Body:
To a 10 year old boy, hunting was equally exciting as it was scary. Although the morning weather was bitter cold, and my bed was warm and comforting, I eagerly got out bed and dressed myself for the big day with my grandfather. On the ride to our deer camp, my grandfather told me about how he was raised when he was little, …show more content…
There are no outside distractions, so it’s just you and your thoughts. As I sat patiently in the bitter cold winter weather of north Mississippi, I began to notice things around me. I saw raccoons moving about, squirrels scuttering around hurriedly trying to stock up as much food as possible, and birds flying from tree to tree almost as if they were socializing. These woods were a community to the animals inside it. A living breathing community that I would have never noticed If I didn’t take the time to listen. I was so focussed on all the animals around me that I didn’t notice the deer that had just walked out 25 yards from my …show more content…
I slowly moved my hands towards it. My hands were trembling tremendously, though I wasn’t sure if it was from fear or excitement. As I aimed in on the animal, I noticed some features that really opened my eyes up. I saw a small brown patch of fur on the animal’s neck, I saw two black eyes that almost looked like huge marbles, and I saw bits of grass hanging from its mouth. It was at this moment that I finally understood life. This creature was just living its own life. All the animals in those woods were. I almost didn’t take the shot, but I soon concluded that I myself was just living my life, and part of my life meant killing this deer. I gently squeezed the trigger like my grandfather had shown me in the past, and in an instant the deer was down. I don’t remember the gun making a sound, all I remember is the kick of the rifle and my grandfather patting me on the back yelling with excitement and congratulating me. Everything was different for me after that moment.
When I approached the lifeless body, I examined it closely. It was a clean shot right to the heart. The deer died almost instantly, which is what I intended. As we loaded the body onto the truck, I began thinking even more. Although I’m not a deer living in the woods, my life could end just as unexpectedly as the deer I killed. Just like that, another realization came to my