One of my least favorite things to see when bow hunting is a bunch of doe that comes in within fifty yards of my stand. I know that eventually I’m going to get busted. If I’m looking to take a doe, I might get a shot off. But no matter what, if they stay there long enough, I’m going to be discovered. It doesn’t matter if I’m wearing a deer hide underneath the best camo, while elevated thirty feet in the air, that one lone momma deer is going to sniff me out and let every other deer in three counties know I’m there. I don’t know how they do it, but they do. A five-year-old doe is impossible to hide from. She may not see you, but she’ll know you are there. I can remember one afternoon hunting with my muzzleloader. I was in a hunting house over a hundred yards from where several deer had come out to eat beans. Everything was fine, I thought. Most of them were feeding and there was one good buck that I had decided to shoot. I saw this doe easing away from the herd and to my right. But she was still over fifty yards away. I paid no attention to her as I stuck my gun out the window to get a careful aim at my potential buck. After getting comfortable with my shot, I preceded to squeeze the trigger. But nearly the exact time I pulled, she let out a field-clearing blow that caused my target to jump like he had stepped on a Black Mamba. And not only did the buck jump, but I nearly hit my head on the roof of my blind. Perfect timing for everyone but me. I was busted by a doe with some kind of extraterrestrial sixth sense. If I had just been more aware of her, maybe I would have done something different. I do know this; however. I should have paid more attention to what was going on around me before I acted on what was going on in front of me. That’s actually great advice for everything I do. I need to pay attention to what is going on around me before I act on what is going on in front of me. This reminds me how my decisions affect others. It reminds me of my responsibility for my influence. It reminds me that as a follower of Christ, I am to put others first because that’s what Jesus did and called me to do. And it reminds me that when I pay attention to what’s going on around me, I more fully understand the cost of my actions. And they all have a cost. Sometimes it’s losing a trophy buck, and sometimes it’s losing a trophy far greater.
Gary Miller
gary@outdoortruths.org
Gary Miller has written Outdoor Truths articles for 21 years. He has also written five books which include compilations of his articles and a father/son devotional. He also speaks at wild-game dinners and men’s events for churches and associations. Stay updated on Outdoor Truths each week by subscribing at Outdoortruths.org