Webster's definition of redemption is above. I truly feel that we have conquered the giant. For that we are very appreciative. Thanks for the memories, Massey. You will not be forgotten.
Heart break, disappointment, grief. These are just a few of the emotions we have felt since our last meeting with our target buck. Don't get me wrong, we've been truly blessed beyond measure with an abundance of deer sightings and some really great bucks since this journey began in early November. But, I've never felt the raw emotions (in a hunting sense) that I felt after our last encounter with Massey. It's one thing when you lose a deer you've shot, but everyone with a child knows how much greater the pain is when your little one is hurt. I have dwelt over "the shot" thousands of times since November 24. Many days I found myself wondering where Massey was, if he was ok, if anyone would ever see him again. I would wonder, "What could we have done differently?" The heartache and anxiety only grew over Christmas as I checked the cameras I had placed in the area and there were no pictures of him on either. Honestly, I thought he was probably dead. All of that changed on December 27 at 4:15 pm with a simple text that read, "Grayson's buck just came out chasing a doe. He's limping a little but looks fine." Dad had made it up to the farm and slipped into the Owl Field, the same field Grayson had shot Massey from a month prior. The good news was we were leaving the following day for a long weekend of hunting and would have several chances at getting back on him.
We spent Friday morning chasing ducks, of which none were found, and made it back into the Owl Field around 2:30 Friday afternoon. It was as nasty of an afternoon as I've ever spent in a deer stand. I don't know if you can classify mist coming down in sheets...sideways...as mist, but it was rough. It was cold, wet and windy. We had good deer movement most of the afternoon and had a mature (4 year old) 5 point feeding at just over 100 yards for about an hour. We held off waiting for Massey to show, but the only other rack buck that showed was a very impressive 2 and 1/2 year old 8 point. He didn't cross the 100 yard line that I had set as a limit for shot distance. We saw close to 30 deer Friday afternoon but didn't see the one we were looking for. Saturday afternoon found us heading back to the same field and as we drove in I saw 3 deer already in the field. I could tell one had pretty decent horns so we began a stalk. We made it to the edge of the field and could tell it was Massey that had trumped our arrival. Even so, the stalk put us in a great position to get a shot. I got Grayson settled and propped against a tree but he just couldn't get the crosshairs to stay still and eventually Massey eased away, knowing something wasn't quite right. I was very optomisitic about the afternoon and felt he might return. We began seeing deer immediately and at 3:30 a nice 7 point came out chasing a doe at only 80 yards. I got Grayson's gun out of the window but the deer ran off, back into the thick WRP, seemingly spooked. I knew the wind was in our favor and I knew he hadn't seen us, as his attention had been fully focused on the doe. About that time, I heard our neighbors to the south (yes, the same one's that drove past me 4 times on December 22nd b/w 4:30 and 5:00) come riding in on their 4 wheelers. I want to thank you for parking DIRECTLY across from our field and unloading all of your gear and leaving your 4 wheeler sitting there for the rest of the afternoon. That was so thoughtful and kind of you. I do hope I can repay the favor some day. At this point I was livid. I tried to calm down and remembered everything happens for a reason, and quite possibly this deer had run off in order to give us a shot at Massey later on.
Fast forward to 4:28. 3 does had been feeding for some time and in an instant they all threw their heads up and looked to the north. I raised my binoculars to see a deer on the edge of the field and immediately recognized who it was. Massey had returned! He eased out, fed for a little while and bumped the does a bit. He stayed over the 100 yard line for 30 minutes. Finally right at 5:00 he began working parallel with us and closed the gap. He stopped right by the exclusion cage and I urged Grayson to take the shot so I would know exactly where he was if we needed to look for blood.
As Grayson finally put his hands around the horns, the emotion of it all began stirring inside of me. Absolute joy, happiness, and thankfulness for this blessing that God has granted us. Remorse and regret that the life of this competitor has ended. As a hunter, I'm sure you can identify with what goes on when you finally complete the journey. As my 5 year old son sat there and gazed at the beautiful buck lying before him, I thanked my God and my Savior for allowing us this incredible opportunity. For allowing me the opportunity to pass along this deeply rooted passion that I hold so dear. I thanked Him for my father who instilled the hunting gene in me. I thanked Him for the animals and encounters He has provided us with along this wonderful season. For the incredible time my son and I have spent in a deer stand. For the conversations of life and death. For the silly moments we've shared. For the memories we've created. Thank you for one more memory, Lord. You are to be praised.