The Shift Part 2

Setting: Northern California, 2017

Laura's sophomore year of college had finally come to an end. Her first couple years of college were tough, especially since changed her major before she started. All throughout her high school career, she had prepared herself to go into the psychology field in order to be a therapist. But after her encounter with Chase a couple years ago, her interest in humane farming practices became her priority. Now she has since turned her focus on biology with a minor in nutrition. Compelled both by Chase's words and her own desire to be as healthy as possible.

In an effort to put her newfound knowledge to use, she was able to convince her father to build her a greenhouse on a section of property that was damaged by hogs years ago. And since she decided to go to a community college, rather than a state university, she has been able to manage the greenhouse every day while she stayed at her parents house. She planted numerous types of fruits and vegetables and did lots of research, both at home and at school, to maximize her harvest. Her freshman year didn't amount to much and she was disappointed at her inability to grow everything she planted. But by the end of her sophomore year, she had seen tremendous improvement in both the quality and quantity of her produce. She now had confidence in her "green thumb".

It was also during her freshman year that she took up a new challenge, fishing. Something that she would have never took part of a couple years ago. But after speaking with her doctor and realizing her vitamin and mineral deficiencies, she made the choice to take up fishing as a way of incorporating animal protein into her diet, without contributing to the commercial fishing industry. Her success so far had been minimal, only managing to catch panfish and the occasional bass. The biggest only being a couple of pounds. She hadn't had fish of any kind in years but was quickly surprised at how fresh the fish she had caught tasted. She couldn't remember ever having fish that fresh before. Because of that she vowed to only eat meat that she got herself.

Because of all her classes, she had little time to fish during school. She planned on doing a lot of fishing during the summer months to boost her meat supply. But she knew from her nutrition classes that fish alone wouldn't give her everything her body needed. She needed more variety. And she had a plan on how to accomplish that.

After a couple weeks of visiting and catching up with friends, Laura decided that it was time to put some meat in the freezer. So she went to her father and asked him for Chase's phone number. He wrote it down for her and she took up to her room. She sat on her bed and dialed the number. After a few rings Chase answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Chase this is Laura, Martin's daughter."

"Hey Laura, how you been? How's school going?"

"I'm good and school has been hectic." Chase laughed.

"I know. Those first couple of years really hit you hard."

"Yeah they really do. But I'm calling to ask you a question."

"What's up?"

"Would you teach me how to hunt?" A long silence followed. "Chase, you there?"

"Yeah I'm here. I just never thought you of all people would ask me that."

"Well I decided to take your advice about doing things on my own. I've got a greenhouse going and I even took up fishing. But I need more variety when it comes to meat because fish alone won't give me what I need."

"Wow and you're eating meat now. I never thought I'd be hearing this coming from you. But if you really want to learn I'll be glad to teach you."

"Great, I was hoping we could get started in a couple weeks."

"That won't work. There's nothing to really hunt during the summer."

"Really? But there's animals all over the place."

"Consider this your first lesson. Most animals have seasons when they can be hunted. You can't just go out and kill animals out of season. That's called poaching, which is illegal."

"Oh, so when will you be able to teach me?"

"Well my next planned hunt isn't until October. Not sure if that will work with your class schedule."

"Well next semester I have a lighter workload, so I may be able to spare a few days."

"Ok, let me know a couple weeks in advance so we can get you set up with the right gear."

"I will, thanks Chase."

Summer break continued on and Laura spent most of it with friends and family. She tended to the greenhouse daily and went on multiple fishing trips, having better results than she did before. As summer drew to a close and the dawn a of new school year approached, she was filled with anticipation about going on her first hunt. Right at the beginning of the new semester, she told all of her professors that she would need a few days off in October. All of them were ok with her request and she called Chase to let her know that everything was set.

Once the first week of October arrived, Chase reached out to Laura and told her that she was going to take her to shopping for hunting gear. Since Laura would only be watching and not actually hunting, all she would need is a set of hunting clothes, boots and a good backpack. Chase would have all the other equipment they would need. On Saturday morning, Chase picked Laura up from her parents house. They drove to the nearest outdoor supply store, not far from where Laura lived. A childlike anticipation filled Laura's spirit. She couldn't believe that she was about to take the first steps into her hunting journey.

