It's How You Finish

Two weeks and two young bucks later…

I expected them to come from the west, like all the other deer had on previous hunts, because the wind was blowing from that direction and I hadn’t remembered to spray myself with sent cover before walking into the blind.

Then I saw two spindly legs walking in from the east…sh*t!

There’s no way they don’t smell me. Keep still Jonathan. Watch. Control your breathing.

I couldn’t.

The yearling was walking straight in and I couldn’t breathe with the balaclava covering my mouth. I moved to pull down the covering. The yearling stopped and stared straight into the blind.

Sh*t!

But they had other things on their mind. They kept walking in. Stopped to feed. looked up again, but settled in. So I settled in too.

*Click!

*Thud!

I kept my glasses on this time, but I didn’t need them. The yearling buck ran 15yds. Then trotted another 10. Then stumbled. And then disappeared behind a tree.

Sh*t! Not again!

This deer ran almost the same direction as the doe I hit and never found two weeks earlier.

But I hit this buck dead on, right?! I saw the bolt go through their body and I’m pretty sure there was a dark red spot on their flank as they stumbled. And they stumbled! I’m sure I hit them fatally. But I couldn’t see them now and this is exactly what happened last time.

The memories of my earlier failure threatened to take over.

I checked my watch. Forty-five min until sundown and I can’t hunt anymore. I loaded the next bolt and focused on the possibility of getting another deer. At the start of the season I had set the lose goal of harvesting 4 deer. I had one, I hoped, so why not try for another?

Twenty-minutes later, the heard of doe and yearlings I had expected from the west showed up. But something was wrong. They were extremely tentative. And…were they…were they looking at the spot where the buckling went down?

They were! I knew I hit that deer well! Would the others come through now that they could see their relative was dead?

Ten minutes later, their hunger overriding their concern over a fallen relative won over and I was lining up a shot on another button buck.

*Click!

*Thud!

The other deer ran back west and the one I hit ran in the opposite direction east for 30yds. And then he stopped and just stood there. He didn’t go down, didn’t look distressed at all. Just flicked his tail and stared into the woods, his head slightly dipped.

Did I miss? Did I make another non-lethal shot? 

3min past. Nothing.

Sh*t!

But then I looked closer and this deer did look distressed. I could see now they were breathing heavily. Their head stayed down and their hind legs were wobbling. Finally they moved off over a log and couldn’t go any further. They sat down astride the log. Then they sagged. Then they toppled, and flailed.

Gut shot

F**K!

Another deer, that I hadn’t seen, was spooked by this dying deer and bolted towards the woods, alarm calling and scattering any remaining relatives in the area. Their relative took another 3 minutes to stop moving. The nausea of failing to make a quick kill tempered by the fact that I had just harvested two deer in one sitting.

My first crossbow hunting season was over. I was relieved and ecstatic. I made mistakes, but I had gotten back out there and accomplished what I set out to do.

Suddenly the 30 degree night and my stiff joints didn’t bother me so much. Nothing warms the body and spirit like a successful hunt that you know will keep your friends and family alive until the next season.

I am so grateful to the lives that made this moment possible. The two lives that ended that night, and the lives of those that go on, who helped make this moment possible.

To my dear friends Brandon and Katy, thank you for cultivating this land, Brandon, for teaching me so much about how to hunt, and for being so generous with your time, energy, and tools. I love you both so dearly.

To my partner Audra, thank you for holding down the house and kids while I go out and try to bring home the (deer) bacon. I love you beyond my ability to express in words. Deer stroganoff on deck!

To my non-human relatives, thank you for nourishing my body, mind, and spirit with your lessons, sacrifice, and beauty. I will honor these lives and use them well. I will tell their stories so that they can love you the way I do.

Until next season!

What’s in my pocket

I hand’t thought about this until now, but using a buck knife to process these two deer is apropos. Thanks to my father-in-law for this amazing gift that I’ve been fortunate enough to get lots of use out of over the years.

I use this knife for skinning and gutting, and until I got a proper chef knife and boning knife, I used it for butchering. If you’re looking for an all purpose hunting knife, there’s no better knife out there.

• Buck Knife 

• My Chef Knife (it’s on sale!)

• My Boning Knife

As always, purchasing products I recommend using the affiliate links is a great way to support this newsletter and the content I generate.

What’s in my ear-hole

Little Brother, and specifically Phonte, are some of my all-time favorite rappers. My oldest friend, Philip, put me on years ago and I’ve been a huge fan ever since. The North Carolinians just released an EP, and, like the majority of their work, was dope AF. Check them out and thank Philip for putting you on.

What’s on my brain

All the butchering I have left to do on those two deer and all the recipes to come! I’m tired the day after, but so so so excited for all the ways I plan to use these relatives. Stay tuned to the YouTube channel for video content on this hunt and subsequent cooking adventures!

outtherejch

View more on Instagram

Announcements

Speaking of the channel…

Thanks for reading! TELL A FRIEND TO SIGN UP!

I’ll talk to y’all next Sunday.

Cheers,

Jonathan