Daddy and Hannah First Hunt

Sweat beads crawling down her face and mosquitoes biting the very hands that would end their pestilent existence were not enough to deter our young heroine on her maiden voyage to claim a trophy buck. Along with her inept guide, Hannah began her journey scurrying down the trail in search of the grassy knoll in which to ambush her prey. A scurry soon turned into a hushed scamper as the two entered the front door of a whitetail country. With sign prevalent and weary legs, the grassy knoll metamorphosed into a patch of dirt nestled between the aftermath of bovine breakfast and scrub brush with a canopy of cedar and oak. Now began the impossible task of a mannequin-like stealth that would not give away their location to the prey with a sixth sense. Suddenly, the unmistakable movement caught the attention of Hannah and the mannequin turned into a giddy little girl on a ride at Disneyland. With a whispered reminder from her guide that if you can see them, they can see you, Hannah did her best imitation of a Bass Pro Shop’s window display. They watched the unsuspecting wide eyed buck chase a doe with love in his eyes not knowing that today might be his last. The two soon disappeared into the safety of the woods and all was quiet once again. A squawk of a crow broke the silence and then the uneasy feeling of being watched. A slow glance towards the creek revealed the culprits; two pesky does. The camouflage did its best to hide the dynamic duo, but the does knew a sting operation when they saw one and pranced into some cover. Movement caught the eye of Hannah’s guide; the wide eyed buck had left his first love and was racing out of the woods straight towards the two does like a teenage boy at a school dance. The only problem was that Hannah was sandwiched between the buck and his next loves. Fifty, forty, thirty, twenty yards away and still coming, hand to hand combat might be Hannah’s only mode of defense. The little six pointer stopped dead in his tracks, an easy fifteen yard shot. Knowing the hunters were law abiding citizens, the little buck drew comfort in the fact that God had not blessed him with a legal rack and to boot his love interests warned him with a snort that the sting was on. Once again all was quiet. The sun began its descent into the horizon and God painted the sky in radiant beauty. The hunt ended in failure…. or did it? The quiet walk back allowed the two to ponder the day’s adventure and the bond created between a father and daughter in the splendor of God’s great outdoors. Not a failure indeed, the bond, the memory would last forever in the heart of our heroine. A fluffy little bunny nibbled grass along the trail leading home, another reminder of the beauty of nature. “Can you at least shoot the bunny?”