When Laura walked into the outdoor store, she was blew away with everything she had saw. From all the equipment, to the taxidermy animals and all the varieties of clothing, she said to herself, "This is like a mall for hunters. Chase led her to the camo section to find her a good set of hunting clothes. Chase told her that it was important to find the right camo pattern for the environment they would be hunting in. But it was also important to find clothes that were warm enough to prevent her from getting cold and it had to be made of material that wouldn't make a lot of noise as they walked through the area. Just the amount of thought that went into picking something as simple as clothing made Laura feel like she was in over her head.

After trying multiple sets of clothes, the 2 girls found one that would work for the hunt. They then went to the boot section, which was a much smoother process than the clothing. Chase told Laura to walk in her new boots everyday leading up to the hunt so she would be used to how they felt on her feet. Finally she had to pick out a backpack. Laura picked out a small backpack that she thought was cute. But Chase said she would need something more rugged than the one she had initially picked. She told her, "We're not trying to look cute, we're trying to put in work." Once all the gear had been picked, they went to checkout. The price for everything was $450. Laura was shocked at how expensive everything was. At least Chase offered to pay for everything.

As the days drew nearer to the hunt, Laura did everything she could to get mentally prepared for what she was about to do. She wasn't completely committed to becoming a hunter, so she kept telling herself, "If I don't like it I can always go back to what I know best." She often laid in her bed at night amazed at how much she had changed in just a few short years. Going from a strict vegan to now preparing to go on her first hunt. Regardless of whether she decided hunt herself, she just hoped that the experience would be worthwhile.

On the day of the hunt, Chase arrived at the house at 4 am to pick up Laura. Still groggy from getting little sleep, Laura just climbed into the passenger seat and fell back asleep as Chase drove them to the hunting grounds. She awoke hours later as Chase pulled up to small diner just of the freeway. They went inside and sat down for breakfast.

"Do you always go put that early?" Laura asked.

"Time for another hunting lesson. More often than not, you're going to have be up and out long before the sun comes up."

"Why?"

"My father taught us when we were young that animals only make themselves available for a few short moments. Those moments can happen at any point in the day. And most of the time you only get one chance to take them down. So you need to be out there from sun up to sun down if you expect to have chance to get something."

As they ate their food, Chase went over the plan for the day. They wouldn't be hunting today as the main goal was setting up camp and do some scouting if time permitted. The 2 girls got right back on the freeway after finishing their meal. It took a few more hours to reach the hunting grounds. Once they reached the Klamath National Forest, they made their way to a campsite that Chase had always used. They set up a base camp and gathered wood for the evening fire. When everything was set, Chase brought out a map of the area. The map was marked up with arrows, circles, lines and other symbols.

"What do all these markings mean?" Laura asked.

"They are guides to help me remember where the deer are located and how they're moving. This area is quite remote so there's very few roads to drive on. Most of the hunting we'll be doing is on foot and these markings not only help me find the deer but navigate the area." Laura noticed something on the map.

"So what do the X marks mean?"

"They mark the places where I've taken deer in the past."

"Most of the X's are in one spot."

"Yeah that's my favorite spot to get deer. I call it "The Freeway". It's a hill with a shallow dip towards its center. Deer will often walk in the dip as they travel up and down the hill. Usually I get there before they start moving, find a good tree to sit next to and wait for them to make their way up or down the hill."

"Are we heading there now?"

"No, not today. We'll go there tomorrow. I want to check for deer signs at a nearby stream. Maybe we'll get lucky and stumble upon one drinking."

The 2 girls hopped back in the truck and drove down a dead end road. When they reached the reached the end of the road, Chase told Laura to stand directly behind her and follow her step by step as they walked to the stream. The area was thick with trees. Fallen branches and dried leaves littered the ground. Every step sounded like they were walking on eggshells. The forest opened up a bit as they got closer to the stream. Chase told Laura to stay put while she went to look for any signs of deer activity. Other than the tracks of various birds, nothing was found.

