Jasonlester

I posted earlier in the year about my daughter trying to take her first deer. I took her out with a crossbow. She took a shot at a big doe and nicked a limb sending the arrow upwards and just barely cut the deers back.... I actually ended up killing this deer later in gun season...Then in Youth gun season I had her out with my 870 12 gauge and had a deer sneak up behind us. I got her up and turned around and she had a shot between a fork in the great big oak tree we were in. She took a shot at 15 yards and the deer flipped over backwards and was kicking and groaning. I though it was a good shot with her reaction. Then the deer got up and walked off. Even though it was Youth season I tried to get the gun from her and get another round at her when she stopped at 35 yards. But I was trying not to spook her and the shell didn't eject so I didn't get to shoot before she walked off. There were two reasons she couldn't shoot. First I had never taught her to reload the 870. Effectivly I treated it like a single shot with her. Second was I was between her and the deer. I would have probably been in trouble if I had shot during youth season anyway....So on with my story.

We wait 20-30 minutes and get out of the stand. I go to the spot she was standing and find pretty good blood. I follow it a little ways until it crossed the path we had to walk out on. We left and had breakfast and came back out an hour or so later. Picked up the trail and followed it untill it ran out. Looked on my hands and knees for more sign. Then we backed out again. Later that afternoon (maybe 5-6 hours after the shot we went back out looking again. I brought a freind to help. We looked and looked. We even got his dog out (not trained obviously) and never found her. I was heartbroken. My duaghter seemed ok and was still wanting to hunt. Which is good.

Fast forward to this past weekend. Ohio has a late muzzle loader hunt. We go out to the same stand. Unfortunatly we got in late after I forget the caps...DUH... We didn't see a thing. After we were done I decided to walk out into the field in front of us. ...OK you probably figured it out by now....Yep you guessed itWe found the doe she had shot in November. Its been pretty cold so what was left did not stink. I got to figure out what happened. Which I am glad. She looked through my scope and ended up hitting high. After talking to her she was a little confused on what had happened. I can't blame her I was on my first deer too. I figured she had done just what she did though. I told her on close shots use my open sites. I guess she forgot. And I didn't think to tell her.

I still have hopes of a deer this year with a crossbow for her. But its getting harder to get them close.

DannyD

Good luck to both of you Jason.
As soon as she gets one with the crossbow, lets see the pic of the deer and the 2 of you smiling from ear to ear

Jasonlester

Nothing would make me happier. I've spent some really good time in a tree trying to get her one. In fact if she didn't have school She would have been pulling the trigger on the doe I shot during gun season. Actually she clains she slowwed it down for me. LOL....