Deer Hunt Teaches To Never Give Up

It was 6:00 o’clock that morning. The alarm clock was making the noise of an airplane roaring through the sky. I leaped out of my bed as I was rubbing the gritty, sleepy sand out of my eyes. I did not get much sleep last night because I was so excited about the next morning to be going hunting by myself. It was the only weekend that I have had time to go, and I was not going to waste any time to go down to the woods. I got dressed as fast as I could.

I quietly walked downstairs and throughout the house, trying not to wake anyone up. As I walked outside, there was a sudden breeze of chill that ran up my spine. Then, I went back up to my room, still being as quiet as I could, to grab a coat to beat the coldness. When I got back outside, I grabbed the gun and was ready to go. From this point on, it was silence and silence only. If there was a deer within a quarter of a mile, it could hear me.

Gavin Newton with the Putnam County 8-pointer he killed on Nov. 7, 2020 that taught him a life lesson about never giving up on what you do.

Trying to make as little noise as possible, I was walking alone to the deer stand: up the hill I walked, around the pond, across the field, toward the deer stand. Then out of nowhere, two big does ran right in front of me, flashing their bright white tails and blowing as they ran off in the distance.

So, I get to the stand as quick as I could, not even looking back. As I climb into the deer stand, lucky for me, I did not spook any more deer. As I glance to the east, I see light from the sky, which can only mean one thing— shooting hours have officially started.

Everything was quiet—too quiet for me. Then out of nowhere it started to rain. I thought that it was hopeless now. As soon as it stopped raining, I got out of the deer stand to head back up to the house. Out of nowhere was the loudest deer grunt that I have ever heard. That could only mean one thing. There is a buck close, and it is a big one.

So, I go back into the stand as quickly as I could. Then in less than 10 minutes, out walked a gorgeous 10-point buck. I picked up the gun, had him in the sights, and then he just disappeared behind the hill, and I did not see him anymore. I set the gun down in a disappointed mood. I looked up and to my surprise, a big 8-pointer walked out. I was determined that I was not going to let him get away like the last one. He stopped in good shooting range and POW. He ran off as quick as he came in.

I got out of the blind as quick as I could and got to the spot where I shot the big buck, trying to see if I could see any signs of blood or a trail for me to follow and try to find him. Unfortunately, there wasn’t.

I decided to walk for a few more minutes in the direction that he ran off. I didn’t see him or any sign of a hit anywhere.

I walked back up to the house very mad at myself but also excited. Thinking to myself that I knew I had the sights right on the big buck. So I went back down there one more time to look and started where I left off looking last time.

Not even 20 yards from where I started walking, I saw something lying down under the bushes, beside a big oak tree, in a ditch. I was speechless as a baby with a colorful lollipop. It was him, the big 8-pointer. There was a sigh of relief that rose throughout my body as I started to jump up in excitement and joy.

I wondered what if I had gone home after it stopped raining and just quit? I would not have this beautiful deer that I do right now. That is the reason that you should never give up on what you do.

GON Junior Reporter: Gavin Newton

Gavin Newton, 15, of Eatonton, is a 10th grader at Putnam County High School and wrote the above essay for Mrs. El-Kadi’s English class to share a lesson he learned from his personal experience as a hunter. He is a member of the Beta Club, National Honor Society and the PCHS baseball team. Gavin has been hunting and fishing all his life and spends most of his time outdoors. Bass fishing on Lake Sinclair in the spring is his favorite because the fish are bedding and active. He also likes to deer hunt and hunts as often as he can.