Have you ever heard the saying, beginners luck? I've had an experience that was a combination of mostly luck, and a little bit of skill.

     My grandparents have 60 acres of land in the middle of a forest in Saugerties. My grandpa is a hunter and has many friends who are hunters. My dad hunts as well, so naturally, I was surrounded by hunting pretty much my whole life. I loved to be out in the woods, driving the tractor to pick up a deer, and being down in the garage while they butchered the animal. I loved all of it! I was hooked on hunting.

     The day I finally was able to hunt we had to go out so early it was still dark as my dad and I walked. I saw and heard a whole new side of the forest that I thought I knew. The forest was far more eerie at this time of day. It seemed that the forest was swapped out with another version of itself. It may have been different, but it was far more beautiful. It seemed more lively. Instead of chirping birds, I heard the deep hoot of an owl much deeper into the vast forest, I heard the humming of insects instead of the rumble of vehicles, and the occasional yip of a coyote made the forest not seem like a few trees, but like a living breathing being. The sounds of my grandparents’ land all combined to make a beautiful orchestra of untamed wilderness.

     Once we got there we realized our spot was overgrown with weeds and fallen tree branches. My dad started to clean up the weeds so we had a clear view of the cable line.  As I scanned the tree line, I saw him, a beautiful young buck, feeding right on the tree line. For a second I just sat and admired the creature. Then I remembered. The hours of training, the studying, the physical pain, the years that I had waited, and it all led up to this moment.

     I set my gun up on the rest, closed my left eye, and watched the animal through the scope. My heart pumped faster than a racehorse. The adrenaline running through my veins was more than I had ever experienced. My whole body was aggressively shaking. I felt my dad's firm hand on my shoulder to stop me from shaking.

     The buck was currently in some bushes feeding, but I knew that he had to come out at some point, and I was ready for him. As he walked out I lined up for the area you were supposed to shoot at, right behind his shoulder. I took a deep breath and pulled the trigger.

     Click. I had forgotten to turn off the safety. With the safety on I couldn't shoot! The buck heard it and ran across the cable line to the other side. I adjusted my gun, turned off the safety, and lined myself up. Within half a second, all of my memories of hunting flashed before me. When I went out with my dad to watch, I got my first knife and ate venison for the first time. I pulled the trigger before I could think about it.  A deafening boom shattered the fragile silence of the forest. I was launched backward, and as I looked at where I last saw him, I only saw smoke. As the smoke cleared, I saw him. He was running vigorously and wildly into the woods. I lost sight of him. There were a couple of seconds of silence, and then we heard a crash in the forest.

     I just sat there. The moment was so overwhelming. Hundreds of questions ran through my mind. Did I hit him? Was it a good shot? How far did he go?  I looked over at my dad in fear, and he was smiling. He asked if I wanted to go down to look for the buck.

     We searched the cable line for any blood. I saw a bit on a leaf and then a splat on a log. There was a steady trail with a good amount of blood. We followed the trail into the woods until we got to the hill.

     As I got over the hill, I saw him, lying motionless in the dirt. I walked up to him. I felt guilty to end something so beautiful, and I felt joy because of the many years that I had waited for the moment. I held up his head to count the points. He was a seven-pointer. I had the biggest buck that year.  The bad part? We dragged and lugged.

     A few months later I was preparing to cook my deer for the first time. I grabbed two steaks. I sliced the steaks in half. I rubbed the steaks with olive oil until they glistened like the sun bouncing off the water. I salted them heavily and then put them on the stove to cook.

     I removed the steak and immediately began slicing and dicing the meat. I plated the meat and prepared for my first bite.  As I put it in my mouth, I smiled. That bite, that one little piece tasted like pure sugar. I don’t know if this makes sense, but food tastes better when you harvest it. It was the best venison I have ever tasted.

     Hunting is mostly luck. You don’t know if an animal will come your way. You don’t know if you are in the right place or not. In hunting, you also need skill though. You need skill to hit the animal in the right spot, you need to hit there for an ethical kill, and you need skill to be able to butcher and gut the animal. Sometimes luck and skill go hand in hand. Sometimes one outweighs the other. No matter what, you can’t live without both.

-Jack S.