The Big'O Buck

Once upon a time, not so long ago, There lived a big buck, name of Big'O.

This was his name for he was the best, He'd win any fight, and this is no jest.

The horns on his head, of an ebony brown, Scored 236 on the dot (if you round).

He had kickers and stickers; a drop tine too, Other deer lost their breath when he came into view.

Yes, he was the biggest in the forest, you see, A real trophy buck; the epitome.

He'd fight off the young bucks and then get the does, All for himself, this buck had no woes.

Now one evening Big'O was out for a stroll, To show of his stuff and to fill his gut full.

He gorged by the apple tree almost and hour, But then the sun set and it seemed it could shower.

Big'O started walking then back to his place, But something caught his attention and caused him to brace.

"Was that lightning?" He asked for it made such a flash. "No." said a voice, "Don't do anything rash."

Big'O turned his head and looked up in the tree, And there saw the voice; a wise owl, you see.

He blinked as he woke from his sleep to explain, That here was some-thing that could cause Big much pain.

"The flash that you saw there was not from the sky, But it came from the box that you see on that pine.

A man came this morning, woke me up by the way, And strapped on that box to the tree just today.

I don't know exactly just what it will do, But it cannot be anything good for you.

So take my advice and find a new home, For there's much free timber on which you could roam."

(The owl and deer did not know, so you see, That the box was a trail camera strapped on the tree.

And the owl was right, it could prove not so great, But Big'O was so confident that he got irate.)

"Now Owl I don't need you to tell me today, That I need to leave here and then go away.

I'm happy and good with just right where I'm at." He said to the owl, who just listened and sat.

"If I meet a human, can't wait till I do, I'll use my tall antlers and run him right through.

So don't tell me, Owl, now how I should live, I don't care about the thoughts that you have to give."

The wise owl then watched as the buck strode away, "He sure will regret this decision someday."

A month after this warning was shared with the deer, Big'O was out looking for something to smear.

The young bucks, it seemed, had now had enough, Big'O owned the timber because he was tough.

He now rubbed on trees and created big scrapes, Instead of destroying the other bucks' capes.

He walked past the apple tree and stayed on the trail, The owl had warned him would cause him to fail.

He thought to himself, "Oh boy what a jerk, That owl said this is where humans would lurk.

The box has been gone now for one week or more, That owl thought he knew what I had in store."

No sooner did this thought go through Big'O's mind, That he smelled a new scent, of the dangerous kind.

He stopped and he stood and he took a big smell, "Why that is a hunter my senses do tell.

I can't wait to meet him, and give him a fright, For I have run out of all others to fight."

Big'O made his way down this trail to the tree, Where the owl had said something not good would be.

The smell became stronger, yes this was the place, "I'll rip up this hunter and not leave a trace."

A sound was then made, 'twas a "click" from up high, The hunter was close and he let out a sigh.

He just clicked off his safety and had in his sights, The buck of a lifetime, a trophy by rights.

Big'O then looked up and gazed into the tree, "This hunter," he gasped "has his sights set on me!"

That was the last scene that did play in his head, For just at that instant, the man shot him dead. He dressed him and caped him, then hung on his wall, The head of Big'O, which was anything but small.

Then out in the woods, other deer gathered round, And saw where the bully had fell to the ground.

The wise owl looked on from his perch way up high, Shook his head back and forth for the buck that had died.

It was not his fault for he had warned him quite well, Of the fate that eventually on him befell.

So if you don't want to end dead on a wall, Be unlike this Big'O and keep your head small!