AzDiamondHeat Report post Posted October 14, 2023 I have always enjoyed journaling my noteworthy hunts on here both for posterity and entertainment. Although this is not MY hunt, it is noteworthy as it is my sons FIRST hunt. Not just of deer but of ANYTHING.. My son has never shown ANY interest in hunting. ZERO. Not even in VIDEO GAMES. I mean ZEEEERO. So when he said he would be interested in applying for the deer draw I was somewhat surprised. I think we were ALL shocked when he actually got drawn. I spent a LOT of time planning and preparing and begging for advice (a HUGE thank-you to all that sent info to me) I had a pretty good game plan of how to get him a deer. All that went out the window after we learned he is HORRIBLE at shooting. We practiced and practiced and got help from some extremely good teachers(not me) but he just couldn't find the rhythm. He developed a pretty bad flinch even with the lightest of deer rifles. So I switched him to my 223ar and locked him into a pretty decent tripod system(field optics research) to help with the flinch and stability. He was shooting good this way but it severely limited our range and options for hunting. I decided we would be limited to 100 yds or less and in a controlled environment. So that means sitting water. So now our epic journey begins,,,,,, Day one. Opening morning. It's over. The end. Our view curios visitor The best part of the entire hunt for HIM The end...... Sat until 10 am when it started getting hot and I figured they might come get a drink. First saw the above doe and watched her for quite awhile. Then another and another. Eventually two small bucks showed up. There was a larger buck farther back behind the water hole but Easton could not see it well. The small one was standing broadside at 80 yds. After about 5 min of watching and waiting for the bigger buck he decided the little one was good enough. Calm as a rock he he went through the process we practiced. Pretty much a bang flop. I was a "little" nervous about the 223 but it WRECKED that little deer. Never had a chance. He was a ROCK. ZERO nerves. ME on the other hand. I was a nervous wreck. Took me forever to calm down. I was so bad I for got to video it. Oh, I HAD the camera set up and I turned it on. I even followed the deer around for 5 min all the way through the shot. I just neglected hitting the record button. I so totally suck at video. It is my Achilles heel. About 5 min after the shot 2 buggies came up the trail. I think if he waited for the bigger buck any longer we might have gotten nothing. I commended him for his good call and his excellent shooting. Funniest part of the entire event was afterwards. I asked if he had fun and he said it was awesome. I asked if he wanted to do it again and without pause and very emphatically he said... Nope. Oh well. We'll see,,,,, 27 3 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chef Report post Posted October 14, 2023 Loved the read. Your son is full of unknowns. LOL Congrats to the both of you on tagging out on day one! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wish2hunt Report post Posted October 14, 2023 Good job. I figured he would be hooked. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roosevelt Mark Report post Posted October 14, 2023 Awesome guys! Good eating deer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CatfishKev Report post Posted October 14, 2023 Way to go guys! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZbowhntr Report post Posted October 15, 2023 Great story. When you sent me the pictures in the text I wasn't sure if you were going to post it on here. I am glad you did. Congrats again to your son and you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
duxngeez Report post Posted October 15, 2023 Way to go pops! You set him up the best way for success and most importantly took snacks:) He might just surprise you and want to do it again. Congrats to both of you! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mc68 Report post Posted October 16, 2023 Congratulations to your son. I really enjoyed your write up. Hope you get to take him out again in the future. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildwoody Report post Posted October 16, 2023 Congratulations to son and father, give it time he's Young. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Crazymonkey Report post Posted October 16, 2023 Congratulations Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bonecollector Report post Posted October 16, 2023 That is a great story. Congrats to you and your son. If he doesnt do it again, at least he gave it a try. My daughter she killed her pig then never hunted again, I was just happy she gave it a shot. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mocha1545 Report post Posted October 16, 2023 Great write up! Congrats to both of you. Even if he doesn't hunt again you will the memory of this hunt. So glad he gave it a try and great job from you for making it great! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bigorange Report post Posted October 16, 2023 Awesome…congrats and thanks for sharing! and yeah…as others have said at least he gave it a try and will have good memories. Both of my kids tried hunting and it wasn’t for them. I’m just glad they both tried it. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AzRaised08 Report post Posted October 20, 2023 Great story haha. Love that your son immediately replied “nope”! But hats off to you for all your work and patience in making sure he had a great experience. And congratulations to your son on great shooting and tagging his first ever animal! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