Laura waited patiently for Chase to return. As she waited, she realized just how quiet it was. She had never experienced that level of silence before, not even when she went fishing. It was something that both amazed and disturbed her. She liked experiencing something new but it was so new that it made her uneasy. A big sigh of relief came out of her as Chase returned. Chase told her that she didn't find any signs and that it was time to head back to camp. As the sunlight faded, Chase brought out her skillet to cook the evening meal, fried spam sandwiches. Sticking to her commitment of only eating organic, Laura at first declined to eat what Chase was cooking. Unfazed by her choice, Chase continued cooking. As the smell of food caught Laura's nose, she quickly grew hungry. Especially considering she hadn't eaten since breakfast, almost 12 hours ago. After a while, hunger got the best of her and she asked Chase to make her a sandwich as well. She laughed saying, "I knew you'd come around."

On the first day of the hunt, the 2 girls woke up even earlier than they did the day before. Laura, as expected, was very sleepy and struggled to wake up. While she got herself together, Chase prepared a few more spam sandwiches for breakfast. It was a little after 4 am when Laura met Chase outside the tent.

"How'd you sleep?" Chase asked.

"Surprisingly well, just wish I had more of it." Chase chuckled.

"I know the feeling. But we only have 3 days before the season ends so we need to make the most of ever hour we have."

"So where are we headed? The Freeway?"

"Not yet. We'll head there towards the end of the day. There's a few other spots I want to hit first."

When the girls finished eating, they loaded up the truck and headed down the dirt road they came in on. Chase drove slowly down the road to reduce the noise. After 20 minutes of driving, she reached a fork in the road. Chase turned at the fork and drove another 10 minutes before reaching a dead end, just like yesterday. "Another dead end?" Said Laura. Chase explained to her that most of the roads, except for the main one, lead to dead ends. But each dead end leads to a different zone. The one they stopped at is located near a major feeding area for the deer. Chase got out the truck and started prepare her gear. Laura got out after her.

"Where are you going?"

"We're going to an area where the deer like to feed. It's a couple miles from here so we need to get moving."

"But it's still dark! What if we get lost?"

"That's what GPS and flashlights are for. Trust me Laura, I've done this plenty of times. I know what I'm doing. Just follow behind me and keep the noise to a minimum."

Chase entered the heavily wooded area with Laura following closely behind. It was hard for Laura to keep up. Not only because of the uneven terrain but also because of the equipment she had to carry. She quickly realized that while she may have been in shape, she definitely wasn't in hunting shape. The cold, early morning weather didn't help matters either. Every so often, Laura would need to take a moment to catch her breath. And while Chase expected that this would be a challenge for Laura, she started to grow frustrated with the constant stopping and going.

After about and hour of slow progress, the made it to the area Chase was looking for. It was a small, open field with plenty of young, soft grass. It hadn't rained in weeks so Chase was surprised that there was still some of the grass left. The girls sat at the edge of the treeline and waited to see if the deer would come out to feed. By now the sun was starting to come over the horizon, slowly lighting up the whole area. The land was quiet with the occasional bird call breaking the silence. A slow breeze blew a the girl's side as they waited and watched for the deer. An hour passed and Laura grew sleepy. The calmness of the surrounding forest had put her in relaxed state. She slowly drifted off to sleep at the base of the tree she was sitting against. Chase, meanwhile, stayed ever vigilant. Knowing that the deer could show up at any moment.

Just after 8 am, Chase noticed some movement to her left. A small group of doe's were heading towards the meadow. She counted 4 adults and a couple of fawns. As the deer approached, she looked over at Laura only to see she was fast asleep. Chase decided not to wake her and risk spooking the deer, which were less than 100 yards from where she was sitting. She just sat and waited to see if a mature buck was among the group. As the initial group started to feed, a few more doe's emerged from among the trees but there was no sign of any bucks. They stood in the meadow for about and hour before moving back into the trees. When Chase was sure that they had left the area, she reached over to wake Laura.

"You missed it." Chase said to a groggy Laura.

"Missed what?"

"You missed the deer feeding in the meadow."

"Crap, I've been sleep that long? Why didn't you wake me?"

"I didn't want to risk spooking the deer. So I just let you sleep."

"Why didn't you shoot one?"

"There weren't any bucks, just a bunch of doe's."

