For those of you who read the story of my opening day buck you might remember my buddy / neighbor Dave had a big part in helping me locate my buck. He spent 2 days getting just as cut and battered as I did in the search.
Well tonight maybe the circle closed on "What goes around comes around" with the 3 guys involved in that hard search.
Dave just shot his first ever deer with a bow, a beautiful mature doe! He's come a long way from the day I heard arrows whacking off his deck across the street and skipping through his yard. We got him to retire the old wheel monster and upgrade a bit on equipment, and a lot of practice and dedication later, mixed with a lot of 3D shoots I have to say he's become a darn good shooter!!
He actually just revealed to me tonight that he hasn't shot any deer since his father passed away over 5yrs ago. He said he had lost the desire to hunt when his hunting buddy was no longer there to hunt the rifle season with him.
Archery has given him a "New Life" and desire to be in the woods and this is his first season where he's been hard at it since and I couldn't be happier!
He set up a little portable ground blind in a woodlot not to far from our hometown and sat this evening with his 4yr old son Holden. Apparently it was quite the evening with deer around quickly, Holden climbing out the windows to throw sticks at the squirrels and keeping an excited youngster quiet enough (because he had to pee)and out of the way enough to make a perfect 30 yard quartering away double lung shot. She only went 30 yards from the hit. "Holden let out a yell..."I heard it hit dad! I heard it hit! and I don't have to pee anymore"

So here's the happy pair with their first ever archery prize. Great job buddy I'm proud of you!! (Oh and Holden may be a better shot with that little Cartel bow at 4yrs old than dad was whenI rescued him!)

Congrats to your friend and neighbor there Matt. That is a big mature doe for sure, great photo too...

Hey, I left you a message on your answering machine!. [&:]

Holden - great name. Holden Caufield from "The Catcher in the Rye?" My favorite book character of all time. J.D. Salinger... Read that book in the stand in 2004, shot a really nice 9 point with it in my daypack... I digress... Really great name.

Good story, nice deer, cute kid. I had dinner with a 4-year old tonight - makes me wonder how anyone can keepa rambunctious youngsterquiet enoughfor any kind of successin a hunting situation. Definitely a testament to your buddy's patience.

Great story. Congrats Dave!

At's the way us nanny whackers do it!! Nicely done!

I could not be more proud of Dave. I remeber getting the phone call from Matt. "dude you should see my neighbor" "he may hurt someone or something". But Matt being the guy his is took him under his wing. Now several arrows later and countles"DAVE, Dave trust us" and see the end result. Matt was like that commercial for bud light Beer "Pour down center" (whack) You just have to be there. No look at our buddy dave, Like Matt said "official Nanny whacker" Dave I could not be more proud of you.

Congrats, Neighbor Dave! All that practice paid off.

Congratulations, Dave!!! I got the text from Matt right after you guys recovered her... AWESOME!!

Glad to see that bowhunting has given you the desire to be back in the woods... Holden's going to appreciat that a lot later on!

That's very cool. Nice time to spend w/his son & get him started. Congrats to him on the shoot.