Today marks a very special day for me. Not only as a father, but a mentor to one of the finest young men that I know.
I'm sure that all parents are a bit biased towards their children. It's human nature. I can assure you though that this young man is special. Today is the day I watched a boy take a major step in his maturation towards becoming a young man.
Here it goes.
For those of you who have followed some of my posts you know that my son has been hunting with me for several years. Through those years he has seen me take deer and turkey. This year was the year that Zack was going to be the hunter and I was going to be the spectator.
Just like my archery harvest of a couple weeks ago, the weather dictated that today was the day we needed to be in the woods. I was able to secure the day off from work and the plans were laid to hunt this overcast Sunday morning. We were in the woods at 5:30 AM and on watch before 6:00.
We hunted this parcel of woods last weekend. This is my first year having permission on this particular piece. We took up a position opening weekend that allowed us to observe the deer and learn their patterns. Based on that we were able to come up with an idea of where we expected to hunt this coming week.
Once we reached the summit of the ridge we wanted to be on we set some brush and logs for the ground blind. We settled in well before daybreak and sat patiently in the fog for the days hunt to commence.
A point of note is that my son and I do "cut-up" with each other while in the woods. One of our little jokes is to let the other know "big buck, big buck"! We laugh and poke each other and carry on all day to break up the quiet periods.
As the woods began to come to life before us it wasn't long before we had deer filtering through the hardwoods. We saw 5 does before the first buck of the day came in. It was a really, really nice 4 point. Very big forks, good height and exceptional width. An excellent first deer for a first time hunter.
With the deer walking towards the bedding area I made a few grunts to him. He heard the call and started to come right to us. Unfortunately, or maybe it was fortune, Zack was unable to get the scope on the vitals. The deer eventually grew bored with out efforts and opted for better company.
Though this encounter didn't result in a harvest, it did have both of us trembling at its conclusion. We sat and talked about the encounter and what Zack learned from it. We laughed and enjoyed the thrill of such a great moment in the woods. I told him that I have been there many times. I also told him that the deer gods would reward him with a better deer later for not taking a marginal shot.
As the morning moved forward we saw many more deer and a spike horn. The winds shifted unexpectedly and began to drift towards the bedding area that the deer were travelling towards. I had contemplated actually leaving on account of this as two does continued to "blow" after catching our wind.
We sat tight for a little while longer and boy am I glad I didn't pull us out of there too soon.
You recall that point of "cutting-up"? Zack whispers to me, "get the gun up, there's a buck!" Now he knows the gun only comes up if and when a "shooter" is in the vicinity. I scanned the woods before us and didn't see anything. I whispered back and asked him where he is seeing this "phantom buck?" He said "right there!"
I told him I'm not falling for that joke! But non the less I slid the rifle into his lap. When he didn't move to shoulder the rifle I was really convinced he was pulling my leg.
Then his hands began to move slowly from his pockets towards the rifle and I thought, "hey, maybe he does see something I don't". As I glanced over to him to see what direction he was looking I caught sight of what he was looking at.
A very nice buck was standing a mere 15 yards from us on the right side. Zack learned his lessons well through the years and didn't panic. He moved his hands slowly to the rifle without being detected. As I watched this unfold I knew that there was nothing I could do to help this young hunter. The deer was too close for words and I would have to trust him to rely on the years of teaching I have shared with him.
The deer came in from behind us. He was moving towards the bedding area away from us. Zack remained patient and just watched. As the deer walked behind a large oak he knew that was the time to bring the rifle to his shoulder. He did so like a seasoned veteran.
When the deer exited the far side of the tree I heard the safety come off. Amazing now as I write this how loud it seemed to me sitting next to him. Seconds seemed to take forever but I know it happened very quickly. The deer stopped broadside at 25 yards. Zack settled the scope right where we discussed it should be and then the shot rang out.
He had his first whitetail buck. A very well placed neck shot quickly put the deer down.
At that exact moment my son and I shared something that will forever be at the forefront of my memory for however many days we have in the woods together. To say that I was humbled, emotional and proud is one of the greatest understatements of the year. Zack conducted himself with humility, excitement and pride all in an instance. He understood fully what he had just accomplished as a hunter and conservationist.
We went to the deer together and again shared in all of those emotions that my father and I shared almost 35 years ago when I first saw him take a great whitetail. When we got home and shared the story with my father I could tell that he too was thinking about that very same day many, many years ago. I knew that he was thinking back to the day I took my very first buck deer and the moment we shared as we tracked up to where he laid.
Together my son and I worked to bring this deer home. No quads, no tractors. Just two men working together to complete the task at hand. I'm not ashamed to admit that I had several tears in my eyes as I told him how proud I was of him on this day. How much I loved him for being able to share in this accomplishment. I gave my son a well deserved hug in the middle of the woods on this day and he hugged me back. For all of the fathers who have ever experienced what I did on this day, you know exactly what I am saying.
If this isn't a smile for the ages I don't know what is. And yes I am extremely biased!
