Below is what I wrote for a blog I contribute to on another site. It’s kind of long but it sums up my youth hunt weekend.
Rob - South Central Michigan
We’re back from the youth hunt in Isabella County. Although we came home without a deer we had a great time. Saturday morning I let my filming partner Dan film for my son Conner. I was going to sit with Conner’s friend but he couldn’t make it. So I decided to sit in a gun blind at the other end of the property. Dan and Conner didn’t see a deer opening morning but me? I had three bucks walk by at about fifteen yards! Two eight points and a ten point that had to be 18” wide! Needless to say Dan and I will be back up north soon.
Conner passed on a spike that afternoon. After telling him what I saw that morning and viewing some of the trail cam pictures he knew there were better bucks in the area.
I filmed for Conner Sunday morning and we had a great encounter with a doe. She came in from our left. Conner drew his bow as she went behind a small tree but before she stepped into the opening she turned to her right and stopped. After about ten or twenty seconds I told Conner to let up. Just then she took a step and it looked like he would have shot. She just needed two more steps. After another twenty seconds or so I told Conner to let up again but just like before she took another step and stopped. The doe was broadside at eight yards and we needed her to take about a half a step before he could get off a clean shot. I looked over at Conner and by now his bow was shaking pretty well. Just then the doe looked up at us and I knew it was over. I told Conner to let up and he finally did. His first words to me after this encounter were” I think I’m going to throw up!” I was really proud of him he could have shot through the leaves of that small tree but he waited for a clean shot. Yes he was disappointed but after a cool encounter like that I think he now knows why I love bow hunting so much.