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The veil thins, the hunt begins
Oct. 31st, 2013 02:53 pmThis morning was another one of those after too little sleep (up until 2 grading, then trying to wind down) and too much on my mind (all practical, no dramah). Managed to get it together, eat a little something, and head out the door in plenty of time to get some things done this morning at work. As I was backing out of the driveway, about 40 feet away, I saw a large buck, with a decent rack (10-14 points) lumbering in the field. His front legs kept buckling as he tried to get to the sumac thicket between the barn and the wild apple tree. He gathered his strength for one leap, and his back legs lifted him up in that beautiful, incredibly light way that deer have, and propelled him forward towards the thicket, but when his front legs landed, again his chest crashed to the brush, and he simply collapsed where he was.
I was at something of a loss. I couldn't tell if he'd been shot, or had had a close encounter with a vehicle, but he was clearly not going to survive. It has been so long since I shot a firearm that going back inside and getting a rifle...not happening. So, I pulled over and called Jane. I didn't want the buck to suffer, and didn't want the meat to waste. Maybe she knew someone.
She called me back a bit later and said she'd called the DEC, and the officer (who she knew) said he would go and try to find him, and if the meat was good there was a program that would take it. She called a bit later, and said he'd called back and "it looks like our deer problem is settled--the State Troopers just called me about a deer/vehicle accident right there."
When I get home, I'll go and check the thicket, just to be sure.
He was a beautiful buck.
One year in this season it was a fox. One year a little black kitten. This year a beautiful buck. And I do what I must, what I can, and it has only once felt like enough. Today is not that day.
I wish I understood what She is trying to teach me.
I was at something of a loss. I couldn't tell if he'd been shot, or had had a close encounter with a vehicle, but he was clearly not going to survive. It has been so long since I shot a firearm that going back inside and getting a rifle...not happening. So, I pulled over and called Jane. I didn't want the buck to suffer, and didn't want the meat to waste. Maybe she knew someone.
She called me back a bit later and said she'd called the DEC, and the officer (who she knew) said he would go and try to find him, and if the meat was good there was a program that would take it. She called a bit later, and said he'd called back and "it looks like our deer problem is settled--the State Troopers just called me about a deer/vehicle accident right there."
When I get home, I'll go and check the thicket, just to be sure.
He was a beautiful buck.
One year in this season it was a fox. One year a little black kitten. This year a beautiful buck. And I do what I must, what I can, and it has only once felt like enough. Today is not that day.
I wish I understood what She is trying to teach me.
