Sometimes things do work our way 

Usually when we’re hunting, things work out one of four ways. We’re doing everything right, then we make a mistake, and it’s over. We do everything right, then something beyond our control happens and it’s over. We do everything right, the animal makes a mistake and it’s over for him. The last way is that everything simply works out our way no matter what we do. Simply put it’s a gift, it doesn’t happen very often so when it does just accept it and be thankful. It happened to me a few years ago and I’d like to share it with you. Remember this story when things seem really tough and you may want to give up, cause you never know what may happen over the next hill.

I had parked my truck and was intent on trying a little still hunting in the desert. I know this is next to impossible to do, so of course I give it a try every year. Not to far from where I parked was an old dirt tank that was usually dry. It caught just enough water to grow a little grass around the bottom. I had sometimes saw deer hanging around it, but not often. A mile past this dry tank was a good tank with lots of water. I’d decided to still hunt in the direction of the tank with water, in hopes of intercepting a buck on his way to water. Since I was so close I felt I had to check the dry tank but wasn’t expecting anything to be there.

I went walking up to the dry tank slowly but only as a precaution, not from anticipation as it should be. I really wasn’t very alert when suddenly I heard movement. I stopped in my tracks; all of a sudden this place that showed no promise had my full attention. After listening for a moment or two I knew I had stumbled on a small bunch of cows hanging around in the shade of the trees surrounding the old tank. My adrenaline rush was over as fast as it had came. I proceeded as if there wasn’t a deer in the whole state, talking to myself and laughing about my premature excitement. When I walked up on the cows they were as surprised to see me as I was to hear them a few minutes ago. I walked right through the middle of them just to let them know I had a right to be there too. I looked up at the bank I was about to ascend and not ten yards ahead was the rump of a deer just going over the top. I couldn’t believe it, the deer wasn’t running or bounding just walking.

I quietly walked to the top and the deer was slowly feeding along. He was now about twenty yards away but facing away from me. I pulled my arrow from my quiver and knocked it. The deer just kept feeding, never turning broadside. He stopped once at a cactus and fed for what seemed like five minutes. I ranged the cactus with my laser range finder, he was at forty yards, within my effective zone. I decided that if he turned and presented a broadside shot I would take him. He never did turn, he kept feeding away from me until he was out of my effective range. Oh well, I thought, it wasn’t meant to be.

The buck never fed out of sight so I decided to watch him for awhile. When I had given up all hope of tagging this deer, he turned and started right back at me. I couldn’t believe what was happening. He was coming closer and closer. I took that buck standing under the exact same cactus that I had ranged him at earlier. I don’t know the odds of this happening but I would think I’d have a better chance of winning the lottery than this occurring again.

This wasn’t the biggest buck but I felt very glad to get him. Things usually don’t happen this easily but I’ll take it when it does. Like they say, never look a gift deer in the mouth.