the back and came back with 3 boxes of 06 cartridges.

I remember having to hurry back as now the word was out and someone might 'steal' my buck. Kid's thinkin???

When the guys hanging around the station heard the finishing shot they came and helped me drag him out to the station.

THat deer was the talk of the area for a while. A nice 9 point and good sized too.

We stretched him out by the station and he stiffened up enough to stand on his own. We stood him up. It was a traffic stopper.

Wouldn't ya know, here comes Dad down the road in the truck w/a load of coal. I saw the deer and had to pull in. He saw me and couldn't figure what I was doing there. When the fellas convinced him it was my buck, the grin on his face was another thing I'll never forget.

BYW, I still get the "fever!" Hey, if it weren't for that and the good eatin' , I probably wouldn't hunt.......