Tonight, is Friday and it's the day of the weekly summer outing, with my stepfather. Tonight it's going to be sharp perched tree stand and I feel confident with this bow, I decide that it will be his first outing. There he is, moreover, the handsome dad, who points his nose at the gate. He takes the time to observe this new bow and shoot a few arrows, being pleasantly surprised at the fluidity of the weaponry and the stability felt through this instrument.

It's still hot and the sun is still high in the sky. We still take the time to shoot a few arrows and quench our thirst with a small cold beer, while explaining the evening's program to him. I did some scouting earlier in the week (by picking up a few porcini mushrooms), in a area which we had not hunted since last season. I observed a lot of fresh sign, but did not want to venture too deeply, not to disturb the area.

Arriving there we face large groves of oak, chestnut and acacias surrounded by vineyards and meadows. I left him the choice to place himself there, wherever he wanted. As he indicated the place where I was thinking of settling (he's a hell of a clever guy), I decided to go around the wood to place my tree stand on the opposite side: The corner of a small square of lost vines, surrounded by woods, with beautiful trails dotted with fresh tracks. I install my lookout ladder as silently as possible against a bunch of chestnut trees, located a few meters from the edge. I prune with secateurs and carefully, a few shooting windows, taking care to cut the good lengths of leafy twigs, in order to hide the rungs of my ladder stand while climbing. Here I am installed, on my perched tree, and the wait in this beautiful and pleasant late summer afternoon can begin.

This wait was very calm, in terms of the presence of animals observed. Only the presence of a great spotted woodpecker, disturbing my peace of mind, came to greet me by drumming on a dry tree, positioned a few steps from my bouquet of chestnut trees. Then around 8:30 p.m., while I was observing my close surroundings, while not being able to prevent myself from taking a few furtive glances at this new bow, to contemplate it, a deer made its appearance coming out of the woods, at a distance of less than a hundred meters. He entered the vineyard, passing under the wire, then took my direction. It is a rather young buck, it seems to me, which continues its course quietly, coming out of the vineyard, and skirting the woods, always coming in my direction ...

Then around 8:30 p.m., while I was observing my close surroundings, while not being able to prevent myself from taking a few furtive glances at this new bow, to contemplate it, a deer made its appearance coming out of the woods, at a distance of less than a hundred meters. He entered the vineyard, passing under the wire, then took my direction. It is a rather young buck, it seems to me, which continues its course quietly, coming out of the vineyard, and skirting the woods, always coming in my direction. I get up slowly to a standing position and wait, telling myself that this is a unique opportunity to be able to baptize a bow so quickly ... Whatever happens, I will not let go of the arrow, if he does not appear within ten meters with this new bow. Before taking the main trail, which penetrated the woods from its edge, where I was, the young buck had to go around a tree which made me lose all visual contact between us. Coming out from behind this natural obstacle, the bigfoot was armed at full draw. As I dropped the string, the arrow went through the buck like it was a simple sheet of paper. He did an about-face, then tried to walk away in a trot which was slowed down meter after meter. Like a disjointed puppet who has had its strings giving it life were slowly cut one by one. Taking the corridor of greenery, formed between the rows of vines and the woods, He collapsed in sight , less than 20 meters from me.

It was over ... life was leaving him from his bodily envelope, thus perpetuating the cycle of life, binding Man and animal, predator and prey, as has been happening since time immortal ... I did him the honors. Thank you to you, for this moment, thank you for your venison, it will be respected and honored by me and my family, I thank you. That's it….. it was accomplished, the Bigfoot, a legendary creature part of American myths, only a few hours after having trodden the soil of the old continent with its big feet, had shed the first blood after its pass through the green vine leaves of our beautiful land ...

Cyrille Gesta