Phil
12-11-2014, 11:08 AM
I took my youngest son out hunting this fall. We managed to cut a few tags to commemorate the trip. This was my son’s first trip where he was allowed to carry a rifle on his own. Handing over the responsibility was nerve racking at first but he soon adapted and proved he could handle a firearm. He is 11 and loves to hunt, has great patients and gets why it is important to be persistent in the ugliest of conditions.
We separated at one point so my boy could walk by himself; all the while I was listening with a mindful ear for a gun shot and staying close behind to keep an eye on him. I heard two shots, both from his gun and later discovered that both missed clean. I found him crying in anger and disappointment that he missed. Inside I was giggling with joy that he had the balls to load his rifle and take two shots. He admitted later that he took the second shot while the deer was on the move. Lofty aspirations for an 11 year old but I couldn’t help being proud.
We found a second doe the next day while hunting grouse. We were attempting to stay out the rain under the tree canopy. While walking back to our ATV with a handful of grouse we spotted a doe looking at us through the brush. One shot by Sam to the boiler room and the rest is history.
My buck came in the day before while transitioning from one area to another. It was 165 yard shot to the neck with a 243 lever. My boy watched eagerly through his binoculars while I took aim. One shot to the neck dropped him in his tracks. “Great shot Dad!”. It was a bit of a struggle dragging the buck out but an experience that has to shared with father and son at least once.
There is so much more to share about this hunt, including our encounters with moose and wolves but to make a long story short, here are a few pictures.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/IMG_08041.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/IMG_08081.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/IMG_08001.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/IMG_07971.JPG
We separated at one point so my boy could walk by himself; all the while I was listening with a mindful ear for a gun shot and staying close behind to keep an eye on him. I heard two shots, both from his gun and later discovered that both missed clean. I found him crying in anger and disappointment that he missed. Inside I was giggling with joy that he had the balls to load his rifle and take two shots. He admitted later that he took the second shot while the deer was on the move. Lofty aspirations for an 11 year old but I couldn’t help being proud.
We found a second doe the next day while hunting grouse. We were attempting to stay out the rain under the tree canopy. While walking back to our ATV with a handful of grouse we spotted a doe looking at us through the brush. One shot by Sam to the boiler room and the rest is history.
My buck came in the day before while transitioning from one area to another. It was 165 yard shot to the neck with a 243 lever. My boy watched eagerly through his binoculars while I took aim. One shot to the neck dropped him in his tracks. “Great shot Dad!”. It was a bit of a struggle dragging the buck out but an experience that has to shared with father and son at least once.
There is so much more to share about this hunt, including our encounters with moose and wolves but to make a long story short, here are a few pictures.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/IMG_08041.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/IMG_08081.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/IMG_08001.JPG
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/IMG_07971.JPG