On the Hunt

This week has been a wonderful change of pace for me. On Monday, I stepped outside of my normal ministry routine, trading my cell phone and lap top computer for some camoflauge and a 30-06 rifle. If that scares you, you're not alone...my wife has concerns as well!! Her father has been an avid outdoorsman for years with trophy animals that turn his living room into an entire zoo--while the only thing I've ever shot is a basketball!!

With temperatures hovering around 30 degrees, we headed toward the camp long before sunrise. I was dressed in so many layers of clothes that I knew if I fell down, there was no getting back up!! I sat in the deer stand, entertained by a family of squirrels and jumped at every noise I heard. It's amazing when the sun comes up how everything looks and sounds like a 10-point buck. I wanted to pull the trigger...just once!

After 3 hours of struggling to stay awake, it was time to call it quits--no buck and no luck. We decided to stay the afternoon and catch an evening hunt. At 2 minutes til 5, I heard some movement behind the trees in front of me and thought it was another squirrel family reunion. Only this time, it was big...it was brown...and it was going down!

When I lifted my gun to put him in my sights, he looked right at me. I froze. He stared. I could feel my heart beating in my chest--it was kind of like a matrix moment. He lowered his head to start eating again, so I put him right in my crosshairs and took a deep breath...POW! He ran 20 yards up the hill and laid down--it was a quick, painless trip to deer heaven, so please no hate mail from any animal rights activists!

After 10 years of being married to Rachel, I finally got my first deer. It's official...I'm now a legitimate part of the family!