I promised to take him out... so I took him to my bow hunting honey hole up at my uncle's near Forest Lake. I knew we'd see deer up there, I've been watching them for a month now bow hunting and knew their patterns. Only problem was that it is a shotgun zone and I have rifles setup for deer hunting, and shotguns for bird hunting, but nothing for shotguns setup for deer. But I do have my TC Omega muzzle loader with a scope mounted on it with quick releases. So, earlier this fall when we were up duck hunting, I took him down to the gravel pit to shot it. He didn't seem to mind the little extra kick, and was grouping them in 4 inches at 100 yards, so I figure we are good to go.
So we get out at my uncle's at at about 6:30am, and get up in the two man stand. at about 6:45 I hear a noise from back up the trail we walked in on. I look, but don't see anything. But it was too early for the squirrels to come out... I chalked it up to a branch falling from the trees. Then I heard it again, I looked... still see nothing. But I could sense there was something there. you know how you just know? Then he moved, and suddenly just appeared. Standing right on the trail we came down 20 minutes earlier. How do they just suddenly appear like that? He took another step and I instantly knew what deer he was. I had seen him a few other mornings while I was sitting out here bow hunting. I thought he was a six point buck, and I knew this deer because he had a noticeable limp in his front right leg. I imagine he was hit by a car earlier that spring or last winter. I called him Gimpy and decided that if he ever offered me a shot while bow hunting, that I would take him. Just because I didn't know how he would do with that limp through the upcoming winter, and it would be a good one to selectively harvest.
I whispered to Andrew not to move, there was a deer coming down the trail behind us. Then Gimpy and I proceeded in what seemed like about a 10 minute stare down. Finally, he started to continue down the trail and turned a little to the right to follow another trail like I've seen so many deer during the bow season do before. I told Andrew to get ready, it would be an easy 50 yard shot. He brought the muzzle loader around and tried to get lined up on the deer, I asked him if he was ready and he said he couldn't see him. The deer stopped, now he knew something was up... he started to limp away, now quartering away from us. If this deer didn't have the limp, he would have taken off by now I am sure. I reached down and dialed the scope out to about a 4, giving Andrew a better chance to pick up on the deer who was now about 70 yards away. I whispered to Andrew that there was only one more little opening left in the trees, then the deer would be too far away in the brush to get a good shot. The deer stepped into a little clearing between us and him and I grunted, he didn't stop but he slowed just enough. I told Andrew to shoot if he could see him, and boom! As the smoke cleared, I could see the deer still walking away, now behind some trees. I asked Andrew if he thought he hit him, he said, "yeah, I think so." So I got out the binoculars and started looking out there. I had lost him when he went behind some trees, but I never saw him come out the other side, so I figured he was behind them. Then I could make out a tail sticking out from behind one of the trees... then against the partially snow covered ground, I could make out the underside of his head on the other side of the tree. I told Andrew, I think he is down, but lets give him a few minutes to make sure. We high-fived and I reloaded the muzzleloader just in case. After a quick call to my uncle letting him know we thought we had a deer, we climbed out of the stand and went over to where he was when Andrew shot. We looked for blood, but couldn't find any. But we knew where the deer was, so we started walking over there. Andrew went up to him and he was lying there dead. He turned out to be a little basket 8 pointer. Not bad for an 11 year old getting his first deer, with black powder and a quartering shot away no less.
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Topic: My son's first deer! (Read 3377 times)
