Our family recently lost our 8 yr old Shih Tzu “Kodi”. He came to us 6 years ago and quickly became a loved member of our family. After a successful bow hunting season last year we discovered that Kodi enjoyed pepperettes. Actually he would literally go nuts if they were even in a fridge. Like a cat and catnip. Recently Kodi developed kidney stones. After a successful surgery the problems persisted and on the 9th of Dec he had to be put down. I was with Kodi when it was done. Was one of the hardest thing I have had to do. Many kind words followed from family and friends…. “It was the right thing to do”, “He’s in a better place”, “He’s looking down on us and is happy”.
Up until this past weekend my 2010 deer hunting season has been one of missed deer and long hours in one tree or another. I started bow hunting last year and managed to bag two deer and a turkey with my Horton crossbow. This year I upgraded to an exomax and was looking forward to the hunt. As of the end of Nov the count was Turkeys: 3(spring and fall hunt), Deer 0
I won’t go into the painful details, but needless to say the countless hours in a stand seeing nothing and each of the three times this season I let an arrow fly only to miss its mark clean misses) only compounded my frustrations. I had only been seeing 3 deer consistently at the farm all season.
My friend Harold (HW from the forum) came down this year for the controlled hunt. We bow hunted the two days before the gun hunt at the farm I regularly hunt. On the 28 he took a nice doe from one of my stands. Was nice to see him take one. His last deer was 8 years earlier and it ensured meat in the freezer for us both. The controlled hunt was good though neither of us took a deer ourselves.
Last week it was back to bow hunting once again. Still coming to terms with the loss of Kodi I welcomed the time in the woods as little there reminded me of everything. Walking into the stand on Thursday evening I was pondering what people had said to my wife and I. Their words of support and sympathy. Not normally being one to think along those lines I decided to try something. I looked up and asked Kodi to send me a sign if he was OK and in a better place. Being the typical hunter I asked that the sign be in the form of a deer to shoot as he loved pepperettes. I quickly moved on to other thoughts and carried on. That evening while in my stand I was watching the woods. I saw movement. Three small does or fawns were playing just inside the trees. They frolicked about for a few minutes before moving deeper in the bush and out of view. As short time later just before dark again a sound in the woods. Out walks a mature doe. She trots up to about 20 yds, but is off to my right slightly behind me and would be an awkward shot. Not wanting anymore misses I watch as she walks off into the bush. At home that night I tell wife about my day. Her reply: “That was Kodi”.
Saturday morning I was off to the same stand. I set up at 6am and waited for daylight. It was a pleasant morning. At 9:00am again movement across from me in the tree line. I stand and get ready. A deer, two, three…. Six deer saunter out into the field. Two mature does and four fawns. I take aim at the largest doe and watch the arrow hit its mark. She dashes off into the trees. I wait for an eternity (maybe 10 minutes) and get down. I gather my things and start to track her. I find her about 100 yds in. I thanked Kodi.
Sunday morning I set my alarm for 5. It goes off much too soon. It’s a rain/snow mixture outside. Almost stay in bed, but since I’m up….. off I go. At 5:45 I go to a different stand. I set up at in the stand at about 6:30 am. It faces a small trail between two fields not far from where Harold shot his doe. The wind turns and is all wrong, but I stay. Just at first light I hear a sound. I say to myself,” What is that” and quickly realize that it is footsteps. I look down and behind me to see a doe standing behind my tree looking around. Again no shot so I watch. Another walks into sight. They trot off and up a fence line … “Maybe they will come back”. Not 5 minutes later I look and here they come. I stand and get ready. The first doe is a bit larger. She stops out front at 15 yds and then turns slightly quartering away. The perfect shooting angle!!!! I shoot and again I watch the lumenok hit its mark. A heart shot. She runs maybe 50 yds into the field and falls in sight of my stand. Again I thanked Kodi.
Like I mentioned before I have not been the type of person who puts a lot of thought in “What lays ahead for us all”. More of a fence sitter when it come to that. And I am not making any statements on beliefs etc. Probably a huge coincidence, but the way the last week has played is interesting and was definitely comforting to my wife. And maybe they were right and Kodi is happy and in a better place. Just thought I would share the experience…
Dec 11
Dec 12
Kodi
