Preview of In the Woods

Hey everyone, I was working on a fictional hunting novel, for the outdoorsmen out there who might be interested. I was wondering if you would give me some feedback on whether you think this is enjoyable reading. The book is titled In the Woods. Thanks!

Prologue

It was dark, so dark the hunter couldn’t see his hand in front of his face.

“Was it gone yet?” he wondered to himself as he sat motionless in his tree stand. Normally he would have been back at the house twenty minutes ago, but tonight was different. Whatever was out there in the pitch black had let out a piercing howl which nearly knocked him out of his stand right at dark, and he probably would have fallen out had it not been for his safety harness. He had been too frozen to move since he heard it, and he for sure wasn't getting down out of the tree.

It was the same frightening noise he had heard that morning that sent the deer scattering everywhere, but this time as it got dark, he was really afraid. He was literally shaking the tree as he sat glued to his seat.

Welcome to the world of Robert Jackson. Just what had him so scared out of his mind that he couldn’t get down out of the tree? You’ll have to read this book to find out. However, along the way you’ll learn about the Jackson family and the woods around their house in southern middle Tennessee. Pull up a chair and prepare to be gripped with fear as you go “In the Woods!”

Chapter 1                   The Hunt

Robert had been dreaming about this day all summer as he saw it drawing nearer every day that passed. He would even take a red pen and cross off the days to get a feel for how close he was getting to opening day of archery season for deer in Tennessee. He had his trail cameras out in various spots to help him keep on eye on what was out there in the woods. He had all his gear arranged so he would be ready for that day. He had even been practicing every available moment so he would be ready for that shot. He believed in what one of his coaches had taught him at some point in his life: proper preparation prevents poor performance.

“Many things I might be, but unprepared is not one of them” he would say.

As the day before season rolled around, Errica, his wife was cooking supper that night.

“What’s for supper?” he asked.

“Vegetable soup and cornbread” Errica replied.

Robert loved her soup and cornbread, enough to even momentarily forget about hunting the next day. It was at this moment the three kids came down from playing upstairs to wash up for supper. Charlie was eleven, Spencer was eight and Brittney was five.

“Is it ready yet?” hollered Brittney.

“I’m hungry” yelled Charlie.

“What are we having?” asked Spencer.

“Yes it’s ready, and if you’re hungry come eat this vegetable soup and cornbread!” said Errica.

Robert knew it was great to spend this family time together before he embarked on his big hunt the next day. 

“I heard you got a pic of Big Boy” said Charlie, talking about the big buck Robert had caught on the trail camera.

“Yes, he just never seems to show up at a consistent time, though” replied Robert.

Robert had dreamed about this buck since he saw him last year on the opening day of rifle season chasing a doe. Running through the woods, the big buck never offered him a shot. This year, he hoped it would be different.

The next morning Robert’s alarm clock sounded at 5:00 and his feet hit the floor. Having already laid his clothes out, it didn’t take him long before he was ready to stroll out the door and into the woods around their house. It was very convenient to be hunting so close to the house. They bought 100 acres three years ago, and Robert made sure it was managed properly.

After a ten minute walk, Robert arrived before daylight at his treestand in the corner of the bean field. As he climbed the steps attached to the cedar tree, he made his way into the seat at the top and attached his safety harness. Making sure he had his pack looped over the last step of the ladder, Robert pulled his bow up with his haul line. After getting settled in, Robert’s eyes scanned the field for any signs of movement as he noticed it was starting to break light.

Two hours had gone by before Robert caught a glimpse of some deer walking along the far edge of the field feeding on the beans. There were two does, but no bucks. He still had some meat in the freezer from last season, but if they presented a shot without him seeing any sign of a buck, he might just have to put one down.

All of a sudden, the sound of antlers crashing came to his attention. Two bucks made their way into the corner of the field where the does came out. Their antlers were locked together in a sparring match, kicking up dust and the hair was standing up on their backs. This was true entertainment in the woods after seeing nothing for a few hours. 

Positioned about seventy yards from the bucks, Robert knew they were too far for a shot. Something was going to have to give to provide him with an opportunity for the kill. The two bucks eventually stopped at a standstill and stared each other down.

At that very moment, a deafening scream from some kind of wild animal sent the deer into a frenzy, and they went scurrying off in all directions. Robert felt as though he needed to change his pants after hearing such a noise. A few moments later there was a commotion followed by some kind of death moan, as it seemed that whatever made that horrendous scream or howl had caught one of the deer.

“What was that?” he thought, bewildered from the experience and mad that the deer had been spooked by whatever had made such a racket. Having sat there stunned about  another ten minutes, he realized he needed to call it a morning. Descending from the stand, he was leary as he wondered if it was anything he needed to be afraid of.

“Nonsense” he said to himself, “there’s nothing to be afraid of out here.”

As he was about to cross the creek on the way back to the house, he saw a track.

“I don’t know what that is, but I’ve never seen anything like it around here” said Robert as he compared the size of his hand to this track. He grimaced as his hand fit inside the track of this beast. Whatever was out there had his attention, and he had a feeling it wouldn’t be long until he had some kind of encounter with the creature. Little did he know that this evening’s hunt would be soon enough.