Shane has his eyes trained on the buck. They’re across a small draw from one another, the buck stiff and straight as if startled. That’s because he is startled, by my ultralight, loud-as-fuck rain gear pushing through the small wall of trees separating me from the clearing I thought was empty.

From my position, the buck is bedded behind a bush about 5 yards away. I successfully snuck within tackling distance, but the sound of my rain gear against branches roused him from bed.

I’m halfway through the trees, eyes locked with the largest deer I’ve ever seen, his antlers gaudy and massive, pointed in my direction from 15 feet away. There’s no shot from here. Not knowing what to do, I slowly begin to Homer Simpson back into the trees. As soon as we break eye contact, he spooks, galloping uphill.

Shane and I reconvene where the buck had been, sharing stories of our perspectives. Shane couldn’t see me, and I couldn’t see him. After some minutes of waiting, we continue uphill in pursuit of our quarry.

Another clearing. I go left, Shane goes right. Fresh tracks in the mud punctuate a faint game trail headed uphill above the clearing. I follow it, staring hard at the ground, imagining the animals that left the prints.

I see movement and look up to see a buck staring at me broadside with a clear shooting lane. It’s a different one. We’re close, maybe 30 yards. An arrow is already nocked, and I know he’s about to spook. I draw and shoot hastily, floating an arrow barely over his back.

I’m shaking wildly, some from the cold and some from the intensity of trying to murder an animal larger than myself. That was a terrible shot.

The buck takes a few steps, unsure of the twang of the string and the flash of the arrow, but stops again and looks back. He’s closer than 30 yards, more like 20. Frantically, another arrow gets nocked. I draw and this time, remembering my limited practice, I take a breath, close an eye, settle in.

The buck arches into the air and takes off in a dead sprint downhill toward the creek we’d come up. I think I saw red, but I’m not sure.