Allegies & Deer Hunting

I thought he was joking until it actually happened!  I was sitting in one of my favorite spots waiting for the buck I’d been hunting for a couple of weeks.  I was quickly running out of shooting light, but wasn’t going to leave until the last possible moment.  Suddenly, my eyes started to water, I started getting stopped up and I felt a sneeze coming on (which I luckily suppressed).  Something had sent my allergies into overdrive!   Just a few minutes after my head went crazy, I heard it…..he grunted! I could not believe it!  My buck was up wind from me, just out of sight and all I could do was laugh.   My allergist told me this could happen, but I didn’t think he was serious.  He also told me that it is a common allergy, but most people aren’t around deer and never realize deer will affect them.  It took several encounters with deer before realizing that the deer dander was causing my allergic reactions.  The worst was when I went to pick up a friend’s deer mount.  I thought at the time that there must have been something that the taxidermist used that caused me to have such a hard time breathing, but I guess the hide wasn’t as dry as I imagined a mounted deer’s hide would be.  We had to stop several times on the hour and a half trip for me to get out of the truck and get fresh air; I couldn’t wait to get that deer out of my lap and onto my friend’s wall!  

When I hunt, I make sure that first and foremost I take my daily allergy medication and I keep Benadryl in my hunting pack at all times.  It’s very rare that I have a reaction while in the stand, but after that first occurrence I pay even more attention to my surroundings if I do.  When I do kill a deer, I am going to get in photos with that deer!  I know the consequences and prepare by taking my Benadryl, take the photos quickly and take a shower as soon as possible.  I am unable to help skin a deer because of all the hair flying around, and most the time I need to be completely away from the area where it’s being skinned.   This is the biggest area of contention for me.  So many people, when they hear I’m allergic, immediately say “That’s just an excuse so you don’t have to help clean the deer!”  I have no problem with skinning and gutting; the blood and guts do not in any way “gross me out”.  We process our own meat and as soon as the skin is off I’m right there beside my Mountain taking care of business.  Hunting is our lifestyle!  I have not and will not let a little inconvenience like an allergy keep me from doing what I love! 

I will gladly take allergy medicine to be able to enjoy my Passion for hunting. Remember ladies even though life sometimes throws you obstacles, don’t let it keep you from trying the things in life you truly want to experience. It just may be the best experience of your life. 

-Kami