Here in Missouri we have a youth deer season that opens one weekend before rifle season. This was the first year I felt my son was old enough to actually handle a gun and be able to shoot. He has gone with me a few times in the last 4 years but although we saw deer the shot was never good for one reason or another. I had noticed that being a kid, he has a hard time sitting still (so does his father by the way). So when I saw a little tent blind at “Trader Sam’s” (Wally World), I went ahead and bought it. It was money well spent as I would soon find out.

On opening day I was busy in the morning so we were not able to go set up until afternoon. We did see a deer but not until after shooting time had expired. We came back the next morning before light and snuck quietly into out blind. We were set up in the woods at the end of a meadow near a fence where there were many well used game trails. At around 8:30 we saw a couple does to the north across the fence line and off of the property we were hunting. We watched them until the left then had some breakfast, graham crackers and hot chocolate. We waited another hour and a half and my son was getting a bit tired so I told him we would give it another 30 min. and go in. In about ten I heard foot steps behind us. I turned and looked. There was a button buck approaching from behind us and coming right up to the blind. Now my son has been shooting black powder for a couple years at the range using cross sticks and my gun. Recently I purchased a Traditions youth sized 50 cal. For him to use but I still had cross sticks set up facing the meadow. Of course this deer was behind us and his best shot was going to be standing and shooting out the top of the door. I help him get set up and waited for the shot. At last he pulled the trigger and filled the blind with smoke. The deer spun and ran. He said,”I can’t believe I missed, he was so close.” I told him to wait a second, I listened and sure enough I heard the tell tale crash of a deer falling back in the brush. We took our time reloading and settling down.

We left the blind to go look for the deer and sure enough it had only gone about 30 yards. I had him approach the deer and use the muzzle to give it a good nudge just to make sure. He had made a good shot, right through the lungs. As I field dressed the deer we talked about the insides of the deer and how much damage that single shot had done, and how an accidental shot through a human would do exactly the same thing.

After we shared the work of dragging the deer out and loading it in the truck, we took it to show it off to our other deer hunting friends and took it home to hang. The rest of the nice warm afternoon he spent playing. I spent the rest of the day processing a deer. Someday we’ll make that his job too. “One step at a Time”

This will probably be my most memorable hunt, maybe someday he’ll have the same fun with his kids? We can only hope.

By Tracy Smith
Copyright 2006
Used with Permission