My First Wall-Hanger!

Fast Forward....I lost my PASSION for the Deer Woods during a BAD Chapter of my life...if you're interested you can read all about it @moglp.blogspot.com (Men Of GOD Living Proof) Once I got right with GOD I then began to enjoy LIFE AGAIN!  To me that means ...I got back to the GOoD ol'outdoors!  I was blessed to be able to hunt with my Big Brother & my Pop for a couple of years before tragedy struck and Pop died from a massive heart attack.  My heart was broken and HUNTING was as close as I could get to being with Dad.  It was Dad who put HUNTING in my soul and the outdoors were like Church to me.  I always felt closer to GOD when I was out in nature so my PASSION for hunting grew once again.
Pop died October 13th, 2004.  That year my Brother and I went on a weekend hunt in Mississippi in honor of Pop I took his Basket-Weaved Remington .30-06 Rifle...my favorite Rifle in the World.  I opted to put my Brother in my best box stand and I took the stand right next to him. It was stand #18 situated on a T-shaped food plot with the stand positioned at the top/center of the T.  The bottom of the T stretched the whole length of the road leading @750 yards down to where my Brother was hunting.  It was a cold November evening hunt and the wind was bad, blowing right back to where the deer bed.  Right when it got too dark to see down the whole lane my Brother said he was climbing down.  I guess I was day-dreaming because when the radio sounded I caught movement 15 yards right UNDER MY STAND almost!  My heart jumped out of my chest as I picked up Pop's rifle and to my delight ...he was a an AWESOME 8pt. BUCK!  Almost too close to shoot through the scope....I filled the scope with his chest and let it rip...the .30-06 let out a ROAR....and the buck DROPPED in his tracks!
After the shot (I think I scared the CRAP out my Brother!) I noticed a fork-horned buck coming from the right but the light was gone and all I could see was his silhouette except through the scope.  The Forky came an nudged the 8pt, apparently trying to get him up!?!?  Or maybe he was SHOWING Dominance?!?  Whatever....he was nudging the dead buck all the way UNTIL my Brother (with flashlight in his hand!) was 15 yards from them!  Finally, he took off into the deer woods!
I got down out my stand to celebrate my first Wall-Hanger and to honor the passing of both the 8pt Buck and my POP!  I know it was a gift from GOD to harvest that animal...I needed that hunt...I miss my POP and he left Earth a little too soon at 59 years young....but he left us a gift....a gift of the LOVE & Passion of the great outdoors....especially....Chasing the Elusive Whitetail Deer!