"Wait I thought you were hunting deer?" Chase forgot she wasn't familiar with the terminology.

"We are hunting deer. Males are called bucks while females are called doe's."

"Oh I didn't know that each gender had a special name."

"That's the case for a lot of game animals."

The girls got up from where they were sitting. Laura thought they would be heading back to the truck but Chase wanted to search another area before going back. Laura groaned at the idea of more walking. Her feet were already starting to get sore from all the walking she did earlier. Chase assured her that it wasn't very far. The girls walked to another area that deer usually feed at but there were no deer to be found. Convinced that all the deer had heading to their bedding area, Chase and Laura walked back to the truck and drove to camp.

"Why are we back at camp? I thought you wanted to spend as much time hunting as possible?"

"I do but now is not the best time. Most of the deer have bedded down and they'll be almost impossible to find. Even if we do find them, they'll hear us coming long before we can get a shot off. Then they'll be very wary of us, making them harder to hunt. We'll take this time to rest and head back out a few hours before dark and hunt The Freeway." Laura didn't mind the midday rest as she went into the tent and quickly fell asleep.

At 3:30 pm, the girls hopped in the truck and headed towards The Freeway. It would take them an hour to get there but the spot that Chase liked the most was close to where she usually parked her truck. Once they got to where Chase's spot was, they parked the truck and sat for a brief moment. Laura didn't know what Chase was waiting for but she didn't ask any questions either. Chase leaned over to her and told her to follow close behind and don't say anything. They got out the truck and Chase grabbed only her rifle, leaving everything else in the truck. They slowly made their way down a steep hill. The hill wasn't as heavily wooded as the area they hunted earlier but there were still enough of them to provide decent cover. When they found the dip in the hill Chase mentioned, they located a tree far enough away to avoid being detected and waited for the deer to make their way up the hill.

The girls sat silently for over an hour. Sunlight was slowly fading away and visibility was diminishing with each passing moment. As darkness crept over the land, the faint sound of leaves crunching caught Chase's attention. She looked over towards the dip and could make out a few deer starting to walk up the hill. She slowly got into a shooting position hoping that a mature buck would be somewhere in the group. They watched the deer make their way up the hill. Most of which were doe's but there were a couple small bucks in the group. Unfortunately they were too small according to the state regulations. So Chase never got a chance to take one down. With the sunlight almost gone, the girls made their way back to the truck and headed back to camp for the night.

Once they reached the campsite. Chase fired up up her stove and made some more spam. But this time instead of sandwiches, she decided to make some spam fried rice. Though it was different from last night's meal, Laura was still perturbed at the thought of eating spam again.

"Is that the only food you brought?" Referring to the spam.

"Actually yes. I never pack more food than intend to eat and always pack things that are quick to make and easy to store."

"I can understand that but of all things, why spam?"

"Because I like it. I've been eating it since I was a kid."

"Well I'm just saying I'm sure there's other things you like that you could have brought." Chase got annoyed.

"Look Laura, I'm not quite sure what you're trying to get at but this is how I've done things since I was young. Now you asked me to show you what hunting is like and that's what I'm doing. If you decide to go down this path and become a hunter, then you can do things however you want. But this is how I operate and it works for me."

After hearing that Laura got quiet. She remained that way for most of the night. But she didn't pass up on the spam fried rice. After dinner Laura turned it in for the night, while Chase stayed up for another hour planning for the next day of hunting. The second day was less eventful than the first. The girls hunted all over but saw very few deer, let alone any bucks big enough to shoot. Just as the day before, Laura and Chase returned to camp around noon to rest up for the evening hunt. Chase ate a quick snack and went into her tent for a nap. But Laura had grew a bit restless and decided to take a walk.

She walked aimlessly through the woods, admiring the tall trees and taking all the sounds of the forest. She didn't plan on walking far but once she got going, she found herself venturing off well beyond the camp. At a certain point she stopped to take a few pictures. She pulled out her IPhone and began take photos and videos of everything she saw. While looking the camera on her phone, she noticed something large moving in the background. She looked up from the phone to see a big 8 point buck moving among the trees. To her surprise the deer hadn't even noticed her yet. It's not like she was trying to be quiet. Almost instinctively she knelt to the ground and adjusted the settings on her phone's camera. She held it up hoping to get a good shot. She touched the capture button but forgot to turn off the flash. As soon as the light flashed, the buck scampered out of view. However she did manage to get a decent picture of him before he ran off.

