This Thanksgiving looked a little different. Due to family illness, we didn’t actually get together for the day like we usually do. It was still nice to have some time off at home though. And Dan and I got to get out and do a little deer hunting.
Opening weekend was a week ago and the weather was SO NICE. I kind of wish all of deer season would be like that. It was actually pleasant sitting outside in just a sweatshirt and my bibs.
Dan went out Saturday on his own and said he only saw a few does, and Sunday when we both went out, we didn’t see anything different. We saw about a dozen does right at sunset and we just watched them for a while. They didn’t come on to public land until after quitting time, so we wouldn’t have been able to shoot at anything even if we wanted to, but it was kind of fun to watch them.
This pair of does got within 20 feet of us and stopped and stared at us for a while. Dan told me not to move so I held as still as possible. The ladies stomped their hooves at us and were hissing at us, then would dart off a few yards, stop, and come creeping back up to us. They repeated this several times and I whispered to Dan how long they were going to keep doing it. He told me they could see us, but couldn’t tell what we were and were dumb enough to keep coming back haha. Finally, we stood up and started packing up our stuff and they took off. They probably would have kept it up all night if we let them! It was definitely fun to see.
We weren’t able to get back out until Wednesday, and by then, the temps were definitely starting to fall. It was chillier, but we have some really good gear and it was manageable.
We got lucky Wednesday night! We saw a few deer creeping out of the trees and we finally saw a buck come out as well. I looked at him through the scope and got pretty excited. Dan told me it was up to me if I wanted to go for it or wait for something bigger. I had a split second to decide, but knew I might not get another chance if I didn’t just go for it. I told him I was going for it, so Dan started making noises to get the buck to stop moving and once he did, I took my shot.
Honestly, I’ve really come to enjoy going deer hunting with Dan and just being out in nature with him, but my absolute favorite part has been the excitement Dan shows when I shoot a deer. I didn’t grow up hunting and I never even shot a gun until I was 25, so it’s still pretty new to me. I’m glad I have him to help show me the ropes and guide me along. And it’s a cherry on top when he jumps up and down with excitement when I get the deer. And this was my first buck so we were both pretty excited!
Once we were headed home, I pulled my phone out and a memory popped up – exactly three years ago on the same day I had shot my first deer ever. Now, I had shot my first buck! It was kismet.
Dan still has his tag to fill, so we’ll head out a few more times before the end of the season. He told me now that we have a deer though, he’s going to be pretty picky about what he shoots. So, we’ll see what we come across!
And I’m pretty thankful we have heated socks, heated vests, hand warmers and a lot of layers, because it’s definitely going to be chilly! I’m looking forward to it though. 🙂
I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving weekend! I hope you had lots of good food, spent time with friends and family and took some time to think about everything you have to be thankful for.
I’m looking forward to gearing up for Christmas and enjoying some family time!
Until next time! 🙂
Megan Nelson
I absolutely love the story. Hunting is so much fun for all the things you see and hear as nature does its thing! The meat in the freezer is the bonus. Good guiding, Dan!