Six months pregnant with my son, I was unable to climb up into a tree stand so I was sentenced to hunting in a ground blind. The location was at the edge of an old fence line on my parents ranch in Montana. We had seen evidence that the deer had been coming out of the bottom pasture past this section of fence and into the pivot field so this was as good a location as any.

I began my hunt late afternoon, got all geared up, camouflaged and set out on this adventure. I chose to hike through the bottom, the grass was overgrown, thick and near impossible to walk through, at least in my pregnant condition. When I reached the edge of the first fence line I startled up a fawn, I don’t know who was startled more, me or her. She went racing off, "Oh great she’ll get everyone else riled up", I thought to myself. I kept hiking anyhow, and reached the blind without seeing any more deer, or being seen.

Once set up and completely uncomfortable, I waited for the chance of seeing some more deer. Somewhere around a half hour after getting set up that same fawn came racing around near the blind. She seemed to be un bothered by our previous encounter and was having a blast. She would occasionally stop playing abruptly, look around and go back to frolicking in the field. I had a hard time not laughing out loud at her antics.

My bow was up and pointed through the window, should another larger deer make an appearance with this fawn.

Suddenly the fawn hit the brakes and stopped right in front of my blind. She was about five feet away and I was sure I would soon be discovered. Not sure of what the blind was she came even closer to explore. It seemed like an eternity that she stayed there exploring. I could have reached up and touched her. Several times she stuck her head in near where my broad head was. I was scared she would prick her nose on the deadly sharp blades. Fortunately for her, she never did.

This was the closest I have been to a live whitetail deer and it was an amazing experience. Seeing her up close without being seen and having this fawn be totally curious without any fear was a wonderful feeling.

At some point the fawn decided I was boring and went running off playing again and that’s the last I saw of her.

Later that evening, a small buck passed my blind, just before dark, also without knowing I was there. When he reached 20-yards from my blind I went to full draw, aimed and released, but it went right under him. How I missed I really don’t know, but even then he didn’t startle and kept wandering farther out, not giving me another shot. I was a little disappointed not to have made this shot but at the same time I was amazed and in awe of being so hidden and being such a part of nature.