LoessHillsArcher
PMA Member
Our oldest son has become quite the hunter. Started last summer when he was 3.5 shooting nerf guns at wildlife on TV. He loved it. Then shot balloons with the .22 that summer and that began the gun safety lessons. If you want to make shooting fun and easy for kids, blow balloons up as big as you can. Easy targets and they love to pop them. By Spring '22 he was shooting a 20g with 3" turkey loads and got himself a real nice tom turkey. Then this summer we spent lots of time practicing shooting at cardboard cutout deer/coyote targets with his 350 Legend. His first time shooting he could hit about a 12” circle at 75yds and by the last practice sessions of the summer he was putting shots within 1-2" of each other. It was fun to watch him improve and really enjoy the time at the range.
Going into season Hudson had in mind that he "only shoots big bucks". I don’t know where he gets this from… To counter his lofty goals I started to tell him that the body on the bucks we’d see on trail cam was huge, taking focus off the antlers. I was really hoping once we got into the field he'd change his mind and the excitement would really set in, no matter the size of the antlers.
The first hunt was Saturday September 17th. Does and fawns were the first out, we watched them and knew it was a matter of time before bucks would come out. A group of three small bucks ended up coming out and of course Hudson says they're too small. Thankfully though two of them started sparring and that really got Hudson excited for the idea of taking one of these bucks home. As he was lining up a shot when more deer, including better bucks, started coming out directly behind the one he had lined up. That’s when I mistakenly stopped listening to Hudson who was begging me to let him shoot a deer and went into a mindset of trying to get him a shot on the biggest buck in the field. The wind had died down and our scent was lingering, deer got nervous and cleared the field. No shots were fired. We were so close.
Minutes later the field was filling with even more deer than before, including a pair of does that were 30yds away. Hudson wanted one of those does but my focus was still on getting Hudson one of those bigger bucks. As Hudson is begging me to let him shoot the close doe Nicole and I were getting distracted with bucks that kept appearing and feeding right towards us. Again, the deer started to get our scent and cleared the field just before Hudson was going to shoot the doe he had his eye on the whole time. As the last of the does leaves the field I noticed three bucks off to the right. We adjusted the tripod and Hudson quickly got his scope on a buck. He squeezed off a shot at 80yds and the buck folded. The excitement he had after that shot is something I don’t think we’ll every be able to replicate. We began to celebrate and then I noticed the buck wasn’t down as hard as it first appeared. In fact, within seconds the buck was back on his feet and walked into the timber. I knew this was bad news and odds are Hudson had just spine shocked the buck, and the buck would survive just fine. We went to check for blood that night and the next day. It confirmed that we were not going to find this buck and I was certain he was going to survive just fine. It broke Hudson’s heart but we explained the situation the best we could to him.
After this high shot I went to check the zero on his rifle and sure enough at 80yds I shot twice and it was 4” high and 2” left… I couldn’t believe it. I made an adjustment and put the third round at the top of the bullseye at 80yds. I felt awful for Hudson, the first hunt was perfect and that ‘first deer excitement’ he had was going to be tough to get back. But at least he had done what he needed and the blame was on me.
We hunted that Sunday evening and saw a few deer but nothing closed enough for a shot. Hudson was doing great with as much patience as a 4.5 year old can have. He was getting antsy to shoot a deer and showing some uncertainty if he’d make a good shot on his next opportunity. We kept assuring him the first shot was not his fault but it wasn’t easy for him to understand.
A few days later we snuck out at night for a quick evening hunt. We were over the same field we sat on hunt #2 but on the other end where all the deer had been seen previously. Of course… this time all the action was at the other end of the field. We did have a doe and fawns at 100yds but didn’t feel like we needed to attempt that shot just yet, even though I knew Hudson could make it. Then we had a doe that kept surprising us at 30yds but she knew something was up and never presented a shot. Then finally at sunset two does popped out at 100yds and after a bit one worked her way into 60yds. Hudson got the gun lined up and made a perfect shot on her!
We celebrated, although with less enthusiasm than last time because of the disappointment that came after the first shot a few days ago. We watched the video of the shot on his doe and that confirmed the outcome was going to be different this time. He smoked her! We packed up and got right to the blood trail. A short track later and Hudson had found his first deer! We celebrated again and then went back to get the sled. Hudson rode in the sled to the doe, then in the sled with the doe on the way to the truck. Then we loaded everything up to go show off his first deer!
