hunter/ gatherer

[photo reluctantly taken by amanda, from a distance]

yes, that is me pictured above... the cold hearted bastard that shot bambi. actually, his name was frank. while at the farm in iowa, david [amanda's grandpa] took me out on their land, determined for me to shoot my first deer. we went out just before nightfall & waited at the edge of the timber, where the deer warily emerge at dusk to try to find beans & corn that were not harvested. what a surprise to find me waiting in the bushes! as i lined the crosshairs up just behind his front shoulders & pulled the trigger, with a puff of white smoke & loud bang, frank met his end. actually, he apparently jumped up in the air [i didn't see for a second because i was still looking through the scope & the smoke obscured my view] & with all the other deer, scrambled for cover. i watched as he [or what i later realized was him] ran off into the brush more slowly than the rest, but wasn't sure in all the confusion of 4 or 5 deer which was which. david & i looked all around the bean field, but i finally decided to go back & follow where i saw the slow deer go in. about 20 yards in, near a barbed-wire fence i could see the white of his belly lying on the ground. up to this point, i thought i had shot a doe. i approached & was relieved to find that he was already dead, & not struggling or in pain. i stood over him for a moment to kind of take it in, but i felt nothing. no bloodthirsty thrill of the kill, no overwhelming sorrowful remorse for what i had done. everything was very still & quiet. i bent down & patted him, told him i was sorry, & then went to find david who was still looking on the other side of the field. i'll spare you the details of field-dressing, skinning, & cleaning... but needless to say, it was an experience i won't soon forget. by the way, this was not just a sport-kill, we will be eating the spoils of this victory, i'm told iowa deer taste much better than those from around here because they are corn-fed... then again, iowans think all the crap that comes from their state is better. maybe its because they are corn-fed...