Where to start?

     I was wondering where I should start with a years worth of stories to catch up on and it almost caused a severe case writers block! I decided to look at where in time I left off posting and quickly realized it was at the end of the 2010 hunting season. Now everyone knows that I absolutely love talking about my hunting adventures so why not start with the 2011 hunting season and work my way back filling in the gaps!

     This past year I promised Ariel that we would spend some time in the woods on the 2011 youth deer hunting day the first weekend of November. We spent the week prior ensuring her aim was still true by going to the range with her .243 shooting targets. We started at 25 yards and worked our way out to the 100 yard targets. Ariel made me proud as she was safe and proficient and left me knowing that she would fill the freezer if presented with a shot at a deer in the woods.

     To our surprise on October 31'st we had an amazing snow storm that crippled not only our state but a large part of New England. We registered just under 14 inches at our house and despite the massive destruction the only damage to our house was the cable/telephone wires being ripped from the house. The snow came quick and was heavy which resulted in downed trees everywhere and left us without power for 13 days. Thankfully we purchased a generator at the beginning of the year so we were still better off than the majority of the area citizens. Once we were able to escape the neighborhood I took a trip to our friend's farm where we hunt to verify the tree stand was still standing and safe to use. I was worried as I made my way into the woods and saw how many trees were down but to my surprise the one tree that wasn't damaged was the one with my 2 person stand! Unfortunately one of my other tree stands was heavily damaged and the other one was stolen. When I got home I told Ariel of my findings and prepared her for the trip ahead of us. Normally we are able to drive into an upper field and work our way down to the tree stand but due to the damage we had about a one mile hike on foot to the tree stand.

    Friday night came quickly and we spread out our clothes and hunting equipment in preparation for the morning hunt. I don't think either of us slept well as we were both excited for our first day of tree hugging together this season. We were up early and after a quick breakfast we drove to the farm. I was very excited to see that Stan had started clearing the trees in the roadways which meant I was able to drive all the way to the top of the tractor road. It was going to be a great day!

     Ariel followed me through the fallen trees and before we knew it we were cuddling together in the comfort of my tree stand. It didn't take long before the sun began to rise behind us and within minutes of me telling Ariel it was legal shooting time I turned to see a big healthy doe working her way towards us along the brook! I tapped Ariel on her shoulder and she nodded letting me know that she had seen it too. Now I have shot a lot of deer in my years of hunting but the excitement of watching my oldest child sharing my love of hunting makes me fall apart. My knees were knocking my hands shaking my heart pounding so hard I thought for sure the deer could hear it!

     I watched in anticipation as Ariel readied her rifle and took aim. The deer was 15 yards away and I prepared myself for the sound of her gun firing. I waited, and waited some more. I then noticed there was another deer 30 yards behind the first following the same path. I whispered into Ariel's ear that there was another deer coming so she would be prepared and not alarmed when it finally came into her line of sight. I continued waiting and before I knew it the first deer was out of range and Ariel had taken aim on the second one. Once again I readied myself and the waiting game began.

     At this point in time my work appointed cell phone began vibrating in my pocket. I pulled it out and wanted to cry when I realized it was work calling and I was about to get dispatched to an emergency call. When I looked up I sat in disbelief that the second deer had made its way past us and was now out of range. Why didn't she shoot?

     Once I was sure the deer were gone I informed Ariel that I just got called into work and that we had to leave. I was confused and now very disappointed. We climbed down from the tree and made our way out of the woods without saying a word. Once we were in the upper field I asked her the question that was burning inside me, "Ariel, why didn't you shoot? Did you freeze up or was something wrong?" She answered me with "Dad, I didn't have a clear shot." I was shocked to say the least. "Ariel, what do you mean you didn't have a clear shot? Both those deer presented you with great shots." When she answered me my disappointment turned to sheer pride. "Dad, you told me that I should never shoot through anything with my gun and only shoot if there was nothing obstructing my shot. As the deer worked past me there were branches with leaves that I didn't want to shoot through because I didn't want my bullet to get deflected."

