Opening day of deer season found me in quite possibly the best mood I’d been in since opening day last year. Deer hunting is definitely a passion of mine, to say otherwise would be an out and out lie.

As I sat in the pre-dawn darkness I closed my eyes, and drifted back in time. Vivid memories of past hunts came streaming through my mind like video clips from the outdoor channel. Somewhere in the middle of my enchanted moment I heard the unmistakable sound of deer traveling through dry leaves. It was still dark! This could not be happening. I soon could make out the dark outlines of their bodies as they fed all around me. Every time a breeze would blow, dozens of acorns would fall to the ground. My only hope, was that they would continue to feed, unaware of my presence until I could see well enough to possibly make a shot. I could hear them walking, and make out the outlines of 7 deer but that was it. They were feeding slowly around and under the tree i was perched in, not more than 30 yards away. It was only a matter of time and I would soon be busted.

My heart was racing like the last lap at Daytona, but I still couldn't see well enough to tell if any of them had antlers. Daylight was slowly taking over, when all of a sudden there he was. Adrenaline flooded every fiber of my body, I was sure the whole tree was shaking. At one point his head went behind a big oak, I stood up slowly and drew back my bow. My sites were barely visible as he stepped into view. My dad used to say “take a deep breath and let out half of it before you shoot.” At this particular moment that would not apply, I wasn’t breathing! There was no way I could wait any longer, he had just eaten his last acorn. The woods exploded, as a 125 grain Thunderhead connected with the impact of a scud missile. After a short recuperation period, I climbed down. By now it was daylight and all my surroundings seemed very different. I went directly to where I thought he had been standing when I shot. No blood. I searched for several minutes in the same vicinity, no blood, no arrow, no nothing. I kept going over the scenario, and kept coming up with the same answer. He was standing right here! I looked for nearly an hour, searching far and wide for some sort of sign as to which way he had gone. This just could not be, I I heard the whack of the arrow hitting him and even if I hadn’t, I don’t usually miss at 25 yards.

Disappointment was quickly replacing the adrenaline that had taken hold of me earlier. There had to be some blood somewhere, but I couldn’t find it. Three hours later I was still looking. My manhood was severely damaged, don’t ask me how but I had missed. It’s one thing to hunt hard all day and never see anything, but this was more than I could stand. What a pathetic sight I must have been packing up, and heading back to the truck. I was so downtrodden at that moment I believe I would have traded my bow for a lawnmower or worse yet maybe even a vacuum cleaner.

As I walked along kicking leaves, I must have resembled a little leaguer who had just struck out to lose the game. As I stomped and kicked, I stumbled right onto the blood trail. I let out a triumphant yell from the pit of my soul. Fifty yards later, I found my trophy piled up in a laurel thicket. I had gone from miserable to totally elated in the blink of an eye. What a wonderful feeling, to have my manhood back.

A couple of years later I found myself miserable and downtrodden once again. This time it had nothing to do with hunting, it was in my everyday life. I was missing something but didn’t know what it was, or why I was missing it. I wasn’t happy though I really had no reason not to be. I was just stomping through life with hell as my final destination until the glorious day when I “stumbled across the Ultimate Blood Trail.” The day I came to know Jesus Christ. I was a sinner, but was told in spite of all the wrong I’d done, Jesus still loved me. I had never been that bad of a person, yet I’d never been saved either. Luke 15:7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. Jesus Christ started convicting my heart through my wife. I saw so much joy in her that it nearly made me sick. Always nice, constantly smiling, faithfully attending church, continually praying, willing to help others regardless of personal sacrifice. These were attributes I could definitely live without. Not me, I was a deer hunting, outdoor loving, trout fishing, “Man's Man.”