Composition 1 Between Life and Death
The first time I went hunting, I quickly learned that being aware of your surroundings is very important to having a safe hunt. There are many dangers that you must know how to deal with while hunting for wild animals. Hunting requires extreme caution. Many people think they know everything there is to know about the dangers of hunting, some even do it after consuming alcohol, but what many people do not really understand is how to get out of these dangerous situations. I had to solve a dangerous problem that I did not think would ever happen, to save my best friend.
Dustin and I were invited to go hunting with his Dad and some of his Dad’s friends. I had just gotten a shotgun for my birthday, and I wanted to finally put it to some use. We set out to his Dad’s friend’s lease just outside a small town near San Angelo. I was excited to learn how to shoot a gun and, hopefully, be able to hunt my first dove. After hours of driving, we finally arrived at the lease. It was like something I had never seen. There were retired school busses pushed side-by-side in a square, turned into something like cabins. The owner of the lease had built bunk beds up and down both sides of the four school busses. We unpacked our things onto the busses, and Dustin’s dad took out his handgun. He showed Dustin and I how to handle it, unload it and shoot it. We shot the handgun at targets for a while, and then we began to practice shooting our shotguns. His dad started launching clay pigeons and we would try to shoot them. We tried and failed for a while when, finally, we began to hit almost every one. I was excited that I was catching on so fast. When Dustin’s dad thought we were ready, we went out to hunt doves. Dustin’s dad taught us many things about safety and how to properly handle a shotgun while we were walking around. We walked for fifteen minutes until we got to the location we wanted to hunt at. We would walk around and look for doves in the sky. Throughout the day, I saw a couple of doves fly by every now and then; sometimes I would hit, sometimes I would miss. When dusk fell upon us and we decided to head back to camp, I had acquired three doves. I was proud of what I got for my first day hunting. When we got back to the camp a cold front rolled in. It had to be at least negative five degrees Fahrenheit with a very intense wind. A couple of guys that were already there were sitting around a fire they had going to keep themselves warm. Dustin and I sat around for a while until we got cold and bored. We wanted to go back out to hunt and explore the lease to keep our minds off of how cold we were. We asked if we could go out hunting again, and Dustin’s dad said he would take us out in a little. He said there were some coyotes that were scaring off the deer and he wanted to get rid of them before deer season rolled around. Luckily, the owner of the lease had an all terrain vehicle that looked like a four-wheeler and a golf cart combined that would help us round up the coyotes. We gathered up our guns, loaded up some ammo, and took off into the cold darkness. Little did we know that our night had just begun. We rode around for what seemed like hours, looking for any sign of coyotes.
Eventually, Dustin’s dad stopped near a small pond because he thought it was the best place to look, since it was the only water source in miles. We all sat in different spots so we could cover more ground. It was quiet and it was just us, the moon and, the stars. It was very peaceful, and it felt like I could see the whole universe. I had never seen anything so unbelievable. There were so many stars out that it allowed us to see through the darkness ever so slightly. We waited in the freezing weather while Dustin’s dad began to make baby coyote sounds. It was but ten minutes before we started to hear the howls of the elder coyotes. It was an eerie sound, and quite terrifying especially since we were in the dark woods by ourselves. Dustin’s dad called over to us and told us to follow him. Dustin and I followed behind him until he stopped. He turned to us and explained that we needed to corner the coyotes. Dustin and I exchanged an unsure look that ensured one another that his dad was insane. It was our first day hunting and we were going to attempt to corner some coyotes. I had a bad feeling about this; but it sounded fun so we agreed to try. Dustin’s dad asked us if we had listened to all his lessons he had given us earlier that day. We both nervously nodded back. We had no idea what was about to happen but we were both on our toes with excitement. Dustin’s dad threw together a plan and we listened closely. His plan was to split up and encompass the coyotes into a corner. I only wished that it could be as simple as that. Yet, I agreed to be in the middle and Dustin and his dad were on opposite sides of me. So we spread out about fifteen feet away from each other and walked in a line until we got close to the coyote pack. Dustin’s dad gave us the signal and we began to circle around them. The next thing I know, I hear Dustin step on a twig, not just any twig, but the twig that just gave away our location to the vicious coyotes. It was so loud you could have probably heard it from miles away. All of the sudden, I began to hear one of the three coyotes growling and walking in Dustin’s direction. I saw Dustin drop his gun and start running in the opposite direction as his dad fired off two shots. My mind was racing, and out of the confusion, I see the coyote run in Dustin’s direction. I quickly looked around to see where Dustin’s dad was. I couldn’t find his dad but I saw two dead coyotes lying in a pool of their own blood. Dustin’s dad shot them with such accuracy that I knew I was safe from any other coyotes. I then began to chase after Dustin and the coyote that followed him. I was panicking, trying to find where he could be and contemplating if he was safe or dead. I ran for five minutes until I heard a slow, deep growl coming from the other side of the brush. It all happened in slow motion as I made my way through the thick brush, and see Dustin backed into a corner. He had no gun and nowhere to go. You could tell by the look on his face that he was scared for his life. I knew I couldn’t just shoot at the coyote or I would risk shooting Dustin as well. So I slowly crept around some trees so I could get a good shot without putting Dustin’s life at risk. I aimed in on the coyote and then I yelled at Dustin to duck behind a nearby tree. The coyote looked over in my direction and Dustin followed my orders. When Dustin ducked the coyote quickly focused back in on Dustin. I remembered everything I learned that day and, as the coyote jumped at my friend, I took the shot that meant life or death. Everything was still for a moment and I was scared that either I was to late or I missed the shot. My heart pounded as I ran over to where Dustin was and saw him pressed up against the side of a tree trunk with his eyes tightly closed. I looked down and saw that the coyote had fallen and was now surrounded in a pool of its own blood. His dad heard the shot and ran over to where we were. Dustin’s dad saw the coyote was dead and his son was safe. He patted me on the back and said, “Thank you Brian, well done.” We were all so relieved that everyone was safe, and that we also completed what we set out to do. We got back in the all terrain vehicle and drove back to the camp. We told everyone back at camp what had happened and they were very surprised that I knew how to handle a situation like that on my first day hunting. I was just glad that my best friend was safe. I learned a lot that day. I learned that you always have to be smart and to be aware of your surroundings. It was a close call and I am glad we made it out of there safely. I will never forget that day and how it taught me to be a safer hunter and never to hunt after dark. It is a story I can one day tell my kids about, so that when they want to go hunting they will know the dangers of hunting wild animals and how to prevent themselves from being placed in harms way.