There are a lot of hunters that can look back on Thanksgiving with fond memories. It’s not just about the food and football, but about their hunts as well. While some hunt ducks, quail or squirrels, others head for their favorite deer stand on Thanksgiving morning. Today we’ll go back in time during the early ‘70’s on a hunt I’ll never forget.
Every year as far back as I can remember, my favorite time to go hunting was on Thanksgiving morning. There was just something special about this day and waking up early knowing that three good things were going to happen that day. First, I was going deer hunting looking to shoot a good buck. Next, I knew there would be one heck of a Thanksgiving spread waiting for me after the hunt.
This would be a meal that would include my mom’s tasty cornbread dressing, fresh brown gravy, candied sweet potatoes, green beans, hot butter top rolls, deviled eggs, and either a pan roasted turkey or, every once in a while, she would shake things up with oven baked Cornish hens. To wash all this down you could choose grape Kool-Aid or sweet tea. For dessert, there was a choice between sweet potato or pecan pie, along with mom’s famous fruit salad (which was better after day 3) covered in homemade whip cream topped with walnuts.
As you can see, there was no shortage of food. But the third thing I looked forward to, that Thanksgiving Day would not be complete without, was a Dallas Cowboys victory. Nothing was more satisfying after a great meal than watching the Cowboy’s destroy their opponent.
But let’s talk about a Thanksgiving hunt I will remember forever…my first buck at the age of 12. This particular morning the temperature was in the mid 40’s with sunny skies predicted. A great morning for blowing smoke as you sat on your deer stand. But this day had a different feel, a feeling of anticipation because I had already seen the buck I was after the weekend before.
It appeared to be a solid mature eight-point buck that I hoped would make his presence known. But for some odd reason, I decided not to sit in my stand which was in the woods at the top of a hill overlooking a creek. There was also a game trail crossing this creek that deer were using on a regular basis.
So, I set up at the base of a huge pin oak tree just 20 yards off the game trail. It wasn’t long (30 minutes) before I heard the sound of something crashing through the woods headed directly in my direction. As I peered through the dense wood cover, I saw the huge buck crossing the creek and coming straight at me. Then halfway up the hill, the big eight point stopped and locked up as if he knew something wasn’t right.
I knew at this point the deer had probably gotten wind of me. I sat motionless with the buck looking in my direction about 30 feet away pawing at the ground. At one point it was as if we made actual eye contact. While this seemed like an eternity, I don’t think I took a breath for at least two minutes.
Finally, the buck looked back in the direction he came from and that’s when I raised my Remington 308 rifle and fired one shot. The buck jumped in the air and whirled around and headed back across the creek. I thought, “Surely, I didn’t miss that buck!” I mean he was the biggest buck in the county in my eyes! But then I heard him hit the ground confirming that I had made a clean shot.
The man I was hunting with, who was a good friend of the family, heard my shot and came immediately. We slowly walked towards the deer as we crossed the shallow creek and there he was, a really nice mature eight-point buck that I thought was the same deer I had seen the weekend before.
To say this was my favorite Thanksgiving ever would be an understatement! I was so excited and could not wait to show the deer to my family and friends. This is just one story of many that so many hunters get to experience during this time of year.
It’s also another reason for all of us to be thankful, not just for the opportunity to go hunting, but for the time we get to share with each other. Till next time, good luck, good hunting, as I would like to wish each of you a happy Thanksgiving!
Contact Steve at sgraf26@yahoo.com
