GILLESPIE
Member
This will go down as the most memorable season ever for me. It all started last year when my 5 year old was begging all bow season to let him hunt. He had been shooting his .22 savage rascal for a year or so and had become a darn good shot. So, for Christmas 2015 we got him a muzzle loader and cut down the stock, made a cheek riser and topped it off with a red dot. We practiced a few times, went over shot placement and got him out in the stand on December 8th. That evening he connected on a doe and all the excitement quickly turned to disappointment as we tracked the doe to where it fell over dead and slid down the bank into the river, never to be found. He was fairly upset about it and I explained to him it was part of hunting and that I, as well as most hunters, have lost a deer before. From that point on he has been hooked, asking weekly how long it is till he can hunt again, writing about hunting in his school journal, practicing shooting every chance he gets. Youth season 2016 couldn't come soon enough.
The night before youth opener we had Grandpa drop us off at the blind for a little camp and hunt. I have done this with the kids before while bow hunting and its great not having to disturb the deer trying to hike in with kids in the dark. We woke up the morning of Sep. 17th with two does under the box blind. We got set up and watched a few small buck work their way through with no shot presenting itself. After about 15 minutes he couldn't take it anymore and decided he wanted to take one of the does still milling around the blind. A 35 yard heart shot put the doe down quick. He was absolutely pumped and I was so proud I was about in tears.
Like I said before, Zane is now hooked and waned to go out for shotgun 1 with Dad and Grandpa. He was now set on shooting a buck which is fine being shotgun 1 in Hardin Co is antlered only this year.
Opening morning of shotgun found us hiking to the blind at 6:00am to get set up before the sun came up. It didn't take long before he got sleepy and decided to take a nap. I watched some does work through for next couple hours while Zane was sawing logs on the floor of the box blind. At about 9:30 I saw a couple spikes working towards us at about 100yds. Zane was out cold and it took me about a minute or so to get him woke and standing up. By the time he got up the two spikes were at about 60yds and staring straight at us. We froze for a couple minutes waiting for them to go about their business as they slowly worked behind some brush. I got Zane set up and he patiently waited a few minutes before he could get his shot slipped between a couple of trees. His 50yd shot was on the money and the heart shot spike only went 30 yards before taking a header. Zane was just as stoked as his first deer and Dad again teary eyed with pride. We sat another hour or so hoping Grandpa or Khamani (six year old nephew on first hunt) can get a shot as they were sitting a couple hundred yards from us. An hour was all he could take and we had to get down to go take a look at his first buck.
We tag the spike with one of Grandpas land owner tags, field dress and load it up, then head out to get some lunch.
For the afternoon hunt we swapped blinds with Grandpa. Zane and I sat in a blind on the edge of the river. After about an hour Zane decides its nap time again and is sawing logs on the floor. At 3:30 or so I can see a buck about 250yds out in the field feeding in the cut corn. After quite a few loud grunts the buck starts coming our way and I once again wake Zane up out of a dead sleep. The buck makes it to 110yds and not seeing a buck to go with the grunts that brought him in decides to hold up. Going into this weekend I had upped Zane's powder charge to 70gr from the 50gr he practices with and told myself if he gets a good shot at 100yds I would let him take it with me backing him up. The deer he shot that morning at 50yds destroyed the offside shoulder so I had confidence in his energy at 100yds. He once again waited patiently a couple minutes for a good broadside shot at 110 yards. I told him to put it on his shoulder and take the shot when he was ready. I was also set up on the deer waiting to take a fallow up shot if I needed to anchor the buck. When the buck turned broadside Zane dropped the hammer and we watched the buck go 20yards and pile up. The buck stood back up and I took a shot, the buck rose up like a stallion and fell over backwards stone dead. We were once again ecstatic and full of fist pumps, high fives, and hugs. We got down and recovered the buck to only find one bullet hole from Zane's once again well placed heart shot and no hit from my sorry attempt to back him up. PROUD DAD is an understatement. This will never get old and I look forward to the many more memories to be shared with my son and dad afield
Most of all, thanks to our awesome LORD JESUS for giving us all the chance to chase these magnificent creatures he created for you and I. Also, thanks to the best example of a Father and Husband, my DAD-Papa G, for getting us into this activity that we can share as a family. GOD BLESS and sorry for the long winded post.
