HuntingNet.com Forums - My boy's 1st whitetail w. pics!!!!!!

I don't post a lot here anymore, but still around I guess. I thought many of you would enjoy!

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9/19/09

My 8yr old son, Drake, has been practicing with my Knight Mz in anticipation of taking his 1st whitetail deer. He has become very proficient inside of 50-60yrds, so that was going to be his max...outside of that and I think the red dot got to be too difficult for him to be pin point accurate. Inside of 60...he was shooting gooooddddd!!!

Yesterday was the opener of Iowa's Youth Season. I had explained everything I could regarding what we were doing and why(wind, bed to feed, etc) during our prev. scouting trips. We haven't had much rain over the past few weeks and the deer were using a small "duck pond" to water before heading on out to a clover feed to eat for the night.

We had just sit down in our blind yesterday and I had just helped him get his gun and shooting sticks situationed. As many of you can remember, it's sometimes had to stay "un-revved" in anticipation of doing something your 1st time, but he was staying strong. I had explained to move your eyes and not your head, move slow, etc. I was still getting some stuff out of my pack when I feel a tap on my leg and he whispers, "Dad, here comes a buck". I looked up to see that it was not coming, but it was there...at 5 yrds. It was a little spiker and I whispered if he wanted to try and take it and he whispered an "oh yeah" back. I'm trying to not move, but move to try and help him get on the deer as it is still walking. It finally gets downwind and takes off. No big deal, but I was heart broken.

He was wanting a buck, but soon a doe and fawn come out and were drinking. I asked if he wanted to take either of them and he responded that he did not want to shoot since she had a fawn. I told him it was his tag and he could do whatever he wanted.

About 6:45, I looked over and could see a doe up in the timber. I waited for about 2 minutes and then he finally saw her step out of the timber. As she walked to the water, he asked if she had any fawns. I said it appearred she didn't. He said he wanted to shoot her then. I told him to get his gun up real slow and when she got to the water he could take the safety off the gun.

As the doe approached the water, I was praying to the good Lord to give him any help he may need.

I told him to slide the safety forward and make sure the dot was on her 'sweet spot' like we had practiced. I told him once it looked good to squeezzzzze the trigger.

I COULDN'T BE PROUDER OF MY BOY!!!! He did exactly what we all try to do on every shot...a quick, humane, ethical kill!!!

She traveled about 80 yrds before going down. We didn't see her go down, but heard her. That was the toughest 30 min of my life trying to make him wait.

He followed the bloodtrail like a pro like he has with me many times and finally found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!!!