And here is where the three generations came together to share in this great moment!
I'm sure that all parents are a bit biased towards their children. It's human nature. I can assure you though that this young man is special. Today is the day I watched a boy take a major step in his maturation towards becoming a young man.
Here it goes.
For those of you who have followed some of my posts you know that my son has been hunting with me for several years. Through those years he has seen me take deer and turkey. This year was the year that Zack was going to be the hunter and I was going to be the spectator.
Just like my archery harvest of a couple weeks ago, the weather dictated that today was the day we needed to be in the woods. I was able to secure the day off from work and the plans were laid to hunt this overcast Sunday morning. We were in the woods at 5:30 AM and on watch before 6:00.
We hunted this parcel of woods last weekend. This is my first year having permission on this particular piece. We took up a position opening weekend that allowed us to observe the deer and learn their patterns. Based on that we were able to come up with an idea of where we expected to hunt this coming week.
Once we reached the summit of the ridge we wanted to be on we set some brush and logs for the ground blind. We settled in well before daybreak and sat patiently in the fog for the days hunt to commence.
A point of note is that my son and I do "cut-up" with each other while in the woods. One of our little jokes is to let the other know "big buck, big buck"! We laugh and poke each other and carry on all day to break up the quiet periods.
As the woods began to come to life before us it wasn't long before we had deer filtering through the hardwoods. We saw 5 does before the first buck of the day came in. It was a really, really nice 4 point. Very big forks, good height and exceptional width. An excellent first deer for a first time hunter.
With the deer walking towards the bedding area I made a few grunts to him. He heard the call and started to come right to us. Unfortunately, or maybe it was fortune, Zack was unable to get the scope on the vitals. The deer eventually grew bored with out efforts and opted for better company.
Though this encounter didn't result in a harvest, it did have both of us trembling at its conclusion. We sat and talked about the encounter and what Zack learned from it. We laughed and enjoyed the thrill of such a great moment in the woods. I told him that I have been there many times. I also told him that the deer gods would reward him with a better deer later for not taking a marginal shot.
As the morning moved forward we saw many more deer and a spike horn. The winds shifted unexpectedly and began to drift towards the bedding area that the deer were travelling towards. I had contemplated actually leaving on account of this as two does continued to "blow" after catching our wind.
We sat tight for a little while longer and boy am I glad I didn't pull us out of there too soon.
You recall that point of "cutting-up"? Zack whispers to me, "get the gun up, there's a buck!" Now he knows the gun only comes up if and when a "shooter" is in the vicinity. I scanned the woods before us and didn't see anything. I whispered back and asked him where he is seeing this "phantom buck?" He said "right there!"
I told him I'm not falling for that joke! But non the less I slid the rifle into his lap. When he didn't move to shoulder the rifle I was really convinced he was pulling my leg.
Then his hands began to move slowly from his pockets towards the rifle and I thought, "hey, maybe he does see something I don't". As I glanced over to him to see what direction he was looking I caught sight of what he was looking at.
A very nice buck was standing a mere 15 yards from us on the right side. Zack learned his lessons well through the years and didn't panic. He moved his hands slowly to the rifle without being detected. As I watched this unfold I knew that there was nothing I could do to help this young hunter. The deer was too close for words and I would have to trust him to rely on the years of teaching I have shared with him.
The deer came in from behind us. He was moving towards the bedding area away from us. Zack remained patient and just watched. As the deer walked behind a large oak he knew that was the time to bring the rifle to his shoulder. He did so like a seasoned veteran.
When the deer exited the far side of the tree I heard the safety come off. Amazing now as I write this how loud it seemed to me sitting next to him. Seconds seemed to take forever but I know it happened very quickly. The deer stopped broadside at 25 yards. Zack settled the scope right where we discussed it should be and then the shot rang out.
He had his first whitetail buck. A very well placed neck shot quickly put the deer down.
At that exact moment my son and I shared something that will forever be at the forefront of my memory for however many days we have in the woods together. To say that I was humbled, emotional and proud is one of the greatest understatements of the year. Zack conducted himself with humility, excitement and pride all in an instance. He understood fully what he had just accomplished as a hunter and conservationist.
We went to the deer together and again shared in all of those emotions that my father and I shared almost 35 years ago when I first saw him take a great whitetail. When we got home and shared the story with my father I could tell that he too was thinking about that very same day many, many years ago. I knew that he was thinking back to the day I took my very first buck deer and the moment we shared as we tracked up to where he laid.
Together my son and I worked to bring this deer home. No quads, no tractors. Just two men working together to complete the task at hand. I'm not ashamed to admit that I had several tears in my eyes as I told him how proud I was of him on this day. How much I loved him for being able to share in this accomplishment. I gave my son a well deserved hug in the middle of the woods on this day and he hugged me back. For all of the fathers who have ever experienced what I did on this day, you know exactly what I am saying.
If this isn't a smile for the ages I don't know what is. And yes I am extremely biased!
And here is where the three generations came together to share in this great moment!
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