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Are you on her? Squeeze the trigger and keep watching through the scope.......
Crack!
Well I've got another hunter in the family now. My daughter (8 yrs old) has been been asking since last year to go. She loves to eat venison and decided that she was old enough to go hunting with her Dad and big brother (12). I had her practicing with the air rifle and .22 AR upper this year so I knew she could make the shot, but you never know what nerves will do to you.
It was the opening day of the youth hunt yesterday so my daughter, son, and I all squeeze on a four wheeler and ease down the trails to our hunting box stand. I brought the 16" 6.5 Grendel, suppressed with TBAC 30CB and loaded with 123 SST (31.2 gr CFE223, 2450 fps).
It was an afternoon hunt and the deer didn't come out until late. About 20 min. before dark a spike and small 4 point came into the field. Excitement is rising in the blind. Big brother was unselfish and let his little sister take the first shot opportunity.
About 5 min later two does walk into the field 85 yds from our stand. I double check to make sure it's a mature doe and ease the rifle out of the window. My daughter sits on my leg and gets lined up on the left doe. I had been quizzing her with pictures of deer on where to shoot, so she was taking her time picking the "perfect spot." The left deer keeps walking every time she is ready to shoot. She then lines up on the right doe that is being more still. (Every parent that has hunted with their child knows this feeling. "Is the sight picture good? What are they waiting for? Shoot...please shoot! Bullet please flight true. Please let this be a clean kill!) "When you've got a good spot, squeeze the trigger and keep watching through the scope, I'll watch the deer."
Waiting, waiting, waiting... crack, whoomp! The doe stumbles, runs a few feet on three legs and does a front flip into the edge of the woods!
Hugs, high fives, excited whispers, and questions.
We wait 5 more min to see if my son can get one too. The two small bucks are still standing there (thanks thunderbeast!). It gets too late to shoot so we climb down and find my girl's deer. She is so excited and so am I. I have to say she made a perfect shot and broke the offside shoulder with a nice exit wound.
We all three gather around for a hug and offer a prayer of thanks for the experience and the meat provided. Then off to the cleaning shed for a little work and a lot of celebrating.
Thanks for letting a proud dad share his story.
- PA
Crack!
Well I've got another hunter in the family now. My daughter (8 yrs old) has been been asking since last year to go. She loves to eat venison and decided that she was old enough to go hunting with her Dad and big brother (12). I had her practicing with the air rifle and .22 AR upper this year so I knew she could make the shot, but you never know what nerves will do to you.
It was the opening day of the youth hunt yesterday so my daughter, son, and I all squeeze on a four wheeler and ease down the trails to our hunting box stand. I brought the 16" 6.5 Grendel, suppressed with TBAC 30CB and loaded with 123 SST (31.2 gr CFE223, 2450 fps).
It was an afternoon hunt and the deer didn't come out until late. About 20 min. before dark a spike and small 4 point came into the field. Excitement is rising in the blind. Big brother was unselfish and let his little sister take the first shot opportunity.
About 5 min later two does walk into the field 85 yds from our stand. I double check to make sure it's a mature doe and ease the rifle out of the window. My daughter sits on my leg and gets lined up on the left doe. I had been quizzing her with pictures of deer on where to shoot, so she was taking her time picking the "perfect spot." The left deer keeps walking every time she is ready to shoot. She then lines up on the right doe that is being more still. (Every parent that has hunted with their child knows this feeling. "Is the sight picture good? What are they waiting for? Shoot...please shoot! Bullet please flight true. Please let this be a clean kill!) "When you've got a good spot, squeeze the trigger and keep watching through the scope, I'll watch the deer."
Waiting, waiting, waiting... crack, whoomp! The doe stumbles, runs a few feet on three legs and does a front flip into the edge of the woods!
Hugs, high fives, excited whispers, and questions.
We wait 5 more min to see if my son can get one too. The two small bucks are still standing there (thanks thunderbeast!). It gets too late to shoot so we climb down and find my girl's deer. She is so excited and so am I. I have to say she made a perfect shot and broke the offside shoulder with a nice exit wound.
We all three gather around for a hug and offer a prayer of thanks for the experience and the meat provided. Then off to the cleaning shed for a little work and a lot of celebrating.
Thanks for letting a proud dad share his story.
- PA
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