After three and a half seasons accompanied in the deer stand and my first doe at the end of last season, I finally earned the chance to sit by myself. This is a huge deal! Not only are my gun safety and hunting skills trusted, it gives us double the chances of shooting something during each sit. Because the new scope on my .243 has yet to be sighted in, I sat the 5-acre where I could use my Mossberg. However, I borrowed a Savage .270 just in case. After an eventful ride up to the land (a couple lost their 4-wheeler off the back of a trailer and we helped put it back on) I got settled into the blind a little after 5. It was weird being by myself but it was a lot more roomier. I practiced drawing both guns up to the shooting rail and checked out the view through the scope. Then I set them both in arm’s reach, grabbed my binoculars, and settled in. Just before six, a doe walked in from the right corner to the edge of the cotton, which makes for a perfect shot from this leftie. Ehhhhhh, it was a small doe. I’d probably take the shot if it was the last week of the season. I picked up the rifle to get a better look. Ehhhhhh. Maybe it was bigger than I thought. But let’s hold on to see if anything bigger comes behind it. Wait! Are those horns? I was already nervous enough to have a doe in my crosshairs but then to learn it wasn’t a doe but a cowhorn instead. Since it was a cowhorn I waited to receive confirmation to take the shot. When I got the go ahead I double-checked the horns in my scope, then remembered I was holding a gun which I had shot once 2 years ago that recently had a trigger modification. But it was now or never. I slowed my heart rate, held my breath, and squeezed the trigger. I didn’t feel the kick of the rifle but I also didn’t see what happened to the cowhorn. If I didn’t drop him in the cotton I didn’t know which way he ran. I waited it out about 20 minutes before grabbing my shotgun and climbing out of the stand. When we were a few yards away from the spot I could see his white belly. I may have jumped and squealed. But you’ll never know for sure. I released the harness strap on my holstered .45 while I poked at the cowhorn with the barrel of my shotgun (it sure is nice being ambidextrous). I’ve heard my fair share of horror stories where deer just refuse to die so I was taking precautions. But this one was a goner. My first drop and my first buck all in one. It was nice not having to track and the drag wasn’t as long. But throwing that thing into the back of a jacked-up truck… #struggle. I was so excited to get to the processor and show Mr. Linder my first buck but he wasn’t there. Linder’s was backed up so we didn’t get it weighed, almost forgot the antlers, and completely forgot about a bag of blood. I guess I’ll just have to kill another buck 🙂 and I think I’ll be upgrading my rifle too.