I AM 58 YEARS YOUNG NOW,AND AS I RECALL THE MEMORIES OF THE PAST,I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE MY THOUGHTS TO YOU ALL...MY FIRST YEAR HOME FROM VIETNAM IN 1970 WAS MY FIRST TIME BACK IN THE WOODS SINCE GOING OVER THERE..WHERE I HUNT IN NEWHAMPSHIRE THERE ARE NOT ALOT OF DEER BUT THERE ARE SOME 200LBS. + BIG BOYS.I HUNT THE MOUNTAINS UP HIGH..THAT YEAR I HUNTED 10 DAYS STRAIGHT NEVER SAW A DEER,JUST ALOT OF SNOW...BEING A NIMROD THIS IS UNDERSTANDABLE..AS THE YEARS PAST I TOOK MY SHARE OF DEER AND DUE TO THE GUIDING HAND OF AN EXPERIENCED HUNTER WHICH TAUGHT ME THE WAYS OF THE DEER AND THE ART OF STILL HUNTING, I BECAME A BETTER THAN AVERAGE HUNTER..I HAD TAKEN TWENTYONE DEER FOR TWENTYONE SEASONS IN A ROW..TWO OF WHICH WERE OVER 200LBS...NOW THE CLIMB TO THE RIDGES IS NOT AS EASY AS IT WAS BACK THEN...ON THE SECOND MORNING OF MY 22ND SEASON, THE MORNING LIGHT BROUGHT OVERCAST SKIES AND A VERY LIGHT MIST TO THE WOODS..AS I MADE MY WAY EVER SO SLOWLY TO THE UPPER RIDGES KEEPING THE WIND TO MY FACE OR AT LEAST CROSS WIND I STOPPED TO WATCH A PINE MARTIN FEVERISHLY HUNTING FOR HIS BREAKFAST...AS I LOOKED TO MY RIGHT, A HUGE BULL MOOSE WAS NOT 30 YARDS FROM ME GIVING ME THE EYEBALL..NOT WANTING TO WAKE UP THE WOODS I STAYED FROZEN IN TIME UNTIL HE DECIDED IT WAS SAFE TO GO ON ABOUT HIS BUSINESS, WHICH HE DID...ONCE OUT OF MY SIGHT I CONTINUED ON WITH MY HUNT..THE GROUND WAS VERY QUIET AS IT WILL BE ON A DAMP BUT NOT TO COLD MORNING..I WORKED MY WAY ALONG A RIDGE LINE WHICH HAD A DEEP DROP TO ONE SIDE OF IT WHICH HAD OPEN HARD WOOD AND SOFT WOOD MIXED..AS I TOOK ONE STEP AND WAITED FIVE MINUTES I COULD HEAR FAR OFF A TWIG SNAP EVERY NOW AND THEN..AS THE MINUTES WENT BY THE NOISE BECAME LOUDER AND LOUDER FROM THE STEEP DROP OFF SIDE OF THE RIDGE...CLOSER THE SOUND CAME AND LOUDER AND LOUDER..I WAS LOOKING FOR MY FRIEND THE BULL MOOSE TO POP OVER THE TOP OF THE RIDGE AT ANY MOMENT NOW...BUT....WHAT CAME OVER THE TOP TOOK THE BREATH RIGHT OUT OF MY SOUL AND SENT MY HEART ON RAMPAGE...THIS BUCK LOOKED LIKE A MOOSE!!! HE CAME OVER THE TOP OF THAT RIDGE AND STOOD BROAD SIDE AT 25 YARDS..I COULD HARDLY GET MYSELF TOGETHER TO MANAGE A SHOT...SLOWLY I TOOK AIM AND BANG...I LOOKED OVER THE SCOPE OF MY 30-06 TO SEE HIM DROP...NOPE..I NEVER PARTED A HAIR..I PUT ANOTHE ROUND IN THE CHAMBER AS QUICK AS I COULD FIGURING HE WAS GOING BACK DOWN OVER THE RIDGE TOP..BUT NOPE..HE GIVES ME A SNORT AND TROTS RIGHT BY ME BROADSIDE AND COMES TO A STOP 20 YARDS AWAY!!!..THIS TIME THE SHOT RAN TRUE..NOW YOU AND I BOTH KNOW THAT THIS GUY WAS SO INTO THE RUT THAT HIS BRAIN WASN'T WHAT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN OR I WOULD NEVER HAD HAD A SECOND CHANCE...HE DRESSED OUT AT 133 LBS. HAD NINE POINTS AND SCORE 265 PTS...THIS IS MY DEER OF A LIFETIME...I HAVE TAKEN A FEW SINCE THEN BUT I KNOW CHANCES ARE I WILL NEVER SEE ONE LIKE HIM AGAIN, SO I AM HOPING FOR YOU YOUNGER HUNTERS THAT YOU WILL SEE THE NEXT BIG ONE...HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS ..I KNOW I DID..