We went out the next evening for hunt #4 with hopes of getting Hudson a buck. We were back in the blind we hunted on night #1 and we knew this was going to be the night Hudson would get his first buck… but it was different this time. The action was slower and only does and fawns were in the field.
The next evening the wind would change to NW and unfortunately, we didn’t have a blind over a food plot that we had confidence in getting Hudson a shot at a buck. We had to go out midday and make a blind over an alfalfa field. We found the perfect spot. Earlier in the morning Hudson spent some birthday money at a garage sale and bought him self a like new Delta 3D archery target. With us not being in a ground blind and just hiding under some cedars and behind some cedar limbs, we knew a decoy could help keep the deers’ attention off us. Hudson’s new target would make the perfect decoy. Later that afternoon we headed out to the new makeshift blind, set his decoy up, and got ready for the hunt. Minutes into the hunt a lone doe fed 100yds away from us, never really paying any attention to the decoy. Eventually more does and fawns came out and there was one doe that really did not like the decoy. She’d hard charge in, then spook and clear the field. She did this a couple times, but the deer would all come back into the field shortly after leaving. The final time the group of deer brought a buck with them. Hudson’s first reaction was the buck was too small and he was lining up to shoot one of the does instead. We had the safety on and off just trying to find the best time to shoot the doe. Then the wild doe came out of the woods and charged into the decoy and spooked again. She ran back to the timber and took all the does and fawns with her… but the buck stayed. As the last doe disappeared into the timber Hudson excitedly says “guess I’ll shoot the buck!” We waited for the buck to calm down and prepared for a shot once he turned broadside. Right as the buck turned Hudson began to squeeze the trigger and made a perfect shot. There was no hesitation on this celebration, we all saw the shot was great and knew this buck was coming home with us! We packed up and picked up the blood trail and found his first buck right away.
These five hunts together with Nicole, Hudson, and myself were great. We all learned some valuable lessons and made some lifelong memories. Playing with Hudson in the blind, him using his rubber boots as his crock pot and smoker to cook his toy animals was one of my favorite memories. Nicole does such a great job entertaining these boys on all the adventures. Hudson did great, his patience wore thin as expected, but he experienced some of the toughest moments as a hunter on his first hunt. I am amazed at his shooting ability too. We spent hours preparing for these few hunts, from drawing deer on the whiteboard table and picking out where to shoot them, making cardboard deer targets, doing a 3D archery course to further instill where to aim on a deer. Hudson absorbed it all and did an amazing job. We are so proud of him!
Going into season Hudson had in mind that he "only shoots big bucks". I don’t know where he gets this from… To counter his lofty goals I started to tell him that the body on the bucks we’d see on trail cam was huge, taking focus off the antlers. I was really hoping once we got into the field he'd change his mind and the excitement would really set in, no matter the size of the antlers.
The first hunt was Saturday September 17th. Does and fawns were the first out, we watched them and knew it was a matter of time before bucks would come out. A group of three small bucks ended up coming out and of course Hudson says they're too small. Thankfully though two of them started sparring and that really got Hudson excited for the idea of taking one of these bucks home. As he was lining up a shot when more deer, including better bucks, started coming out directly behind the one he had lined up. That’s when I mistakenly stopped listening to Hudson who was begging me to let him shoot a deer and went into a mindset of trying to get him a shot on the biggest buck in the field. The wind had died down and our scent was lingering, deer got nervous and cleared the field. No shots were fired. We were so close.
Minutes later the field was filling with even more deer than before, including a pair of does that were 30yds away. Hudson wanted one of those does but my focus was still on getting Hudson one of those bigger bucks. As Hudson is begging me to let him shoot the close doe Nicole and I were getting distracted with bucks that kept appearing and feeding right towards us. Again, the deer started to get our scent and cleared the field just before Hudson was going to shoot the doe he had his eye on the whole time. As the last of the does leaves the field I noticed three bucks off to the right. We adjusted the tripod and Hudson quickly got his scope on a buck. He squeezed off a shot at 80yds and the buck folded. The excitement he had after that shot is something I don’t think we’ll every be able to replicate. We began to celebrate and then I noticed the buck wasn’t down as hard as it first appeared. In fact, within seconds the buck was back on his feet and walked into the timber. I knew this was bad news and odds are Hudson had just spine shocked the buck, and the buck would survive just fine. We went to check for blood that night and the next day. It confirmed that we were not going to find this buck and I was certain he was going to survive just fine. It broke Hudson’s heart but we explained the situation the best we could to him.
