My daughter has been sitting with me on and off for several years. She's finally gotten to where she's quiet enough to see deer. She's had several opportunities but didnt want to kill a doe or small buck for her first deer. I thought it was an excuse to not have to shoot one but whatever. She's going and I wont pass judgment. I am just thrilled she's there with me. This year, there's been very little showing up on the trail cam except pigs and does. Then on Thursday a nice deer shows up and is a day walker and regular.
Saved the stand until little bit could come hunt. We climbed up at 5 because he usually shows up early. The shooting rail is a little high for her to make the shot comfortably, so we practiced her leaning up and me sliding over so she could sit in my lap. Then we settled into our normal activities designed to keep a little critter entertained in the stand. Thumb war is her favorite and we're midstride and she spit-hiss-whispers "Daddy, there's two does, NO it's a BUCK, daddy....it's a buck and he's BIG".
I could feel her shaking and hear her breathing went from calm and relaxed to running a set of bellows. Bear in mind, all my stands are bow stands essentially. Nothing over 60 yards. Not by design, but working with what I've got. No ag, all timber.
As we ran through our lean up and I slide over the doe in front zeroed in on our location while she was mid motion. Doe sat there staring through our souls at 40 yards for what felt like an eternity. It took two doe stares for Addie to get settled and on the rifle. The buck never knew we were there. She's telling me that she's shaking and I am trying to walk her through a breathing technique and recoaching her how to pull the trigger I am at the point where I tell her to take a deep breath in and hol....."BANG" and the buck's front legs dropped from underneath him and his ass followed. The doe jumped the lane in one bound and I proceed to blow my daughter's ear out with a "You got him! You got him! You got him!" I dont know if I was more excited for her, or that I didnt have to track him through short pines. Rifle is a Ruger .44 carbine 300 grn jacketed hollow point. She clipped the front of the shoulder blade and the bullet bounced into his neck. He didnt move, just dropped.
Just a few lbs shy of 200 but not the same deer. Thicker antlers and broken brow tine. Dark swamp buck with a crab claw and trying real hard to be a double throat patch.
Oh, and she was invited to the state swim meet the day before. She's twelve and in 7th grade swimming on the varisity team. I am a proud daddy.
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She insisted she clean him by herself, (until it got to the shoulders and then she asked me for help).
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When she was 8, and started sitting with me regularly she wrote a song. I of course saved it because it's so cute and drug it out for this occasion. It reads:
"Where I am meant to be is not here. It's by the river shooting deer with the cold breeze washing over me"
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And yes...I had a deer mounted just a few years ago for $450 or so....Imagine my sticker shock at today's prices....
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