Sniper

    Sniper

A true story by Don Ford

        It was in the mid-1980s, early December when this story takes place. The weather was normal for this area; temperatures ranged from freezing at night to upper 40s in the day. The coldest time was just before dawn, the wind usually was still and the cold seemed to penetrate every part of your body.

            Our base camp was about a mile off the main road and within a quarter mile of an old abandon house that had not been occupied for probably 10 or 15 years. The house set about a hundred feet off an old dirt road which had occasional local traffic. It would have been good if we could have used the old house especially on the nights when it was raining, but we would be seen by the locals.

            It has been my experience that working in two person groups was normal although some prefer to work totally alone. This time we had two teams of two. Each team had one shooter and one observer. You may have seen stories on TV about snipers and the long shots they have made; well our teams did not make any shots that would be considered a record. We were in the field for one reason; we wanted to make a single shot resulting in a kill.

Our initial reconnaissance of the area provided two excellent locations to mask our presence and allow unobstructed view of the surrounding area. There were two frequently traveled trails that led along a creek near a pond of water (is it pond or tank).  When I first moved to Texas a new friend had asked if I wanted to go fishing.  He said his father had a nice tank on his farm with lots of fish. Being from Missouri “The Show Me State” I could not envision fishing in a metal tank.  He “showed me” the tank which was a very nice pond (in Texas a tank is a pond).

Back to my original thought; both teams had established unobstructed fields of fire with each team covering the different but adjoining area. It took a couple days of careful work to conceal our locations. Our concealed areas were small and not comfortable. The best thing about our location was it provided some protection from the wind that was usually out of the south west. 

We would move away from base camp before day light each morning, quietly move into position and would set almost motionless throughout the day.  If you have ever tried to sit almost motionless for any period of time you know it is difficult to do and boring. 

            My partner was younger than me and this was his first time to actually be involved in a real attempt to kill.  He had received all the necessary training and indoctrination but all the training in the world may not prepare a person for their first kill.  To conceal yourself for hours and possibility days, then the opportunity presents itself you pull the trigger.  “One shot, one kill”. I could see the excitement and yes, some stress in his actions. He was able to stay still and he was exceptionally quite which I found very reassuring.

We had seen our intended target Sunday about 9:30 AM and even though he was in range, it was not the perfect opportunity. Sunday after dark we made our way back to base came which was canceled in a cedar break; it was the time for a good warm meal and a warm dry sleeping bag. We only had a couple more days of opportunity and if we were not successful, we would have to leave.  It would not be the first time for me to leave without meeting the objective. I wanted to be successful for my partner to see how he would react to his first kill.  In some situations, the first kill is the last kill. Some are not able to actually take a life and consider it as an acceptable situation.  

Sitting still for long periods, birds will land on and around you. To see a sparrow sitting on the barrow of your rifle indicated that you have blended in with your surroundings.  Squirrels will play within inches of your gun, which would never happen if you were actually squirrel hunting. There were two squirrels chasing each other almost on top of us, reminding me of days past when as a boy my friend Steve and I would go squirrel hunting with 22 cal. Rifles. We always did a lot of shooting but seldom bagged a squirrel.

As this morning progressed we were sitting motionless when there was a single shot from the other team’s location. My partner and I looked at each other wondering; had the mission been successful?  We were ready at our location just in case the other team had failed. It is possible that had they missed, we might get a shot. 

A minute passed, then two which seemed like an hour. Finally from the other team we heard, “Dad we have one down”. 

My son Patrick had made his first kill of a white tail buck.  My son David (my partner) and I got out of our dear stand and walked to where Patrick and his buddy were located.  They had a nice 6 point buck.

An interesting part to this tale is; I had told Patrick and his buddy to get in their stand and stay there, do not get out of the stand.  Patrick’s buddy had to take a dump (#2) and was actually out of the deer stand about 50 feet behind the stand when the kill shot was made.  Patrick told me the Buck was following a doe and was not aware of anything else.

The story is true, with very little exaggeration.

From the never ending thoughts of Don Ford      

Thanks.

All rights reserved, any reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

       Be safe,stay healthy,take naps and enjoy your family and friends.