Kim Jenniges waits on her first buck
There are moments in everyone’s life that are unforgettable. For myself, as a woman, there are the classics; my wedding day and the birth of my children, just to name a couple. In between those moments, there are many days that simply fly buy. Life moves so fast that we do not remember the little things. Then, you get in that stand and begin your hunt. It is just you and nature, listening, waiting, and watching. This year’s hunting experience turned into one of those unforgettable moments.
This year it seemed that all I was doing was waiting. My husband would go out any given evening and would see countless deer. I would go out the next evening at maybe even the same location and see nothing. Yes, nothing. That is why they call it hunting, not shooting, he would say. For those of you that know me, you can imagine the expression on my face when he says this. But, of course, he was right and the waiting paid off.
On October 24th at about 6:19 PM, I shot my first buck with my bow. There are not a lot of people that can say that, present readers aside. I remember every moment of that experience, specifically the constant shaking throughout my entire body. Every word of advice from fellow hunters running through my head and it happened. Every minute of waiting and it happened. I was delirious (just ask my husband). I called him and I could not get the story out fast enough. My first buck was dead, laying 23 yards away. I can still see him lying there. WOW!
I want everyone to recall the first major feat in hunting and hold onto that. It has been a couple weeks now, I still replay every second in my mind, and I want to tell everyone that I run into. Reminisce about those experiences and make sure to tell them to our young archers out there! I know my son wants to know. He is 2 ½ now and the first thing he told everyone the next morning was “Look! I got blood on my shoes! Mommy shot a big buck.” I think he has an excellent future in hunting. I hope he can wait!