Laura jumped up and ran back to the camp. Once there she started hitting Chase's tent, trying to wake her up. Chase came clumsily out of the tent.

"What is it?!? What's wrong?!?"

"You won't believe what I just saw!"

"What???" Laura pulled up the picture and handed it to her. "Whoa, where did you see him?"

"He was about half a mile from camp. Not far at all."

"Did he see you?"

"At first no but the flash did scare him away." Chase paused for a moment.

"Well there's no point in going after him now. He'll be long gone and probably bedded down." She paused again. "I got an idea. Take me back to where you saw him and I'll see if I can track him. Just to see where his bedding area might be."

Laura took her to where she spotted the buck. Chase was able to find a clear set of tracks in the dry dirt. She followed them carefully for about 30 minutes until. The tracks led her to a patch of forest that was to thick for the girls to pass through. However Chase recognized where she was and knew how she would proceed.

"It's too thick for us to continue but on the other side of this is a narrow maze of open forest. I've seen deer feeding there in the past but never anything worth taking. I bet he's bedded down in this thicket and feeding in the maze."

"But how will we get to the maze if we can get through this?"

"We'll have to go around from the other side to where the forest opens up some more and hope to catch him feeding. That's the only way I think we'll get him."

They walked back to camp and Chase immediately pulled out her map. She looked for the road closest to the maze. Once she found it, she narrowed down a few entry points that would give her access to the maze without disturbing the bedding area. Confident with her plan she went back to sleep to rest up for the evening hunt. While she slept, Laura studied the picture she took of the buck. As she did, she couldn't help this feeling of regret. She felt as if her stumbling upon the buck would ultimately lead to his demise. She may have turned over a new leaf but the old her was still there and the thought of watching Chase kill him made her stomach hurt. There was a mental war going on between her old self and the new. And she did everything she could to not let the old take back over. She had come too far.

Just after 3 pm, the girls headed back to The Freeway. While Chase was committed to going after the buck Laura discovered the next day, she wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to get one before that. They settled into the spot the were in yesterday and waited. And like the day before, no legal bucks came through. Chase wasn't discouraged though. She was quite optimistic that tomorrow she have an opportunity to take down a good sized buck and fill her tag. They left The Freeway just past sunset and went back to camp. Chase got dinner started and thus time Laura didn't complain about the spam.

While they ate, Chase told her the plan for tomorrow. They would get up earlier than they did before, drive to the opposite side of the thicket to reach the maze and wait to see if the buck came to feed. Laura asked Chase if she was confident that they'll get one tomorrow. Chase simply smiled and said, "Hunting has taught me to be hopeful instead of confident. So I am hopeful about tomorrow." As they finished their meal Laura noticed something on Chase's wrist.

"You got a new tattoo?" Chase looked down and nodded. "Can I see it?" Chase hesitated before rolling up her sleeve. It was a tattoo of the name Aiden with wings surrounding it. "Who's Aiden?"

"That's what me and my husband were going to name our son. But I ended up having a miscarriage."

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. When did this happen?"

"Little over a year ago."

"I had no idea." There was a uneasy silence. But then Laura realized Chase said her husband. "Wait you have a husband?"

"Yeah I got married a couple years ago. Why do you sound so surprised?" Laura tried to think of an excuse.

"Not surprised I just.... didn't know you were in a relationship." She didn't have the heart to tell her she thought she was a lesbian.

They finished their dinner and turned it in. At around 4am, they got up and went over the plan for the day. Chase already knew where they would enter the maze in order to have the best chance of taking down the buck. Without even eating breakfast, the got in the truck and drove to the opposite end of the thicket. Chase drove slower than she usually would, taking every precaution to not spook the deer. Once they reached the entry point, Chase parked the truck and waited until it was light enough to see. The 2 girls snacked on some jerky while they waited.

