My first time!

It’s December. It’s cold up here on the hill. Nothing like January or February in Rochester, but cold enough to need layers. I have been up here a few times before. I’ve hunted up here. But this is my first time experiencing gun season in the winter up on the hill. The boyfriend doesn’t trust me in the stand with him during gun season yet. Claims there isn’t enough room if something walks by. That’s ok I’ll sleep in.

His father awake around 8:00, now two hours my boyfriends been out in the stand. I hear a radio playing in the background. I decide to stay in bed because his father is not the morning type. I let him drink his Coffee, read his paper, and listen to his music. Once I hear the door open I’ll go out, unless Steve decides to stay in the stand all day, if that’s the case I’ll go out into the living room around 10.

10:00 hits and I’m sick of laying in bed, I venture out into the living room to watch some hunting shows.  Being way out in the middle of no where all you can get is satellite. I keep quiet in hopes of not awakening the beast just a few feet away at the dinning room table watching the same show as me.

11:00 rolls around and Steve walks in with his rosey read cheeks mumbling something about how cold it is out there, he didn’t see one animal, and his scope died.

After a quick nap we take a trip into town about a half hour away, and down the hill. We find the battery he needs for his scope and continue to look around the dollar general just for something to do. After what was probably only 20 minutes we head back up the hill to the cottage so steve can go out for the afternoon hunt.

He suits up and heads out while I hang out with his dad again. This time a bit more chipper because he has a few beers in his system. We talk about this and that and then I head outside for a smoke. As I stand by the fire pit covered in snow I look up and see what looks like a spec of brown walk by in the distance, I pay it no mind and continue with my smoke.

BAM….. BAM the sound of a gun goes off twice maybe 40 seconds after I saw that brown spec. “What the fuck! I think that was Steve!” I think to myself. Over joyed I run inside. His dad looks at me with excitement and says “Did he get one?” “I don’t know!” I respond. As I finish my sentence my phone rings. “Tell my dad to get out here I got a buck!” I hear on the other end. “Ok” I say as I hang up “He got one, and he wants you out there!” I tell his dad. His dad grabs his coat and rushes out the door to go find Steve in the woods. I quick throw my boots on, not even tieing them in hopes to not miss a thing!

I quick run through the semi thick snow with hopes to catch up to his sluggish dad. I get to the pond where I see Steve grabbing the deer by his antlers and pulling him out of the shrubs. His dad a few feet away from me. “Good job boy!” I hear his dad tell him “Now let’s get to work he says.”

I am just so over whelemed with excitement I don’t really hear any of the conversation that’s occurring. I stay a bit away as well not sure of what I’ll see. I just take my time. I walk slow making sure the deer that’s currently looking at me with his tongue flopped to the side is truly dead. I know Steve has mentioned that they smell when they are being gutted so I keep a bit aways because of that.

I watch everything. Take it all in. His father cuts the deer and rips the skin apart, reminded me of a zipper being pulled apart instead of being unzipped. He then cracks through the deers ribs, I’m sure I heard a sound but I was so taken back by his father talking about getting to the heart and finding a place to put it so we could bring it back to the cottage and put it in the fridge.

Oh fuck there’s the heart! “You want me to what?” I yell to Steve. “We need you to hold it while we finish gutting the deer.” He replies. Great, now I get to carry this guy’s heart.

The boys finish up and leave the gut pile laying there while Steve drags the deer back to the cottage. He explains to me how they leave it there and the coyotes and raccoons will come and eat it, so no damage done there.

A warn out breathless Steve arrives at the cottage with his deer while Mike pulls up the drive way. I head into the cottage to get warm and analyze everything I just saw while the boys lift the spike up facing head down to get the remaining blood out.

The boys come in and congratulate Steve on his kill, and talk about the food he can make with his meat. I just think oh my God. This has been the best day of my life! I’m not one into killing things or watching things die but to know his meat will be eaten and used I’m ok with that. This is my first time ever experiencing any of this, and it made me look at my man in a whole new way. It’s as if I fell in love all over again!

“Will you be coming to my dad’s tomorrow to watch me prepare the meat?” Steve asks me. “Sure.” I respond. Not knowing what I’m in store for tomorrow we sit down to some dinner and a few drinks before bed.

Sence Steve got a deer yesterday we get up and get ready to head home. The men take the deer down and put it in Mike’s truck bed to bring to Steve’s dad’s. We head home to unload the car, unpack,  and shower before we head to his dad’s.

A few hours pass and we’re at his dad’s. I sit here in amazement as I watch this animals fur and skin just get pulled back off his body. It’s really quiet amazing. He then begins to cut the meat off of the deer, something I didn’t think my stomach could handle, but oddly enough I was amazed!

This whole experience has been with out a doubt one of the best I have ever had! Maybe not for everyone esspecially the weak stomached, but something I am so glad I got to experience. A day I will never forget!