     It was then and there that I knew she listens to my instructions and wasn't willing to take an unethical shot no matter how bad she wanted to harvest another deer! At this point were were sitting in the truck and I explained to her that shooting through a couple of leaves wouldn't have been unethical as she was sure of her target and not shooting into branches that could cause her bullet to skip and change directions. She looked at me and said "If I had know that I would have shot BOTH of those deer!" I told her I was proud of her and that I would rather her enjoy watching the deer and go home empty handed rather then take a shot that she didn't feel comfortable with. There is always the possibility of going hunting another day and seeing another deer, you can't however call a bullet back once the trigger has been pulled.

     As we drove home we were thankful for the short time we got to spend together and that we were lucky enough to even see deer but still sad that our time together was cut short due to my job responsibilities. Before we made it home my phone began to ring again - it was my buddy Seth checking in to see how we were doing and hoping to hear that the freezer was about to get filled. He was surprised when I answered and by the volume of my voice realized that we were not in the woods. I explained what happened and he asked Ariel if he could take her back out after lunch to which she replied "Yes" of course.

     I drove to Salem, MA and thankfully my job was completed without any further issues so I began my drive home hoping to take in the end of night stand with Ariel. I arrived at the farm and began changing into my hunting clothes, I had let Seth know I was on site and would work my way through the woods to them once I was dressed. I leaned over to tie my boots when I heard the distinct sound of a rifle firing in the distance. I waited for another shot, thinking it was someone target shooting nearby but there was no second shot. I went back to tying my boots when my phone began buzzing  - It was Seth and he informed me Ariel had shot at a deer and despite thinking she hit it he couldn't find it.

     I was excited and worried at the same time - It's a horrible feeling when you shoot an animal and it suffers and you can't find it. A feeling I pray my daughter never has to experience. At this point I will tell you 3 days prior I had minor surgery on the bottom of my left foot and it was no where near healed. Keep that in mind as you picture me running as fast as I could, looking like Forrest Gump singing to myself "Run, run as fast as you can, you'll never catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!"

     I made it through the field, down the hill, and into the swamp by the tree stand without falling although I came close several times. As I looked up into the tree stand I realized Ariel was still sitting there and she was     smiling. She didn't look worried or upset, she was smiling. My first thought was she was smiling rather than laughing out loud because she had, with a birds eye view, just witnessed me running and then the thought occurred to me, maybe I wasn't singing to myself, maybe I was shouting the Gingerbread man song out loud? Despite my embarrassment I moved on and asked, "Where is Uncle Sesame?"

     She said nothing, she only pointed. I turned and to my surprise there was Seth standing in an opening about 50 yards away. I slowly made my way towards him at first not knowing where the deer was when she shot and I didn't want to disturb any areas we would be checking for signs of a hit. I said I was moving slowly at first - that was until I got about 20 yards from him and realized that he too had a smile on his face. Now I know he could see me but unless I was shouting there was no way he heard me singing so his smile could only mean one thing.

     I began running again and sure enough there it was, the deer Ariel had shot. I was like a little kid on Christmas morning! It turns out there was never a question of Ariel's shot. It was a clean, well placed shot that dispatched the deer quickly and humanely, they just wanted to have a little fun with me.

     I went back and helped Ariel down from the tree stand and after a prayer of thanks I gathered my emotions and we took a few pictures. After we finished taking pictures and reliving the memories of the past hour while they were still fresh in our minds the work began.

     Thank God that Seth was there to help me get the deer out of the woods and that Stan had cleared the fallen trees from the road way because I think I would still be dragging that deer if they hadn't done what they did!

     I have been truly blessed with family and friends who share my love of  hunting and the great outdoors. I admit having Ariel put the first deer in the freezer two years in a row provided me with a feeling of relief that we would have fresh meat for the winter but I also felt the pressure that if I didn't get a deer during the upcoming weeks that she would never let me forget it. Thankfully the 2011 season was a bountiful one.