By Ryan Kirk

Two years ago I went on my first hunt. I had just passed a hunter safety course that year, so I was very excited. I was using a Remington .35. It was opening day, and Dad and I went out that morning and saw a little buck and a few does. I let those pass.

That afternoon we didn't see anything. I was starting to regret letting that little deer go. But that evening around 4:30, a big, tall 12-point buck came out. I was excited and tried to get situated to shoot, but the buck went back into the woods.

About five minutes later, the same buck came out again. I squatted down and aimed then I fired. The buck took off running, so I put another round into the chamber and fired again. It kept running. I had knots in my stomach, thinking that I missed. We waited about 30 minutes and then went to look for it.

We found the trail, so it gave me some hope and confidence that we would find my trophy. Dad and I tracked and tracked, but we could not find the deer. So we waited until the next morning and tracked a little more. We walked to a near by fence and asked the landowner if we could keep tracking my deer on their property. We were given permission, so we continued on. As we made it down to the bottom of a hill, we saw the white belly and finally found my deer.

This was the most excitement I have ever had in my life! I stayed by the deer while my dad went to get the truck. It got to below freezing, so we knew the meat was still good. We took the deer to show everyone in my family. I had taken the biggest deer in the family that year. The cool thing was I got a 12-point deer, and I was twelve at the same time. 

Looking back, it was a good thing that I let those first deer go. It all seemed to pay off. It was the best day of my life!

Ryan Kirk
New Bloomfield, Missouri