I made a thread about this last year on Thanksgiving. Thanks for the reminder Mike!! It all started back when I was 14 years old (20 years ago) on a snowy Thanksgiving Day. Dad told me to go sit In the stand by the crick and that he was going to run the dogs through a couple different willow patches on our land and hope to get some pheasants and possibly also flush some deer out of there and hope they'd run to where I was sitting. Well, It worked out to perfection. 1/2 hour Into the hunt I heard dad fire his 870 In one of the willow patches he and the dogs were In. I thought sweet, I hope there was some deer In there also and that they make there way to me. Sure enough a doe and 2 fawns came a running about 15 minutes later and stopped st 12 yards. The fawn (BB) was the closest one to me and I let an arrow fly and nailed him perfect. He ran 30 yards or so and that was It. 2 minutes or so later I hear more deer coming but I also hear a grunt noise. This was the 1st time I've ever heard a buck grunt. 2 different bucks came within 15 yards of me with there noses to the ground trailing where the doe had walked. I couldn't do nothing being my tag was already filled (1 tag state usually). Both of these bucks were 130" to 140" class bucks and they stood there for at least 5 minutes, I was beside myself and couldn't believe It! Dad showed up right at dark to pick me up and he couldn't believe the story once I told him what happened. He right away says, Steve, that's hunting for ya and that's how It goes. He then say's congratulation's on your BB, you drilled him perfect. This BB was huge! He weighed 80lbs dressed and had at least 1.5" nubs on his head. I'm sure he would have been a dandy buck In his day.
2 years later I told dad I wanted to repay the favor he did for me so we set up behind my house on some land that I use to be able to hunt. I told him where I wanted him and that I was going to go upwind of the bedding area and slowly make a slow push to him and hope he connects on a deer himself. Low and behold 40 minutes later after I made the small slow push I seen him sitting where I told him to go and he had this big grin on his face! Any luck I said? His smile said It all! A doe fawn ran about 18 yards from him and stopped and he placed his arrow perfectly behind the shoulder with his Big Horn Recurve. We later tracked her about 60 yards and there she layed. That was one of the best hunts I've ever been on being I was able to repay dad back for what he did for me 2 years prior. We did this same push every year for about 7 years straight after this and were able to get a few more deer In the process. We ended getting my mom and my brother Involved on our traditioned Thanksgiving drive also and made some good memorys In the process. We no longer do this anymore being I can't hunt this woods anymore due to different owners and my parents have also gotten divorved and went there seperate ways but every year on Thanksgiving It's the 1st thing I think of when I wake up In the morning. Usually I'll call dad up or he'll call me up and we'll talk about old times. I told dad last year that we have to start doing this again. It's part of me and him, something us 2 started and It makes It that much more special to me and also to him. He lives 4.5 hours north of me so It makes It kind of tough but I can gaurantee you that's going to change. Lifes to short, I'll be making the trip up there maybe next year so we can keep our little traidition alive.
Thanks dad for the great memory's, here's to you and I and hopefully many more memory's to come!!
Love ya old man!!
