My Son's First Deer!
11-12-2004, 02:31 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Ohio
Posts: 262
My Son's First Deer!
My first post here but I had to share this story with some fellow bow hunters. First of all, I have been bow hunting for deer for about 16 years and have taken many deer including a few Pope & Young bucks. I hunt for the challenge and am fairly selective, shooting the first deer to walk by has never interested me. Two years ago I started taking my son out to sit with me while I bow-hunted when he was 9. He went along on our annual trip to Southern Ohio both years and he loved every minute of it. He actually sat very still and would sit for 2 or 3 hours at a time. This year he is 11 and I decided he was old enough to hunt himself this year. I do not hunt with a gun so I got him a crossbow so he could hunt with me during bow season. He is probably a few years away from being strong enough to use a compound bow so I liked the crossbow option over gun season (he has Browning compound but only can shoot 30 lbs.).
We hunted my property a few days with no luck and then went to Southern Ohio for my annual bow hunt during the rut. I put two tree stands back-to-back in the same tree in one of my best spots. We sat for a day and a half and did not see any deer. On the 3rd day the movement kicked in like I knew it would during the rut. We were seeing deer so often that my son said "dad, we are seeing so many deer that I am just going to stay standing up". I grunted at a few 1 1/2 year old bucks and one 2 1/2 year old with no response and we got busted by a mature doe. We saw two does bed down and watched a spike later come and kick them up. A little later we heard the leaves crunch to our left and turned to see a nice 3 1/2 year old buck coming through the pines. I swear to god my son whispered "Oh crap" when he saw the deer. The buck stopped to make a scrape 20 yards from us but there was no shot through the thick pines. He worked on the scrape for a few minutes and I started getting really nervous with anticipation. I was way more nervous than when shooting a deer myself and I hoped my laboring breathing would not affect my son. If the buck went any direction but one he would stay in the thick pines and we would not get a shot. When he was done scraping he continued on the direction he was travelling and I knew we were going to get a shot. My son had not started lining up the shot yet so I whispered to him and told him to put the site on him as soon as he clears the pines because I was going to stop him in the creek. When the buck came in the open I let him go a few steps and then grunted with my voice to stop him. The buck stopped at 16 yards and about a second later I heard the thump of the cross bow and watched the bolt hit in the exact perfect spot! From my view I could see the bolt skipping down the creek bed after passing through. As the buck ran off I grabbed my son's shoulder and told him that was a beatiful shot and to keep his eye on him. He ran about 30 yards and just stopped. I have seen this many times and told Derec that he was going to fall. The deer fell over and flinched once but he was done when he hit the ground.
I literally could not sleep that night as the scene of watching my son shoot his first deer from over his shoulder kept playing over and over in my mind. I actually had the video camera with me during this hunt but put it in the backpack after the doe busted us because I was afraid the sun was glaring off it. Sorry for the long winded story but I am still pumped up 6 days later! I left our S. Ohio trip without a deer but with a lifetime of memories.
Pics:
This is my favorite pic because this image will forever be burned in my mind. This was my view (taken the following day):
Go here for a few more pictures if interested:
http://homepages.accnorwalk.com/blodg/
Thanks for listening!
We hunted my property a few days with no luck and then went to Southern Ohio for my annual bow hunt during the rut. I put two tree stands back-to-back in the same tree in one of my best spots. We sat for a day and a half and did not see any deer. On the 3rd day the movement kicked in like I knew it would during the rut. We were seeing deer so often that my son said "dad, we are seeing so many deer that I am just going to stay standing up". I grunted at a few 1 1/2 year old bucks and one 2 1/2 year old with no response and we got busted by a mature doe. We saw two does bed down and watched a spike later come and kick them up. A little later we heard the leaves crunch to our left and turned to see a nice 3 1/2 year old buck coming through the pines. I swear to god my son whispered "Oh crap" when he saw the deer. The buck stopped to make a scrape 20 yards from us but there was no shot through the thick pines. He worked on the scrape for a few minutes and I started getting really nervous with anticipation. I was way more nervous than when shooting a deer myself and I hoped my laboring breathing would not affect my son. If the buck went any direction but one he would stay in the thick pines and we would not get a shot. When he was done scraping he continued on the direction he was travelling and I knew we were going to get a shot. My son had not started lining up the shot yet so I whispered to him and told him to put the site on him as soon as he clears the pines because I was going to stop him in the creek. When the buck came in the open I let him go a few steps and then grunted with my voice to stop him. The buck stopped at 16 yards and about a second later I heard the thump of the cross bow and watched the bolt hit in the exact perfect spot! From my view I could see the bolt skipping down the creek bed after passing through. As the buck ran off I grabbed my son's shoulder and told him that was a beatiful shot and to keep his eye on him. He ran about 30 yards and just stopped. I have seen this many times and told Derec that he was going to fall. The deer fell over and flinched once but he was done when he hit the ground.
I literally could not sleep that night as the scene of watching my son shoot his first deer from over his shoulder kept playing over and over in my mind. I actually had the video camera with me during this hunt but put it in the backpack after the doe busted us because I was afraid the sun was glaring off it. Sorry for the long winded story but I am still pumped up 6 days later! I left our S. Ohio trip without a deer but with a lifetime of memories.
Pics:
This is my favorite pic because this image will forever be burned in my mind. This was my view (taken the following day):
Go here for a few more pictures if interested:
http://homepages.accnorwalk.com/blodg/
Thanks for listening!
11-12-2004, 02:41 PM
#3
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Ohio
Posts: 262
RE: My Son's First Deer!
I forgot to put what he measured green score, anyone have a guess? Prize for whoever comes closest
Also, when field dressing the bolt centered the onside lung and angled down through the top of the heart.
Also, when field dressing the bolt centered the onside lung and angled down through the top of the heart.
11-12-2004, 02:42 PM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 1,598
RE: My Son's First Deer!
That is AWESOME!!!! Congratulations to you and your son. That memory will last a lifetime for both of you. It's great that you got to share in that great experience with him. Thanks for sharing and welcome to the forums.
Also, I'll guess he'd green score 143 5/8 gross. One heck of a first buck!!!!!
Also, I'll guess he'd green score 143 5/8 gross. One heck of a first buck!!!!!
11-12-2004, 02:45 PM
#5
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Phoenixville, PA USA
Posts: 5,541
RE: My Son's First Deer!
Wow, great story. I was getting anxious for your son just reading it. That is a beautiful buck too. Hard to beat that for a first deer. The smile in the second picture says it all. Congrats to both of you.
11-12-2004, 03:21 PM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Bremen, GA.
Posts: 2,091
RE: My Son's First Deer!
Blodg. i can understand how you fill. My son shot his first this yr as well. He is 9yr old. although he took it with a gun i was and still am so proud of him! I will never forget the that day it was perfect. It was just a doe he got but to he and i it was just right
Congrats to you and your son on a beautifull buck! No matter how many more he takes in his life there will never be that first time again! Congrats again!
Congrats to you and your son on a beautifull buck! No matter how many more he takes in his life there will never be that first time again! Congrats again!
