Post by gpzyellow on Nov 20, 2007 9:57:59 GMT -5
My 17 yr old daughter was a little depressed that I wouldn't let her go on her first deer hunt on opening morning. I just didn't feel comfortable having her out there with so many hunters out there. We hunt private land , but that doesn't mean we don't experience our share of lost deer hunters Then to top it off she lost a classmate in a senseless car accident the night before.
I told her that I would take her out after school on Monday. So I had everything ready for her so we can go as soon as she got home, or so I thought. We got into our buddy stand overlooking a nice creek bottom that has a couple of major trails running Thur it about 4:30. We got set up which is when I realized I had forgot her 20ga. slugs. I felt like a complete idiot. I asked her if she thought she could shoot my 50 cal muzzle loader, I preference this with my daughter is 5ft and 100bls soaking wet. Our buddy stand has a rail that was just the right height for her, so she shouldered the gun and said she could see the scope ok and that she wanted to give it a try. I was afraid that she would flinch at the shot for fear of the recoil, so I told her that it kicks less than her 20ga. and not to worry about it.
So we set there for an hour just enjoying the view and enjoying our time together. About 5:30 I was going to whisper to her that this is the golden time and to be alert, but before I could she elbows me and points to her left. I looked over her head and walking down the logging road that runs about 20yds behind our stand was a nice doe. Now the problem we had was my daughter shoots left handed and she couldn't turn around far enough to rest the gun on the rail without being spotted by the deer in that it was only 30yds away. She continued to walk towards us on the logging road, problem 2 its directly down wind of us. She gets directly behind us and I hand my daughter the gun and tell her to very slowly turn towards me and I would lean forward and she could rest the gun on the rail behind me.
Heres where it got fun, she was trying to move very slowly, but about that time the doe caught our wind. I tell my daughter freeze, after a minute she puts her head down and starts to walk again so I tell my daughter to get the gun ready,and about that time the doe looks at us again and I whisper freeze. We do this about 5 times over the next couple of minutes, and we finally get the gun and my daughter set up to be able to take a shot if the opportunity presented itself. Mean while I'm leaning way forward and looking over my right shoulder at the deer, I felt like an owl except with neck cramps. About this time my daughter whispers is it off safety and I'm like gads I forgot to tell her how to cock it and that it doesn't have a safety that the hammer is the safety. So I whisper to her yes its off just pull the hammer back until it locks in place. I hear it lock and I ask her if she can see the deer, she says no its behind a tree, then the deer walks forward about ten feet and is now 20yds past our tree. I ask her if she can see the deer she says yes and I asked her if she can get her scope on it and she says it already is and the cross hairs are on the spot I told her to have it on. I said shoot whenever your ready.
Boom, the deer jumps straight up in the air and takes off like a bat out of hell. I watch the deer run about 75 yd down hill over a little rise but never out from behind the rise. Well I'm going nuts hugging my daughter and high fiveing her about 10 times. I am pumped, I told her I think she made a good shot and she said she thought so to. I can't tell you how excited I was. It was better that any deer I've ever shot, the smile on her face was priceless. I asked her if the gun kicked hard and she said she didn't know she was so excited and she didn't notice.
It was getting dark so we got down and went over to where she had shot at the deer and there was blood everywhere. The blood trail was like a road map is was so easy to follow I told her this deer is dead and oh by the way what is that up ahead. There she lay not 100yds from where she shot it. Well I gave her the knife and with a little help from dad she field dressed her own first deer, and what was better is that it died on an alternate logging road so we were able to drive right up to it and load it up. Sorry the story was so long I guess this movie in my head just had to be retold. thanks for listening
I told her that I would take her out after school on Monday. So I had everything ready for her so we can go as soon as she got home, or so I thought. We got into our buddy stand overlooking a nice creek bottom that has a couple of major trails running Thur it about 4:30. We got set up which is when I realized I had forgot her 20ga. slugs. I felt like a complete idiot. I asked her if she thought she could shoot my 50 cal muzzle loader, I preference this with my daughter is 5ft and 100bls soaking wet. Our buddy stand has a rail that was just the right height for her, so she shouldered the gun and said she could see the scope ok and that she wanted to give it a try. I was afraid that she would flinch at the shot for fear of the recoil, so I told her that it kicks less than her 20ga. and not to worry about it.
So we set there for an hour just enjoying the view and enjoying our time together. About 5:30 I was going to whisper to her that this is the golden time and to be alert, but before I could she elbows me and points to her left. I looked over her head and walking down the logging road that runs about 20yds behind our stand was a nice doe. Now the problem we had was my daughter shoots left handed and she couldn't turn around far enough to rest the gun on the rail without being spotted by the deer in that it was only 30yds away. She continued to walk towards us on the logging road, problem 2 its directly down wind of us. She gets directly behind us and I hand my daughter the gun and tell her to very slowly turn towards me and I would lean forward and she could rest the gun on the rail behind me.
Heres where it got fun, she was trying to move very slowly, but about that time the doe caught our wind. I tell my daughter freeze, after a minute she puts her head down and starts to walk again so I tell my daughter to get the gun ready,and about that time the doe looks at us again and I whisper freeze. We do this about 5 times over the next couple of minutes, and we finally get the gun and my daughter set up to be able to take a shot if the opportunity presented itself. Mean while I'm leaning way forward and looking over my right shoulder at the deer, I felt like an owl except with neck cramps. About this time my daughter whispers is it off safety and I'm like gads I forgot to tell her how to cock it and that it doesn't have a safety that the hammer is the safety. So I whisper to her yes its off just pull the hammer back until it locks in place. I hear it lock and I ask her if she can see the deer, she says no its behind a tree, then the deer walks forward about ten feet and is now 20yds past our tree. I ask her if she can see the deer she says yes and I asked her if she can get her scope on it and she says it already is and the cross hairs are on the spot I told her to have it on. I said shoot whenever your ready.
Boom, the deer jumps straight up in the air and takes off like a bat out of hell. I watch the deer run about 75 yd down hill over a little rise but never out from behind the rise. Well I'm going nuts hugging my daughter and high fiveing her about 10 times. I am pumped, I told her I think she made a good shot and she said she thought so to. I can't tell you how excited I was. It was better that any deer I've ever shot, the smile on her face was priceless. I asked her if the gun kicked hard and she said she didn't know she was so excited and she didn't notice.
It was getting dark so we got down and went over to where she had shot at the deer and there was blood everywhere. The blood trail was like a road map is was so easy to follow I told her this deer is dead and oh by the way what is that up ahead. There she lay not 100yds from where she shot it. Well I gave her the knife and with a little help from dad she field dressed her own first deer, and what was better is that it died on an alternate logging road so we were able to drive right up to it and load it up. Sorry the story was so long I guess this movie in my head just had to be retold. thanks for listening
And you're right, they just need told. 
