Choptank Rob
12-02-2005, 08:13 AM
I just read the post "my daughters xmas list" and it was great so I thought I would share this story with you guys.
First let me say that I have a 15 yr old daughter, 12 year old daughter and an 8 year old son. The two girls have both completed and passed the hunters safety course.
Well this year was my 12 year old daughters first year to hunt with a gun, my brother in laws 20ga. 1100. She had sat in the stand with me on Saturday morning and tuesday and Wednesday evenings without seeing a deer. Of course I took her 8 year old brother Saturday afternoon and killed 2 does. She was miffed.
So here it is, last night I put her in a stand near a field where we have seen deer every night as we left the woods. So in my wisdom I put her there thiniking she would catch a deer moving to the field. So I went to a stand not 40 yards away, so that I would be close if she shot. I got in my stand and not 30 minutes later here comes a very nice 8pt basket rack buck. I flipped off the saftey drew down and........................... Couldn't shoot. On Tuesday evening my daughter had asked me if I thought she was bad luck to which I told her NO and that having the opportunity to shoot a deer would happen by continuing to put in time in the woods. She didn't react to well to that and mumbled something about still thinking she was bad luck as we drove home. So back to that buck. As I drew down on him I thought about my daughter sitting not 40 yards away and not having seen a deer from a stand yet. SO I told my self I would not shoot it until I knew what he was going to do. He ate on a corn pile for 15 minutes then finally started to walk the road towards her. By this time I am getting concerned about the remaining light left for her to get a good shot. My heart was pounding as he walked closer to where I knew she might see him. Just as he got to the bend in the woods road where I knew she would see him he stopped. He stayed there for another 10 minutes without taking another step. I wish I had a straw and a spit ball cause I would have shot him in the a$$ to get him to take another step forward. But as luck would have it he turned back towards me and back to the corn pile that now had 5 does feeding on it as well. I never took my safety off again as I watched those deer feed then leave.
As I got out of the stand , feeling for my daughter and thinking she didn't even get a chance to see the buck, I thought, thats ok, I'll put her here tomorrow night and and hopefully he'll come back to feed and she will get a shot. Well as I walked to get her from her tree she was looking at me and grinnig from ear to ear. She did see that buck but just his horns and his nose. He had made it that far and only needed to move another 3 feet and she could have shot him. She said to me "DAD, I know that deer had to walk right under you, why didn't you shoot him?" To which I replied, "He is your deer Channy and tomorrow night could the night".
She was soooooooo excited to have seen him and she told it to me like this. "Dad, I heard it coming and remembered what you said about not moving and them OH MY GOD, I saw the horns and my heart about jumped out of my chest". She then proceeded to tell me that she could not wait to put in some more "Time" so that she could get that shot.
I have to admitt that at first I had every intention of taking that buck we he came out, but the thought of her comment the night before about being bad luck made me check myself as a hunter. I am convinced that that decision not to shoot and allowing that buck to pass so that she could have the opportunity was the best hunting decision I have ever made in my life.
In the truck on the way home her final words were this " Dad, I am hooked for life after seeing that buck tonight". I almost cried (seriously) because I knew at that moment I had a new hunting buddy forever.
Best of luck to all and rememeber to take a kid hunting or fishing.
First let me say that I have a 15 yr old daughter, 12 year old daughter and an 8 year old son. The two girls have both completed and passed the hunters safety course.
Well this year was my 12 year old daughters first year to hunt with a gun, my brother in laws 20ga. 1100. She had sat in the stand with me on Saturday morning and tuesday and Wednesday evenings without seeing a deer. Of course I took her 8 year old brother Saturday afternoon and killed 2 does. She was miffed.
So here it is, last night I put her in a stand near a field where we have seen deer every night as we left the woods. So in my wisdom I put her there thiniking she would catch a deer moving to the field. So I went to a stand not 40 yards away, so that I would be close if she shot. I got in my stand and not 30 minutes later here comes a very nice 8pt basket rack buck. I flipped off the saftey drew down and........................... Couldn't shoot. On Tuesday evening my daughter had asked me if I thought she was bad luck to which I told her NO and that having the opportunity to shoot a deer would happen by continuing to put in time in the woods. She didn't react to well to that and mumbled something about still thinking she was bad luck as we drove home. So back to that buck. As I drew down on him I thought about my daughter sitting not 40 yards away and not having seen a deer from a stand yet. SO I told my self I would not shoot it until I knew what he was going to do. He ate on a corn pile for 15 minutes then finally started to walk the road towards her. By this time I am getting concerned about the remaining light left for her to get a good shot. My heart was pounding as he walked closer to where I knew she might see him. Just as he got to the bend in the woods road where I knew she would see him he stopped. He stayed there for another 10 minutes without taking another step. I wish I had a straw and a spit ball cause I would have shot him in the a$$ to get him to take another step forward. But as luck would have it he turned back towards me and back to the corn pile that now had 5 does feeding on it as well. I never took my safety off again as I watched those deer feed then leave.
As I got out of the stand , feeling for my daughter and thinking she didn't even get a chance to see the buck, I thought, thats ok, I'll put her here tomorrow night and and hopefully he'll come back to feed and she will get a shot. Well as I walked to get her from her tree she was looking at me and grinnig from ear to ear. She did see that buck but just his horns and his nose. He had made it that far and only needed to move another 3 feet and she could have shot him. She said to me "DAD, I know that deer had to walk right under you, why didn't you shoot him?" To which I replied, "He is your deer Channy and tomorrow night could the night".
She was soooooooo excited to have seen him and she told it to me like this. "Dad, I heard it coming and remembered what you said about not moving and them OH MY GOD, I saw the horns and my heart about jumped out of my chest". She then proceeded to tell me that she could not wait to put in some more "Time" so that she could get that shot.
I have to admitt that at first I had every intention of taking that buck we he came out, but the thought of her comment the night before about being bad luck made me check myself as a hunter. I am convinced that that decision not to shoot and allowing that buck to pass so that she could have the opportunity was the best hunting decision I have ever made in my life.
In the truck on the way home her final words were this " Dad, I am hooked for life after seeing that buck tonight". I almost cried (seriously) because I knew at that moment I had a new hunting buddy forever.
Best of luck to all and rememeber to take a kid hunting or fishing.