Jacob’s Hunting Adventure
Jacob liked to hunt. He often drove an ATV out into a secluded field, parked it, stalked into the woods, and waited for a large buck to appear so he could shoot it. He affectionately cleaned his gun when he returned from a hunt—he had bought it after saving for a year, and it was his most prized possession. He loved the woods, the animals, hunting, fishing, cleaning a kill, and, most of all, eating a kill. His dad always helped him skin them, and then Jacob and his mom would cook them up for dinner.
The Fall Hunt
It was fall when Jacob went on a hunt. That afternoon, he had packed up all his equipment and planned his route. Jacob would climb up the large mountain behind his family’s ranch and move along the mountainside until he reached the valley a few miles away. He would camp there overnight and then move down the valley in the morning to look for elk. He had heard from other hunters that the elk were abundant that year and hoped that would give him better chances.
The Night Camp
Setting out that evening, after the heat of the day had passed, Jacob began ascending the mountain. He picked his way along, dodging dangerous trails that had chances of landslides, and enjoyed the scenery as he did. Everything was red, yellow, or brown. Trees were just beginning to drop their leaves, and most still had colorful canopies. The birds were flittering between the ground and the branches, singing sweet songs. Jacob saw a groundhog scampering around one of the clearings as he marched along. It paid him no mind.
“He doesn’t even care I’m here,” he muttered.
Eventually, the sun went down behind one of the other mountains, dropping darkness over the landscape. Looking far below, Jacob could see his family’s ranch, which was lit up against the dark pastures. He came upon a spot near the curve of the mountain where his home would disappear from view and decided to camp there. It was a flat area between two stands of trees. Quickly setting up his tent, Jacob built a fire, loaded his gear into the tent, and began heating some meat for dinner. He dug around in the bushes for a few minutes and added some wild plants to his meat broth, which was boiling in a pot above the fire.
He ate a stew dinner and enjoyed the fresh air of the mountains. Finally, he crawled inside his tent, squirmed into the sleeping bag, and fell asleep.
The Next Morning
The next morning, he rose early and checked his gun. He chambered a bullet and put the safety on. Sliding the strap of the weapon over his shoulder, he pulled his camouflage vest over his shirt. Jacob sprayed some hunting deodorant on himself and his gun before slipping silently out of the tent. He quietly descended the landscape, stepping carefully and breathing rhythmically in the frosty morning air. The inside of his nose burned as his body adjusted to the chilly air. After a few minutes of sneaking down toward the valley on the far side of the mountain, he was acclimated to the environment, felt awake, and was anticipating the hunting rush.
The Elk Appears
Suddenly, the trees he was moving through opened onto a field. Jacob felt his breath catch in his throat. In the middle of the field, to the left of him, was the largest elk he had ever seen. It had a massive set of antlers and was grazing, unconcerned, in the grass. Jacob dove behind a log and calmed his shaking hands before slipping the gun off his shoulders. He took a deep breath, turned slowly to face the field, and lowered the gun to rest on the log. Stretching out to be able to see down the sights—he didn’t use a scope because they were really expensive too—Jacob accidentally crushed a few leaves. He winced and looked at the elk.
It raised its head, sniffed, and looked lazily back and forth in Jacob’s direction.
Then the bull elk began eating again.
Jacob propped the gun up, eased his arm forward, and put a finger on the trigger. He squeezed his left eye closed and put the sight just behind the giant’s shoulder. He was about to pull the trigger when the elk stopped and walked a few feet to the side. Now he was facing away from Jacob. He couldn’t get a shot. Annoyed, Jacob swallowed in a dry throat and began to army crawl along the edge of the trees. He managed to move ten feet further before the bull lifted its head and looked at him. Jacob froze like he was dead and laid there, unmoving, unblinking, while the beast stared him down.
After what seemed like ten minutes but was probably only about thirty seconds, the animal lowered its head and resumed its meal. Jacob leveled the gun against a tree and took aim carefully. He put the sight right behind the shoulder and inhaled deeply. The animal froze as Jacob sucked in a breath, but it didn’t matter because Jacob had already pulled the trigger; the bullet reached the elk before it could blink, entered its side, went through the heart, and exited in a splash of red.
The Kill
The bull jumped high and right, landed, ran for a few feet, and then fell. He laid still.
“Yes!” Jacob hissed triumphantly. “I got him! I got him!”
He jumped off the ground, put the gun on his shoulder, and ran toward his kill. He kneeled beside the great animal and thanked it for its sacrifice, like his granddad had taught him. Jacob ejected the shell, grabbed it as it fell, and placed it in his pocket, then put the safety on. He laid the gun on the ground.
