Innocence

I hear a branch snap. My head turns slowly so I do not draw attention. My heart is thumping. I have felt butterflies when hunting before, but nothing like this. I fix my eyes on the area where I heard the noise. There stands an eight-point buck. Normally I would be ecstatic about seeing this majestic animal strutting in front of me with a chance to shoot him, but he is not my target. I then look out to the horizon and see the sun is giving off an orange glow, warning me it will set soon.

For me, hunting is the most peaceful experience a person could have. My body perched high in a tree so I am able to see the whole landscape of the forest. I hear nothing but birds chirping, the wind creaking trees, and animals scurrying about on the forest floor. Today is a different story completely.

Usually I hunt non-threatening animals like deer, moose, or coyotes. When I hunt those animals my body relaxes. However, I have been completely tense this whole day. For the first time, I am hunting something that can hunt me back. My target has an eight foot tall and four foot wide frame. His hair is as mangled as a hippie’s and is darker than a crow. His name is Sasquatch.
Sasquatches are the most endangered species in the world, but hikers near Amery have been encountering the beast regularly this past year. The hikers become extremely frightened when they see him. The people of Amery are like the villagers in Beauty and the Beast They want the sasquatch dead. The citizens believe the beast will hurt or kill someone if it is eliminated. After much debate, the mayor finally put a bounty on the dangerous primate. The mayor knows that I am the best hunter in the area, and if anyone can take this monster down, it’s me. I have set records for biggest buck, coyote, and moose ever harvested. Some say that I am a slightly above average outdoorsman. But, all the experience in the world could not prepare me for this situation.
A sasquatch is one of the biggest mammals in the world. It is also believed to be the most intelligent animal, aside from humans. His smarts make him the most dangerous game. Sasquatches are also commonly known as bigfoot. The bigfoot’s call sounds like a woman screeching, but 100 times louder. I have heard his call before. It was the most bone-chilling noise I have ever encountered. I have never seen the sasquatch before, but I have no doubt he is a terrifying sight.
My weapon of choice is a 7mm-08 rifle. I have shot and downed every animal from a coyote to a moose with this gun. I am confident that if I get a shot at the bigfoot, he will go down. I have only one brass bullet on me. This will force me to make the perfect shot, so the animal does not suffer.
I am not the only hunter after the sasquatch. The bounty which the mayor offered is a substantial amount of money. Most of the currency came from a wealthy resident of Amery who enjoys hiking and wants the sasquatch gone. The money attracted many other avid hunters. I have proved myself a better hunter than any around town.
I interviewed many witnesses and asked them where they encountered the bigfoot. A majority of the people said they saw him near a bend in the Apple River, on the edge of a thick swamp. My location is in the middle of that thick swamp. I am perched 20 feet high on a large oak, sitting in my climbing tree stand. The wind is calm, so if the bigfoot does come, I should hear him before I can see him.
I peer out to the horizon once again. The sun glows radiantly. It is almost disappearing. I will be engulfed by darkness soon. My head turns back to the forest. I glance first to my left then back to my right. I freeze, and my heart sinks. The hair on the back of my neck stands straight up. Something is watching me. I turn back to my left. There he is. An enormous black mass stands just twenty yards from me. My pulse is pounding throughout my whole body. He is larger than I could’ve imagined. His hands reach below his knees. The massive animal walks silently through the thick brush. I raise my gun up slowly. The human like primate is in my scope. He freezes. I know he can sense me. My finger eases down to the trigger…I pause. His gigantic head turns towards me. His beady eyes meet mine. I lower my gun down. This animal doesn’t deserve to be killed. The only wrongful act this creature has done is being in the wrong place, at the wrong time. He is innocent. We’re still looking at each other. This is no place for a bigfoot, so I yell, “Get out of here!” He looks in my direction and seems to give me a grunt of appreciation.
My ears then burst. A loud exploding noise rings out through the forest. It was a gunshot. The sasquatch drops to his knees, then falls face first into the forest floor with a thud. The sound of the shot still resonates through the woods. It stops. The swamp is silent. I cannot comprehend what just happened. I then hear footsteps crashing through the thick brush. It’s a man dressed in camouflage. He walks over to his recent kill. I whistle to him to warn him of my presence. The man looks up at me.
“Hey man, looks like I got him before you, ha!” The man says loudly, breaking the silence. I feel no remorse for the lost bounty, only for the innocent animal that was murdered.