The First One.

For years and years, every November my kids and Superman would plan on hunting deer. 

Were they using a gun or a bow?

Who would hunt where? Who got the stands? Who would hunt first?  

Who would get the biggest deer, first deer or the most deer?

 Did everyone have a gun, their license, some hunter orange to wear. 

I just sat back and listened to the planning.  

Preparing myself for the mass of hunting attire that would take over my living room.

Once or twice one of them would ask "You wanna go?"

"No thanks, If I go who would be here to cook for all of you mighty hunters?"

That was my job.  To fill their bellys with good warm food.  

I loved sitting back and listening to them tell their stories.

Stories of how cold, or hot they were.  Of seeing not one single deer. 

Or seeing them when they were just out of range.

 And of course the play by play stories of when they got one.

They were always so proud.  Not only was it a sport but they were providing meat for the year.

Meat to make delicious meals.  Fried tenderloin, jerky, 

deer chili, stew and of course burgers all summer long.

The children are now all grown and on their own so that makes Superman and I emptynesters. 

After several conversations about hunting I decided to venture out and take a try at it.

Here are a few photos of my first season of deer hunting.

A couple weeks before the season started, we went to the firing range and practiced with the guns.

I shot the 243 that the kids used to hunt with.  My 4 shots are the bunch to the right of the bulls eye.  

Dang it, I just couldn't get it in the middle.

When we got ready to head out this was the temperature.  

The wind was blowing and the wind chill was below 0.  BRRRRR!

Here were are getting ready to head out the door into the darkness.

I had so many layers on I felt the the Michelin man in blaze orange walking through the woods.

And after sitting in the blind for an hour and thirty minutes I took a shot at this buck.  Yes I know it is not massive.  Which explains why I actually hit it when I shot.  You see I am guessing since it has a little rack it must have a little brain too because when Superman pointed him out to me I got all kinds of excited.  Superman calmly moved out of his chair and opened the window for me. I quickly moved to the chair in front of the window and decided I wouldn't be able to hold the gun steady from that angle.  I dropped to my knees on the floor and when I did I knocked the chair over. Oh crap I thought but the deer just looked over at us and then kept looking for things to eat. Not very bright I guess. I looked through the scope and couldn't find him.  I looked over my gun and he was still standing there.  I looked back through the scope and there he was.  It all happened so fast. I may have shut my eyes when I pulled the trigger so I was sure I missed him.  "Oh crap" I said as I sat back in the chair and then I hear Superman say "He's down!"

I couldn't believe it!  I did hit him.  So yes it does have a little rack but that will be food in the freezer.

Superman gutted him out in the field and then we pulled him back to the house.

We loaded him in the truck and went to the local convenience store to tag him in.

When we got home we left him in the truck and went in for a while.  The temperature only warmed 2 degrees over the next couple of hours and I asked him how was he going to get the meat off if it was frozen.  He said I thought you were going to do it since you are the mighty hunter.  

'No" I said "I am the mighty hunter, not the mighty butcher"