2016 season with Zane. It is going to take something pretty incredible to knock this one off as my most memorable season ever.
The night before youth opener we had Grandpa drop us off at the blind for a little camp and hunt. I have done this with the kids before while bow hunting and its great not having to disturb the deer trying to hike in with kids in the dark. We woke up the morning of Sep. 17th with two does under the box blind. We got set up and watched a few small buck work their way through with no shot presenting itself. After about 15 minutes he couldn't take it anymore and decided he wanted to take one of the does still milling around the blind. A 35 yard heart shot put the doe down quick. He was absolutely pumped and I was so proud I was about in tears.
Like I said before, Zane is now hooked and waned to go out for shotgun 1 with Dad and Grandpa. He was now set on shooting a buck which is fine being shotgun 1 in Hardin Co is antlered only this year.
Opening morning of shotgun found us hiking to the blind at 6:00am to get set up before the sun came up. It didn't take long before he got sleepy and decided to take a nap. I watched some does work through for next couple hours while Zane was sawing logs on the floor of the box blind. At about 9:30 I saw a couple spikes working towards us at about 100yds. Zane was out cold and it took me about a minute or so to get him woke and standing up. By the time he got up the two spikes were at about 60yds and staring straight at us. We froze for a couple minutes waiting for them to go about their business as they slowly worked behind some brush. I got Zane set up and he patiently waited a few minutes before he could get his shot slipped between a couple of trees. His 50yd shot was on the money and the heart shot spike only went 30 yards before taking a header. Zane was just as stoked as his first deer and Dad again teary eyed with pride. We sat another hour or so hoping Grandpa or Khamani (six year old nephew on first hunt) can get a shot as they were sitting a couple hundred yards from us. An hour was all he could take and we had to get down to go take a look at his first buck.
We tag the spike with one of Grandpas land owner tags, field dress and load it up, then head out to get some lunch.
For the afternoon hunt we swapped blinds with Grandpa. Zane and I sat in a blind on the edge of the river. After about an hour Zane decides its nap time again and is sawing logs on the floor. At 3:30 or so I can see a buck about 250yds out in the field feeding in the cut corn. After quite a few loud grunts the buck starts coming our way and I once again wake Zane up out of a dead sleep. The buck makes it to 110yds and not seeing a buck to go with the grunts that brought him in decides to hold up. Going into this weekend I had upped Zane's powder charge to 70gr from the 50gr he practices with and told myself if he gets a good shot at 100yds I would let him take it with me backing him up. The deer he shot that morning at 50yds destroyed the offside shoulder so I had confidence in his energy at 100yds. He once again waited patiently a couple minutes for a good broadside shot at 110 yards. I told him to put it on his shoulder and take the shot when he was ready. I was also set up on the deer waiting to take a fallow up shot if I needed to anchor the buck. When the buck turned broadside Zane dropped the hammer and we watched the buck go 20yards and pile up. The buck stood back up and I took a shot, the buck rose up like a stallion and fell over backwards stone dead. We were once again ecstatic and full of fist pumps, high fives, and hugs. We got down and recovered the buck to only find one bullet hole from Zane's once again well placed heart shot and no hit from my sorry attempt to back him up. PROUD DAD is an understatement. This will never get old and I look forward to the many more memories to be shared with my son and dad afield
Most of all, thanks to our awesome LORD JESUS for giving us all the chance to chase these magnificent creatures he created for you and I. Also, thanks to the best example of a Father and Husband, my DAD-Papa G, for getting us into this activity that we can share as a family. GOD BLESS and sorry for the long winded post.
2016 season with Zane. It is going to take something pretty incredible to knock this one off as my most memorable season ever.