When it was bright enough, they got out the truck and walked towards the maze. They area was thick with trees and vegetation but no where near as much as the thicket on the opposite side. They slowly made their way through the brush as Chase guided Laura along. After about 30 minutes of walking, Chase could see the beginning of the maze. There weren't any deer in that particular section. So they stayed among the trees and brush while working their way to the other parts of the maze. Chase knew there was a wider section closer to the center, so she decided to head there. When they reached the center, she spotted a couple of doe's feeding there. She and Laura knelt down, hoping to see the buck come out and join them. They waited for 20 minutes before seeing antlers moving among the trees. Laura and Chase looked at each other, both with different expressions on their faces. Laura's was one of nervousness while Chase's possessed to cold, stoic look of a killer.

Chase readied her rifle, waiting for the buck to come into the open. Eventually the buck came out but it was facing the girls position and didn't give her a good shot. She waited patiently for the right moment while Laura grew anxious behind her. As the buck began to turn broadside, something caught its attention. Chase realized that something was off but she didn't want to rush the shot. She stayed patient but knew that her window was closing. Suddenly another buck, even bigger than the one they had been hunting, came rushing from the trees. Chase's eyes grew wide. She had never seen a buck that big in this area before. The larger of the 2 bucks began pressuring the smaller one. Eventually chasing him away from the doe's and back into the trees.

The giant buck turned back towards the doe's and began walking to them. Chase calmed her nerves and prepared to take a shot. He was walking out in the open and perfectly broadside. She placed the crosshairs of her scope right behind his shoulder. Letting out a sharp whistle to get his attention and make him stop, Chase pulled the trigger. The loud bang from the rifle almost caused Laura to jump out of her skin. Neither girl saw where the giant buck had went but Chase knew she hit him. The large blood stain on the ground proved it.

They sat back for a few minutes. Chase said that they should give the deer enough time to die before they try and find it. She explained how dangerous a wounded animal can be. After 5 minutes they walked up to the blood stain and began to track down the deer. The sight of the blood started to make Laura uneasy but like before, she was committed to seeing things through to the end. They followed the blood trail into the trees and eventually found the deer no more than 30 yards from where he was shot. Chase poked the deer with her rifle to make sure that it was dead. Once she was sure, she knelt down and thanked God for the deer. The buck was a magnificent 11-pointer that weighed just over 200lbs. It was the largest buck she had ever killed and she couldn't be more excited.

Chase took out her cellphone and told Laura to set the picture timer. Laura set the phone against a stump and waited for the photo to snap. Chase waived her over to get in the picture. She hurried over and made it just before the flash went off. After the picture, Chase had to return to the truck to get her field dressing knives. She told Laura to wait with the deer while went to get her things. Laura stood and stared at the dead deer. A mix of emotions came over her. She wasn't exactly sure what to feel. The sight of a dead deer definitely had a greater effect on her than a dead fish.

When Chase returned, she immediately started processing the deer. She started by cutting open its belly and taking out the organs. She made sure she saved the heart and the liver since they were some of her favorite parts to eat. Laura sat in the car since she started to feel nauseous. After taking out all the organs, she skinned him and cut him up into large portions and load them into her cooler. The girls drove back to camp, arriving at around noon.

With plenty of time left, Chase spent the rest of the day processing the meat. She set some of it aside to give to Laura. When night fell, Chase reached into her cooler and started cutting up the heart and some of the liver. It had been a family tradition to eat the heart of the deer after a successful hunt. She seasoned them up and pan seared them. The smell of the meat brought Laura out of her tent. Chase told her to grab a couple of Modelo's out of the cooler. They sat down on the tailgate and prepared to eat dinner. Laura was nervous about eating heart and liver but considering she had been eating nothing but spam for the last few days, she was happy to have something different. She took a piece of heart and bit into it. "How is it?" Chase asked. Laura had to pause for a moment because the flavor was unlike anything she ever ate. She loved every bite and cleaned her plate faster than Chase. After tasting wild game for the first time, she made up her mind.... "It's time I learned how to hunt."

Thank you for reading my short story. If you enjoy this and stories like it, check out my novel: Tales Of The Gamekeepers Book 1, available on Amazon Kindle. Also follow my Instagram @stonecreekthehunter for more hunting and fishing content and updates on future novels and short stories.