After this high shot I went to check the zero on his rifle and sure enough at 80yds I shot twice and it was 4” high and 2” left… I couldn’t believe it. I made an adjustment and put the third round at the top of the bullseye at 80yds. I felt awful for Hudson, the first hunt was perfect and that ‘first deer excitement’ he had was going to be tough to get back. But at least he had done what he needed and the blame was on me.
We hunted that Sunday evening and saw a few deer but nothing closed enough for a shot. Hudson was doing great with as much patience as a 4.5 year old can have. He was getting antsy to shoot a deer and showing some uncertainty if he’d make a good shot on his next opportunity. We kept assuring him the first shot was not his fault but it wasn’t easy for him to understand.
A few days later we snuck out at night for a quick evening hunt. We were over the same field we sat on hunt #2 but on the other end where all the deer had been seen previously. Of course… this time all the action was at the other end of the field. We did have a doe and fawns at 100yds but didn’t feel like we needed to attempt that shot just yet, even though I knew Hudson could make it. Then we had a doe that kept surprising us at 30yds but she knew something was up and never presented a shot. Then finally at sunset two does popped out at 100yds and after a bit one worked her way into 60yds. Hudson got the gun lined up and made a perfect shot on her!
We celebrated, although with less enthusiasm than last time because of the disappointment that came after the first shot a few days ago. We watched the video of the shot on his doe and that confirmed the outcome was going to be different this time. He smoked her! We packed up and got right to the blood trail. A short track later and Hudson had found his first deer! We celebrated again and then went back to get the sled. Hudson rode in the sled to the doe, then in the sled with the doe on the way to the truck. Then we loaded everything up to go show off his first deer!
We went out the next evening for hunt #4 with hopes of getting Hudson a buck. We were back in the blind we hunted on night #1 and we knew this was going to be the night Hudson would get his first buck… but it was different this time. The action was slower and only does and fawns were in the field.
The next evening the wind would change to NW and unfortunately, we didn’t have a blind over a food plot that we had confidence in getting Hudson a shot at a buck. We had to go out midday and make a blind over an alfalfa field. We found the perfect spot. Earlier in the morning Hudson spent some birthday money at a garage sale and bought him self a like new Delta 3D archery target. With us not being in a ground blind and just hiding under some cedars and behind some cedar limbs, we knew a decoy could help keep the deers’ attention off us. Hudson’s new target would make the perfect decoy. Later that afternoon we headed out to the new makeshift blind, set his decoy up, and got ready for the hunt. Minutes into the hunt a lone doe fed 100yds away from us, never really paying any attention to the decoy. Eventually more does and fawns came out and there was one doe that really did not like the decoy. She’d hard charge in, then spook and clear the field. She did this a couple times, but the deer would all come back into the field shortly after leaving. The final time the group of deer brought a buck with them. Hudson’s first reaction was the buck was too small and he was lining up to shoot one of the does instead. We had the safety on and off just trying to find the best time to shoot the doe. Then the wild doe came out of the woods and charged into the decoy and spooked again. She ran back to the timber and took all the does and fawns with her… but the buck stayed. As the last doe disappeared into the timber Hudson excitedly says “guess I’ll shoot the buck!” We waited for the buck to calm down and prepared for a shot once he turned broadside. Right as the buck turned Hudson began to squeeze the trigger and made a perfect shot. There was no hesitation on this celebration, we all saw the shot was great and knew this buck was coming home with us! We packed up and picked up the blood trail and found his first buck right away.
These five hunts together with Nicole, Hudson, and myself were great. We all learned some valuable lessons and made some lifelong memories. Playing with Hudson in the blind, him using his rubber boots as his crock pot and smoker to cook his toy animals was one of my favorite memories. Nicole does such a great job entertaining these boys on all the adventures. Hudson did great, his patience wore thin as expected, but he experienced some of the toughest moments as a hunter on his first hunt. I am amazed at his shooting ability too. We spent hours preparing for these few hunts, from drawing deer on the whiteboard table and picking out where to shoot them, making cardboard deer targets, doing a 3D archery course to further instill where to aim on a deer. Hudson absorbed it all and did an amazing job. We are so proud of him!
