Well I decided to take my 11 year old to Texas again this year for some whitetail hunting (We wish he could hunt in alberta but you have to be 12). We had a blast last year and he got his first deer with a bow (a doe). This year he was determined to get a buck and the outfitter that we were hunting with was going to do everything possible to get him set-up. In Texas, the archery season opens October 1 and he saved a couple of stands for us that were not hunted until we arrived. The first night was great with a few deer showing up including a couple shooters that just didnt come into range. We had a couple raccoons come in as well and they came over and started scratching on the ground blind. I will point at the outfitter is low fence and is participating in a QDM program that is regulated by the state that dictates that hunters need to shoot mature bucks that are at least 4 years of age. Yuonger bucks were giving my son oppurtunities but he needed to hold out for a mature buck. Reality was I tried to talk him into shooting one of the younger bucks and take my chances with the outfitter (plead ignorance on my aging abililty) but he wanted to hold out for a mature one.
The second day we were back at the same blind and the shooters showed up but we made a small noise getting ready for the shot and they wandered off, never giving him a shot. On the second day we went to another blind that had alot deer around and a couple shooters that the outfitter had seen there the night before. We had deer show up first thing in the morning with a couple of shooters as well. The shooters were only around for a few moments and no shots were presented.
Sporting our war paint!!
Its always great hunting in shorts and playing video games!
A short video of one of the shooters that just didnt give us a shot.
a also had some time to do some gate training with him! LOL
Anyway on the last morning we decided to go back to the same blind as the second day. The bucks were not spooked and there was a chance at one of 2 shooters in the area. Legal light is around 7:05 am and the first deer were in before that. At one point we had 19 does around us and 5 younger bucks. At about 7:30 one of the shooter bucks came in. We let him do his thing and he settled in. about 7:50 he was getting to where Ethan had a shot and we got him setup. Ethan went to full draw and took aim. The buck was at 24 yards and he put his 20 pin where it needed to be. Needless to say, he was a little excited (who wouldnt be!! lol) and he let the arrow fly. He had great height but hit the deer back a bit. We let the deer go and came back a couple hours later. The deer was dead about 75 yards from the blind.
The deer was aged at 5 1/2 years and weighed in at the blistering weight of 121 lbs!! Certainly bigger antlers than my first buck with a bow or rifle as well. Extremely proud of him for making the shot when it counted.
After that we spent some time in Austin before our flights the next day. We made it over to the cabelas south of the city. What an amazing store, definitely a little bigger than the ones here!
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If I am not hunting, then I am planning my next hunt!!
Last edited by LA_bowhunter; 10-20-2014 at 11:16 AM.
Wow, great trip. And you know, if it wasn't for the Alberta Fish and Game, he would not be able to hunt till he was 14 in this province. It would be three more years to wait???
Awesome. Congrats to both of you. Thanks for sharing a great story with lots of good pics to boot. We need more Dads that spend quality time with their kids, especially when hunting or fishing.
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The kill is the satisfying, indeed essential, conclusion to a successful hunt. But, I take no pleasure in the act itself. One does not hunt in order to kill, but kills in order to have hunted. Then why do I hunt? I hunt for the same reason my well-fed cat hunts...because I must, because it is in the blood, because I am the decendent of a thousand generations of hunters. I hunt because I am a hunter.- Finn Aagard
My Sons first Archery Buck
Out-Flipping-Standing...awesome write and quaility Pics...good job all around... pass on the congrads...
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