Patience Pays Off There are very many memorable moments I could talk about but one stands out above all the others. I was five years old when I first went deer hunting and six years old when I killed my first deer. Although that moment was very exhilarating, my first bow kill was so much more intense and rewarding. I had been practicing for that moment for years and when it finally all came together it was like no other experience I had ever felt. It was early in the morning, around five a.m. when my dad woke me up. He shook me gently as he said my name, “Chandler wake up, it is time to get ready.” I groaned because I was exhausted and I did not want to get up. I barely got any sleep the night before due to the anticipation building. I got up and took a shower and ate some breakfast. I dug out my newest camo from the closet and put it on. I gathered my hunting bag, bow, and tree stand harness and I was ready to go. Me and my dad went to the truck, loaded all of our gear and headed for the woods. After a fifteen minute walk in to my stand I was ready to get set up. I attached my bow and bag to my pull up rope, then climbed into my stand. I moved the top half of my stand first, then the bottom, making sure that it was dug into the tree good every time so that no accidents happened. After five or ten minutes of climbing I reached my designated height of around twenty Reppond 02 feet. I pulled up my bow and bag and hung my bow on the tree hanger. I reached in the bag and pulled out my safety harness strap, wrapped it around the tree, and secured myself to the tree in case of any accidents. I loaded an arrow into my bow and sent my dad on his way. I could hear his footsteps as he walked away to his stand and I knew that it was all on me now. As I sat alone in complete darkness, I had plenty of time to think about what the morning had in store. Many minutes had passed and the woods were starting to awaken. The frogs silenced as the