Last year, I got my first hunting kill. I had been sitting in tree stands with my grandfather for a couple years every hunting season, watching and learning the tradition of hunting. I learned to be still and quiet and alert. He taught me what to look for in the woods and how to wait for the right shot. I also regularly did target practice to get a feel for shooting my gun. This past hunting season, I was finally ready. That day is a day that will be forged in my memory forever. It was a really good day. It was about more than just initiation as a hunter. The first deer was a rite of passage. I was taking part in a family tradition that had been passed down the line on my grandfather’s side. I was hunting on the same land he hunted when we was young.
There were many things that surprised me when I really went hunting for the first time and was no longer just a spectator. It was a surprisingly short time before my grandfather had his eyes on a deer that was big enough for me to shoot. We were scoped in for about thirty minutes before I was clear to pull the trigger. I expected to have to wait much longer. For a few years now, I’ve sat in a deer stand with my grandfather learning to be patient, quiet, watchful and still for hours at a time. But on the this particular day, we were only there for about half an hours.
My grandfather has taught me that I can only take the shot if it is a clear shot. There is no need for pain or suffering for the animal. Thankfully, on this day, it was a lucky shot and went right through the heart. My grandfather hoisted the deer onto his truck, then we went back to the hunt club so that I could learn to clean and process the deer. That smell is something I’ll never forget. We then put it in the freezer, where I currently wait on eating it. My mom makes the best venison shepherd’s pie. I thought she would be upset if I went hunting, but she is happy to have free, organic meat to feed the family. It’s better than buying meat at the grocery store, she said. We don’t know what kind of life those animals had, but we know out here in the country the deer are happy and free. They’re an invasive species, so hunting is part of nature’s balance.
When we were at the hunt club, everyone congratulated me for my first deer. It was an amazing experience. Traditions are important in hunting. One tradition is being blooded. This is about honoring the animal and celebrating the hunt. My grandfather smeared blood on my face as a rite of passage. It’s about growing up. I can now hunt and provide food to my family.
This really was a great experience to have and I am very lucky to have my grandfather. He knows so much about real life that I have yet to discover. He teaches me a lot and I learn so much from him, not just about hunting, but about being a man and about life.
