I was 16 and looking forward to my first ever deer hunt. Dad helped me pick out a rifle. We sighted in the 7mm Mauser using up a box of shells. Visions of the hunt stormed through my head.
Northern Minnesota is covered with Grand National forests. My cousin talked for weeks before the opening of the great location he had picked out for us. Thursday evening it started to snow and it didn't stop all day Friday. The season’s first snow, wet at first, covered the trees and ground with a thick white coat.
We headed out at 2 in the morning on snowmobiles to get to the deer stands. The temperature dropped and the snow stopped but my thoughts of adventure and excitement was undaunted. Dad, my three cousins, a couple friends and I arrived at the deer crossing shortly after 5 am. The temperature was 15 below zero and dropping.
Standing, freezing, waiting for the sun rise, my spirits began to wane. Patience is not practiced by the young. The longest two hours of my life occurred as the temperature dropped to 25 below.
The sun rose, carefully, not finding a cloud in the sky. It was crystal clear and just as quiet. Nothing was moving, not even the wind. I didn't hear one shot, see one deer the entire day. The snowmobile ride home was cold.
It had been twenty-five years since my first hunt. I invited my best friend to come with us this year. It was Michael's first hunt. He had never shot a rifle before. All Michael talked about the month before opening was how many deer he was going to shoot.
We left for Dad's early Friday before opening. We wanted to practice shooting and get a good night rest. My brothers and friends would bring our party to a dozen. We saw many deer on the way north. It was an unseasonable warm fall, 60 degree temperatures and no chance of snow. This is not good deer hunting weather.
Dad had picked out stands for each of us. Six am came and we tumbled out of bed, dressed and slurped coffee between small talk. Michael's excitement dazzled the calm anticipation of the rest of us. We each walked to our designated location. A random sparrow made a noise tweaking the silence.
As the sun rose the first shots of the morning popped in the far distance and roared near us. They seemed to be happening all around us. Suddenly a huge buck stood 40 yards away looking right at me. A single shot and the deer dropped where he stood.
Without leaving the property, we did three drives of the willows and the big woods and by mid afternoon we had twelve deer. Michael had shot two. We spent the rest of the day retelling the stories of the hunt and preparing the deer for the trip, hours early, home.
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