SWINGBOW Report post Posted December 14, 2012 This story began like most others I guess. Only this time I was filling out the application and mailing it in for someone else, my 10 year old son. I talked to a great friend of mine and he suggested we put our kids in for tags in the same unit. With a little luck my son (10) and his daughter (11) would both draw and we would do a family trip. Well the results came out and this kid obviously didn't inherit my no tag drawing curse. Andy's daughter was also lucky and drew too! I was WAY more excited than I get for my own hunts. The kids had never met but were instant friends. We took some nice hikes and glassed a ton, seeing about 25 does per small buck. It was still great to show my son some beautiful country and the most beatiful deer I've ever seen. The kids didn't let darkness stop their hunt and helped control the rodent population in camp. One of them lured the mouse out with a mashmellow and the other smacked it with a stick. We busted our tails to get to a spot for about a 300 yard shot but as these deer do, they disappeared. We decided to walk a little further and peak into another canyon. After picking apart the canyon and only turning up a few does we took some pics and started the long walk back to camp. I wanted to take one more look at where the buck from earlier was and convinced my son to take a little detour. He wanted to get back to camp for lunch but I found a fruit roll-up in my pack to hold him over and we were good to go. As we came around the mountain where we had last seen the deer I looked up and saw a spike and a doe at about 150 yards heading straight at us. I said "there they are" and my son said "the one in the back is a buck" I got him set up with a rest real fast on my pack and glassed the deer. They had turned and were walking pretty quickly broadside. I confirmed that the one in the back was a buck and asked if he wanted to take him. He of course said "YES!!!" He chambered a round and I told him to wait for the buck to stop. They were about 120 yards now. The buck started to slow down and I was just about to tell him they were gonna stop when he touched off the shot from his .270. I heard the shot hit meat and knew the buck was his! This kid was pretty excited about this little buck!!! Back straps cooked over mesquite. Doesn't get any better than that!!! After sharing the story at camp, Andy's daughter was ready to get a deer on the ground! She killed a great buck last year and was very considerate of the fact that my son, her new buddy, hadn't ever killed a coues deer. He was done now and we all were excited to go try to find her a buck. Andy, with his amazing ability to spot deer found a couple bucks over a mile away. They were in a real tough spot to get to and we were only able to get within about 600 yards. She shoots a 223 and we knew that the little round wouldn't have enough punch at that distance. My son's 270 is dialed in and after a little convincing I had her talked into taking a crack at the buck with a "big boy gun" She was a little nervous to shoot it but when I told her how her buddy could shoot it no problem, she said "I'm ready, I'll do it" I set up the gun in the rest and had her dry fire. She squeezed that trigger like an old pro. I had her chamber a round and we ranged the buck again at 634. She ended up shooting at the buck 8 times and never connected. This small part of our trip is one of my favorite memories. That little girl was slinging some lead and all of us were spotting and coaching her through it. The buck walked away unharmed and I'm sure wondering what was going on with the rocks exploding all around him. Finally a pic of Andy's wonderful wife. She kept us fed and in line the whole time. Parting shot. God Bless America! Sorry the pics are a little out of order. I can't figure it out... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bonecollector Report post Posted December 14, 2012 What a great time in the hills with the kids hunting. Congrats to your son on his first coues. Great pics and write up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coach Report post Posted December 14, 2012 Great post, and huge congrats on the hunt. IMO, there is NOTHING better than seeing those youth hunters out there filling their first tags, or just getting to engage in "the hunt". Nice job, dad, for getting them out thre and making memories that will last a lifetime. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigorange Report post Posted December 14, 2012 Awesome...congrats! Can't wait for my kids to start hunting. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tjhunt2 Report post Posted December 14, 2012 Congratulations to your son on his first buck. These are the kind of stories I like to start the day off reading. Trips like these are great for the kids and the grownups have just, if not more, fun. If only more parents could and would get their kids invoved in the great outdoors this would be a better world for it. Thanks for sharing your hunt and pictures with us. TJ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adicted Report post Posted December 14, 2012 thats forever lasting memories...good job Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pine Donkey Report post Posted December 14, 2012 This is a great story. The picture of him sleeping on a rock brings back so many wonderful memories of when my kids were younger. That is a great first buck, congratulations! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Outdoor Writer Report post Posted December 14, 2012 That's what it's all about right there. Very well done. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pixman Report post Posted December 14, 2012 Great write up and pics, thanks for sharing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
