I’ve lived in West Virginia a good portion of my life, growing up in Peachtree Hollow. That being said I used to love hunting and consider it a very important part of our heritage. The only reason I say used to is because I just don’t have the stomach for it any more. Or the heart to be completely honest.
This is why…
I have killed one deer in my life. It was during deer season but I wasn’t actually deer hunting. I had a 22 magnum and was out for an early morning squirrel hunt. I like squirrel hunting with a 22 caliber because the way I shoot they probably have better than a 90% chance of survival.
At any rate, a few days earlier I had had a discussion with a friend about whether or not you could kill a full sized deer with a 22 magnum. They said that yes you could but I was doubtful. I had never seen or heard of anybody doing it.
I had just gotten into the woods. I was gone from the house maybe twenty minutes. I was standing on a flat at the base of a ridge with a ravine to my right that was about five feet deep and fifteen feet across. It was basically a dry creek bed running out of the hollow between two ridge lines. My destination was about a hundred yards into the swag between the ridge lines from where I was standing. As I have stated in earlier posts, I move slowly in the woods. I was just scanning the trees ahead of me for the tell tell signs of a squirrel, You know, the fluttering of leaves in the trees on a windless day. Or the early morning downpour of the morning dew as the squirrels jump from one tree to the next. And of course the barking.
I was thinking only of squirrels when I heard movement on the ridge line on the far side of the ravine. I stood there for a while listening to its approach. I knew what it was by the sound of its walking in the dry leaves. Hesitant, not in a hurry, and obviously heavy. I couldn’t see it for a long time. But he was definitely headed in my direction. On the other side of the ravine was a flat like the one I was standing on. To give you a better visual, the ravine cut one big flat down the middle. Anyway, this whole area is covered with dogwood trees. As I stood there and watched a very nice four point buck emerged from the dogwood on the other side of the ravine.
The words, “you can kill a deer with a 22 magnum” kept bouncing around in my head from the minute I was sure of what it was. I had never killed a deer after years of halfheartedly hunting them. That was my justification for putting the gun to my shoulder and firing a single shot into the bucks chest. I don’t think I had even released the trigger before I regretted shooting him. The deer ran through the ravine and about fifteen feet to my side and he collapsed. He was dead when he hit the ground.
I was sorry and relieved at the same time. Sorry because I even tried to kill him with a weapon that I didn’t really think could do the job. I was relieved because he died quickly. So basically, YES you can kill a deer with a 22 magnum.
Since I had never killed a deer before I was unsure of what to do about it. So, since I was five minutes from the house, I went to call a friend that was an avid deer hunter. He was there in fifteen minutes armed with his own rifle. He was going to help me then do some hunting for himself.
We had just gotten to where my deer lay when I looked fifty yards up the hollow. There stood another four point that could have been the spirit of this one. It appeared nearly identical. My friend put his gun to his shoulder and fired. His aim was not quite so true. He hit the deer but we had to track him about two hundred yards into the next hollow. His deer could have very well been the brother to the other deer. Anyway, with my friends help, both were field dressed and taken to be tagged. It was during the field dressing that I realized just how much I didn’t have the stomach for it. My friend took care of that nasty affair.
I did butcher the deer I shot. Under the careful eye of the experienced. I do absolutely love the taste of deer meat (venison).
So with that, I am in no way against hunting. I encourage hunting, it is a part of our heritage. I just personally don’t do it anymore.
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