The Bucks May Fool the Meat Hunter But Not Mr. Terry

Let's say you aren't Mr. Terry, but a hunter with a Mossberg 30-30, laying across your lap. It's a chilly opening day morning in December, but compared to other first days, not bad. Leaning back against a tree, you close your eyes. Sleep would be good. You can feel the warmth of the sun. Suddenly, you hear leaves rustle. Your eyes pop open —  two deer are crossing a logging trail just in front of you — maybe thirty yards out —  oblivious to you and your Mossberg. Your heart is pounding. The deer pause in the blinding sunlight — but you can see well enough that the one on the left is a nice four point. A dandy! You ease off the safety and slowly bring your rifle up against your shoulder. You peer through the scope. You've got your eye on the buck to the left, looks like a four point, you think. Can't quite see the one on the right. Ah, that's all right, probably a she. You put the crosshairs on the buck on the left, and slooooooowly begin to squeeze...

Oh, no, wait. No, no, ease off the trigger — your mind screams at you. The buck on the right moved slightly and through the sunlight you see his rack. At least a six point. What a beauty! You quickly ease your finger off the trigger, take a deep breath, and shift the 30-30 to the right, putting the crosshairs on his neck. You start to squeeze and.....BAM. You just dropped an eight point. One shot. Glad you waited? Twenty seconds later, as you approach the dead buck, you hear...BAM, BAM, BAM, the four point bolted right into another hunter. Happens all the time in Northern Pennsylvania, when the men and women in the pumpkin suits take to the woods.

Meanwhile, come summer in Mr. Terry's neighborhood, the deer are plentiful. The two bucks up at the top were not killed in last December's opening day. They survived the freezer, and recently wandered into the sunlight in Mr. Terry's neighborhood. As did this proud doe, out in front of her baby, protecting it. The four deer in these photos did not escape the watchful eyes of Mr. Terry. They will live on again, until the the pumpkin suits return.

The End!
Mr. Terry
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