arise, I tried to get comfortable and settled, hoping that another deer might still come our direction before daylight ran out. Imagine my surprise when about 20 minutes later, the SAME buck came out of the SAME spot in the trees on the SAME trail! I was really shaking this time, trying to stay still enough to avoid detection until I had opportunity to draw. The buck continued in the same manner, though perhaps more cautiously than the first time and proceeded to stop at the SAME spot, turn and continue to walk on the exact SAME course he had walked previously. I was thinking it was an impossible coincidence but also if it were happening again then I was absolutely meant to shoot this buck, as it was a replay of the previous scenario. However, as I again went to draw, somehow once more I was unable to complete my draw because of the same tree trunk. So once again my second interaction with this buck was an exact replication of my first and incredulously I watched him dash away completely unharmed toward his refuge. When practicing drawing in that direction I must have misjudged where he'd actually been or had the freedom of more motion when there hadn't been a target deer in the equation and I obviously was trying to avoid detection. I was incredibly disappointed as I correctly believed these two failed encounters were my opportunities of the year to complete my goal of shooting a Pope and Young whitetail. However, later in this same year while sitting a different stand by myself, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to shoot a whitetail doe from about 30 yards while she was quartering away after passing under my tree. It was a perfect shot that missed the heart but opened up the aorta at the top of the heart and the doe made it less than 60 yards before hitting the ground. This was my first big game animal and was an encouragement and a confidence builder. I realized that the opportunities do come, everything lines up and for a perfectionist that is important. I also came to the realization that usually those moments are extremely short and there is very little time to seize them and one has
to be prepared, physically and mentally to take advantage of those moments when every detail comes together to make a harvest possible. Sometimes the hunter even has the ability to make choices and change some of these variables themselves if they are quick thinking, have some past experience and are innovative. I know that the previous three experiences definitely conditioned me and helped me arrive in my fifth year a little more determined to seize that opportunity and make it happen because it wasn't just going to happen by itself. Following my third and fourth years, where I was able to put in little time because of the blessing of being pregnant with and the arrival of our second child, I had no opportunities on either does or bucks and once again postponed my goal for the following hunting season. I started this season out with little optimism, given the small amount of time I had to invest in the tree stand, as well as the large number of evenings that I sat a tree stand seeing nothing but the tree tops whipping wildly in the wind, as well as having a hard time getting into our stand in time because of dropping the kids off or getting out