A pair of eyes stared at me from between two large trees in the middle of the dense forest behind our house. I stared right back, squinting through my binoculars to try to get a better look. I’ve never seen a female white-tail quite so large. I wish I could get a little closer so I could see her markings more clearly, but she’s hidden well behind the leaves of the trees, and it’s clear she’s spotted me. If I make one wrong move, she’s likely to bolt away, leaving me standing here staring at nothing but dense foliage.

Carefully, I inched forward, doing my best not to make a sound. I avoided the crunchy leaf piles that littered the ground. It’s nearly winter; we should be having our first snow soon. Then, it will be easier to move undetected, but for now, I had to be careful.

I slid to my right, leaning up a bit onto my toes, and I could almost see her back clearly when I heard the crackle of a thousand leaves dying excruciating second deaths. Letting out a sigh, I turned to see my friend Fiona traipsing toward me, a wide grin on her face.