By Shane Matuskovic

It was a dark and cold December morning in the woods near Vermont’s Green Mountains. Waking up at 3:30am sharp, I knew it was going to be a good morning.

Our land, about 45 minutes from our home, is located on the New York side of the Green Mountains – stretching from the top of the mountain to the swamp at the bottom of the valley. Upon arrival the first snowflakes of the year were starting. Walking out with nothing more than a light on my hat, I decided to set up along a partly frozen creek bed that ran out of the swamp at the bottom of the valley. After I adjusted my climber stand for the size of the big oak tree I was about to ascend, I realized it was starting to get first light. After hurrying up the tree and securing myself to it using my harness, I began to bring my rifle up. During this process I managed to drop my walkie-talkie out of my pocket. Due to the poor reception, it had a constant static that was ringing through the woods.

As the sun shed its first light through the trees, the snow fell harder.

“Boom”

I hear a shot ring off on the mountain. After waiting a few, I quickly climb down and retrieve the annoying walkie-talkie.

My stepfather was hunting with me that day. As he was sitting on the ground he had a coyote circle around him and come within twenty yards of him. It was still dark on his side of the mountain so he managed to shoot just low of the coyote, but enough to scare it off. After climbing down and back up, making enough noise to scare anything off in a five-hundred yard radius, I was sweaty and tired. Every hunter knows once you sweat in your layers, the longer you sit – the colder you’ll be.

The snow continued to fall. It was like a picture out of a winter wonderland book; snow falling, mounding up on my clothes, and all was quiet. Occasionally reaching over to clean off my scope lens that was getting filled with snow, I grew colder. Around 10:00am my stepfather radioed that he was going to work his way down to me, and for me to be ready if something runs down. I sat and waited with my gun on my lap. A few minutes passed and I heard something snap to my left. When I glanced over I was amazed to see a big bodied four-pointer looking right at me. Out of fear he might be spooked – I didn’t move. As I looked closer at him I noticed something wasn’t quite right. He put his head down and walked down the creek bank, where I saw his front right leg was broken.

He looked in pain.
It was a perfect broadside shot at 30 yards. I raised my gun, clicked off the safety, placed the crosshairs right behind the shoulder, and let a shot ring though the silent forest. See, this was about my second year of deer hunting with one of the nicest bucks I’ve seen and got to shoot.

My body was overcome with buck fever. Not knowing if I made the best shot I could I watched him run off up and over the hill in front of me. Another thing every deer hunter knows Is that you are surprised each and every time at how much adrenaline can do for these deer. They fight till they can’t anymore and that’s one thing you have to respect about these amazing animals.

I waited for my stepfather to come down the trail, following the deer’s bound marks. I remember him saying “We got blood!”, and I knew I pulled it off.

As I climbed out of the tree the snow began to taper off and the sun started to shine. We followed the blood trail to the top of the hill, where we found him under a pine tree. It was a proud moment for my stepfather because it was the first deer he personally was around to see me shoot and it was the nicest deer we had gotten off our property so far.

Looking back it’s amazing how much better I have become as a hunter, and I have my stepfather to thank for it. Without him I wouldn’t do what I love to do today.

Always follow your passions in life and do it with the ones you love.

Shane Matuskovic

Hey I’m Shane! I am a freshmen with a goal of completing my Environmental Science major and whatever else comes to interest me over the next few years. I live in South Glens Falls, New York (just south of Lake George) and love the area. I’m a huge Motor Head from Snowmobiling, riding ATVs, and Jeeping – which definitely makes the Adirondacks home to me! I came to enjoy my first semester at PSC and looking forward to the ones to come!