The Hunt

To see wildlife you have to go where they live. This one was very memorable.

 The autumn afternoon air was cool and crisp. He slowly made his way through the woods trying to avoid any noise. He would take a step or two then slowly look around looking for any movement. Movement that would give away any buck that might be around. He would then look at the ground in front of to see if there might be any twigs or branches that might make noise if stepped on. He knew that he was closing in on him. He had seen the signs and caught brief glimpses. It was a monster buck and hopefully this game of cat and mouse would end soon. He continued on slowly and stealthily to the spot he had chosen for the day...........

 

 There was excitement in the air. His senses were on full alert as he made way down the path. She had left him a message at each spot. Every tree scrape and ground scrape she had left him a sign. It was all of a matter of time before he would catch up to her. He paused from time to time to eat an acorn or browse on a twig. He continued down the path picking up her scent and sniffing the air for any signs of danger......

 

 As he began to turn his head he heard a sound to his right. He slowly moved his head to the sound looking for some type of movement. At first there was nothing then he spotted the source of the noise. It was a squirrel scampering across the ground, rustling a few leaves as he went. Between the squirrels and the chipmunks this could be a long day...........

 

 He had been picking up a strange scent the last few days always taking precautions to avoid it. Sometimes he would head off in a different direction to avoid it. Occasionally he would catch a brief movement as he sensed the danger. But today there seemed to be no danger around. He had been holed up in the swamp for a couple of days but her scent had lured him out. With no signs of danger he decided to pursue her. She was close now he could sense it. Soon she would be carrying his offspring.........

 

   He was almost to the spot where he wanted to be. He quickly ran a checklist through his head as what he would do once he reached the spot. He wanted to get up the tree into his stand as quickly and quietly as possible. He stopped quickly. He had heard a sound behind him. “It is probably just a squirrel”, he thought as he began to slowly turn around. But as he started to turn he heard a loud snapping of a twig that caused him to turn quickly......

 

 His excitement was growing. He could sense that she was real close now. By her scent he could tell that she would be receptive to him. He hurried a little faster now. He caught a slight movement in front of him. But now there was also a different scent mixed in with the other. Just as he was about to stop he stepped on a twig, which caused a loud snapping sound. There was more movement now as he came to a stop.......

 

 The sound of the snapping twig had caused him to spin around. Now he was face to face with the biggest buck he had ever seen. There they stood less the four feet apart staring each other down. He didn’t move as he watched the buck paw the ground and snort at him. His heart was racing a mile a minute with excitement. Even though they were this close he was not afraid. The adrenaline was flowing fast as they stood there staring each other down.........

 

 What ever was in front of him would not move. It was blocking his path. He pawed at the ground trying to get it to move so he could get a better look at it. But it still did not move. He lowered his head and snorted a couple of times, while pawing the ground again. He repeated this a number of times but it still refused to move. It was time to leave. His senses were telling him to go that there was danger. So with one last snort he spun and raced off through the woods. As he ran he snorted and blew air warning others in the area of the danger that was there........

 

 The buck continued to snort and paw the ground as he stood there watching and not moving. With one last snort the buck spun and ran off through the woods warning other deer as he ran. As the buck ran off he looked down at his rifle. No he thought, not to day. They had come face to face. The buck had not attacked and neither would he. Maybe another day. He turned and headed back to his truck knowing that nothing else would pass his way today. He was not disappointed. The experience today only lasted a few minutes but would be in his memory forever. Walking down the path a thought accrued to him. That new doe scent he used worked better then he had expected.

  

 

 

Reviews

[emmajoy]

This a great story, so typical of you because you're writing about Nature, about a world you love and belong to. You have a real affinity to life in the world, maybe you were a stag in a past life!

Have a few little queries over punctuation and the repeated use of the odd word like 'around' but that's nit-picking because I really enj oyed this post, i could feel it as i read it, twice. It was a clever twist, changing into an animal t oo , so you could pass on its thoughts and feelings ..

Thank you so much for sharing y et another fine, fine st ory.

[Aspiring Angel]

This was a wonderful story Tim and was quite different than I anticipated when I first clicked on your title. I loved the way that you became the Buck. I so often myself, like to try to step within another heart or soul be it human or animal. I am so glad that the Human (as we call ourselves) turned and walked away. A perfect ending to a fascenating stroy. WONDERFUL! I hope that you have been well.

Blessings,
Lesa

[Samuel Dickens]

With the use of the ambiguous "he," I wondered for a while if the story was being told from the perspective of something other than a man.
This fellow woodsman enjoyed that, Tim. I haven't gone hunting in forty years, but I used to shoot a few rabbits, squirrel, quail, etc. My stepfather was the big hunter, and he'd often come home with deer, which I'd help him clean. We were poor and needed the meat, quite honestly. Well, I'm glad that you and the giant buck got a good look at one another.