So a little back history. My daughter shot her first deer a few years back when she was 5. A couple years later she shoots another with her Xbow at the end of the season both times seeming to be super excited and cant wait to go again. The very next year I pick out a good cull for her to hunt take her to the lease and she clams up. She doesnt know why or cant explain but she doesnt want to shoot her x bow she wants her rifle. Well we finish up hunting that weekend and I make plans to take her back during rifle season with her .223 in tow. Her cull deer comes out, she gets ready and she clams up again. For 45 minutes I try to coach her through it and it never happens. On the way home I keep asking her what happened so that I can understand and she just cant put into words what was going on. Well I just wrote it off to being influenced by other piers that gave her a hard time for taking deer previously and hoped she would just grow out of it. Well this year I have a few more approved culls that need to be taken out. I run it by her and she seems excited to go take one out. I make arrangements with the wife since Briley did make straight A's and pull her from school early on Friday of youth season so we head down. We get in the stand Friday evening and all 3 approved deer come out and she pics the one she wants to hunt the next day. That morning comes and as scheduled all 3 are out again but its still early so I leave her sleeping on the floor for a while. It just so happens that the one she wanted leaves earlier than usual so, I wake her up and said the one she wanted has left but the 7pt is still here do you want to take him? She said yes and gets up and readies her .204. I tell her to shoot when she is ready and she flips the safety off. I kinda set over to the side thinking to my self its not really going to happen that she will do the same as last year and clam up when BAM she hammers him. We hi five and hug with excitement and then I go crap I didn't see which way he ran. Well we get out and do a little searching and don't see any blood or a deer so I tell her to look round the feeder and ill go through some bull neddle and look where they always run. There he was piled up in the dry creek 70 yds from the feeder.
We get back home and all she can talk about was the fun she had and how she wanted to go back. I told her that if her report was good again I would do the same and pull her out early on a Friday and we would make the 5 hr trip back down. Well she held up her end of the deal with all A's and 1 high B so away we go after the cull she originally wanted. We get to the lease that evening in time to hunt but since we are rushed for time she opted to stay at camp. As planned her deer came out and fed for and hour so, when I got back we made the plans for what to do in the morning. Well as it always happens she curled up on the floor and went to snoring as "Dad" watches for deer and wakes her when its time. This morning the deer is a NO SHOW but another deer was there. It's a management 10 that we have had history with so after about an hour of watching him I decided to let her take him and woke her up. I told her that the deer she was after did not show but another deer is here if she wants she can shoot him. She is already thinking nah its the little 8 and doesn't seem too energetic until she gets in her chair and I point him out. Her eyes got as big as softballs and says yea I want him bad. Well she gets her .204 ready and a limb was blocking her shot so she calls it off. He then moves to the rice bran and she moves her rifle over to take the shot. I tell her to shoot when shes ready and have the camera rolling this time. BAM she hammers him and he drops and starts flopping. Well the deer gets up and runs off and I am thinking crap she high shoulder shot him and the shock dropped him but, he got his composure and hauled butt. We got out and looked around when she finally found some lung blood and we started tracking. I let her find/follow all the blood and about 135yds there he was piled up in a tree. She was over the moon excited and now has her first wall hanger.
I am so impressed with the decisions she made on not taking a good shot and the work she did to find the blood on her own and take up the trail. Looks like I am going to have my hands full from here on out and cant wait to take her on her next adventure whatever that may be.
We get back home and all she can talk about was the fun she had and how she wanted to go back. I told her that if her report was good again I would do the same and pull her out early on a Friday and we would make the 5 hr trip back down. Well she held up her end of the deal with all A's and 1 high B so away we go after the cull she originally wanted. We get to the lease that evening in time to hunt but since we are rushed for time she opted to stay at camp. As planned her deer came out and fed for and hour so, when I got back we made the plans for what to do in the morning. Well as it always happens she curled up on the floor and went to snoring as "Dad" watches for deer and wakes her when its time. This morning the deer is a NO SHOW but another deer was there. It's a management 10 that we have had history with so after about an hour of watching him I decided to let her take him and woke her up. I told her that the deer she was after did not show but another deer is here if she wants she can shoot him. She is already thinking nah its the little 8 and doesn't seem too energetic until she gets in her chair and I point him out. Her eyes got as big as softballs and says yea I want him bad. Well she gets her .204 ready and a limb was blocking her shot so she calls it off. He then moves to the rice bran and she moves her rifle over to take the shot. I tell her to shoot when shes ready and have the camera rolling this time. BAM she hammers him and he drops and starts flopping. Well the deer gets up and runs off and I am thinking crap she high shoulder shot him and the shock dropped him but, he got his composure and hauled butt. We got out and looked around when she finally found some lung blood and we started tracking. I let her find/follow all the blood and about 135yds there he was piled up in a tree. She was over the moon excited and now has her first wall hanger.
I am so impressed with the decisions she made on not taking a good shot and the work she did to find the blood on her own and take up the trail. Looks like I am going to have my hands full from here on out and cant wait to take her on her next adventure whatever that may be.
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