My seventh grade team and I had just won first place in our volleyball tournament. This was a big victory in my small hometown of Newman, California. I was so excited. Then my mom and dad gave me some more great news. We were going to northern Nevada to hunt for my second mule deer. I was so excited for the chance to harvest a big buck with my first ever Nevada deer tag!
It seemed like forever until we got to Nevada. As soon as we got there, we went and scouted, looking for the big buck my dad had seen earlier during the archery season. We only saw a few deer and some smaller bucks before we gave up for the evening. As soon as we got back to the cabin, we went to sleep so we could be well rested for the morning ahead. I couldn’t wait until the next day.
I woke up at the crack of dawn the next day. I was energized and so ready for the day to start. We headed out and started hunting. We had no luck on the morning hunt. Later that same day, luck was with us when we finally spotted the one, the big buck my dad had seen while scouting earlier in the year. I was excited and nervous all at the same time. Today, I had the chance to shoot a huge deer.
My dad and I snuck up on the deer slowly, trying not to make any noise. The deer was bedded, and I didn’t have a good angle to shoot from. My dad is an ethical hunter, and he made sure to teach me to shoot it in the heart or lungs with my Kimber .243 and an 85 grain Barnes TSX bullet so the deer doesn’t suffer. On my previous two shots through the gun, I had harvested a California blacktail and a Nevada antelope. I wanted to make sure I had the best shot and not ruin my streak. We waited about 30 minutes until the deer finally stood up out of his bed and was at a perfect angle. I was so excited that it took a second to calm myself. This was it; this was the moment we had waited for since I found out I had a Nevada tag. I looked through my scope and slowly eased the trigger. Perfect shot!
The buck only went about 30 yards before falling over dead. I shot it! I did it! My dad and I were so excited. We walked approximately 150 yards so I could finally fill out the tag and tie it to the buck’s horn. My mom came from the cabin with the truck. We loaded the deer up and went back to the cabin. We were all so excited, but we were sad to leave. I had school the next day, so we had to hurry back to California. I was so excited to go home and tell all my friends the adventure I had had this weekend. I especially wanted to show my two older brothers who had never harvested a buck of this size.
I am so fortunate to have had this opportunity to shoot a huge buck. I would like to thank my family for this experience. I would definitely do it again. It was one of the best weekends!