fairchaser
Well-Known Member
My son and I took my 6 year old grandson on his first deer hunt this weekend. We wanted to hunt public land near our lake cabin. So we hunted the TN National wildlife refuge. The hunt was more about nature, memories in the deer woods and life long experiences. We also knew my grandson would not last very long sitting still and quiet.
We found a good set up on the edge of a backwater slew on the river. Not long after, my son spotted a doe on a far bank. She saw us but the distance was far enough that she seemed more curious than frightened. This allowed me time to get my rifle set up for a long shot of 384 yards. I dialed in my dope and got my grandson to cover his young ears. My son was keeping vigil with his binos. At the shot the doe took off but didn't seemed hit. My son said I hit the dirt well short of the deer. The shot felt good so I was really scratching my head.
I can accept a miss at the outer limits of my range but I wasn't expecting a miss this badly. I started thinking and asked my grandson to go check a limb hanging down near my line of sight. See the pic below. Dead center hit.
Sometimes you can do everything right but the woods whammies prevail. Such is life. You can learn lessons from ANY experiences you have. I believe we learn so many life lessons while deer hunting that make us better people as well as hunters.
I'm so thankful to have my family and the opportunities to spend time together learning the lessons in hunting and life. Precious memories.
We found a good set up on the edge of a backwater slew on the river. Not long after, my son spotted a doe on a far bank. She saw us but the distance was far enough that she seemed more curious than frightened. This allowed me time to get my rifle set up for a long shot of 384 yards. I dialed in my dope and got my grandson to cover his young ears. My son was keeping vigil with his binos. At the shot the doe took off but didn't seemed hit. My son said I hit the dirt well short of the deer. The shot felt good so I was really scratching my head.
I can accept a miss at the outer limits of my range but I wasn't expecting a miss this badly. I started thinking and asked my grandson to go check a limb hanging down near my line of sight. See the pic below. Dead center hit.
Sometimes you can do everything right but the woods whammies prevail. Such is life. You can learn lessons from ANY experiences you have. I believe we learn so many life lessons while deer hunting that make us better people as well as hunters.
I'm so thankful to have my family and the opportunities to spend time together learning the lessons in hunting and life. Precious memories.
