Jackie Auman

Hunting with grandma Ruby’s 30-30.
It was Saturday, November 23rd. I woke around 5 a.m. made my coffee and got ready to head out hunting. My mom was staying over to watch our daughter. So before I left the house I took her the monitor, she was awake so I quietly said bye love you, and said, “I think today is going to be the day”.
I got out to my spot before sunup. As I’m walking out I turn my headlamp on every now and then to do a quick scan. As I’m walking into the small fielded area I hunt at, I look to my right and see maybe 5 sets of glowing eyes. Hoping they’re deer and not the wolves we caught on camera before, I immediately turn my light off and as quietly as possible make may way to my blind and get settled in.
Eventually the sun starts to come up, by then the eyes I had seen were gone. Around 720 a small spike makes his way from behind and through the field. I’m thinking, awesome it’s a productive day so far.
It was around 740, as I look straight in front of me, a large buck comes walking down the trail toward me, I didn’t budge. I silently watched as he slowly made his way through into field and out from behind a few small trees. I let him get closer, maybe 40 yards away, no trees or brush in the way, and just to the left in front of me before I moved. My gun was on my lap, I ever so quietly pulled the hammer back on my gun, not even making a click. I pulled my gun up and looked through the scope, checked points, seen at least three on one side and a beautiful rack, without further admiration and hesitation, I aimed. He was broadside left body facing me, I pulled the trigger. I shot through the mesh of our new blind, I bought the day before, so I seen a little spark and smoke. My ears were ringing and adrenaline rushing. He didn’t drop in his tracks, he ran. I immediately racked another bullet in, shouldered my gun and got site on him. He ran about 50 yards back and into the woods. I seen his tail going crazy then nothing. I thought I maybe missed him or worse wounded him. I text my husband, he was hunting down the road, said I shot at one. We have little to no cell service, so when I didn’t hear from him right away I was so anxious I had to go look. I text him and said I’m walking, so he knew I’d be moving. I exited my blind and ever so quietly made my way over to where I shot him. I tried to look for blood but I couldn’t see any anywhere. I then got nervous thinking I missed or wounded him. When I couldn’t find any blood I decided to go to where I last seen him and his tail moving in the woods. I very slowly made my way over there, stopping every few steps to listen for movement; silence. I was inching my way closer to where I knew I last seen him and there he was. I could see the brown of his body laying in the ferns against the smallest pine tree. Immediately I stopped and I looked up to the sky silently saying thank you and dropped to my knees and thanked our earth. I stayed back for a minute to make sure he wasn’t moving or breathing then went up to him. There he was, beautiful, big body and 8 gorgeous points.