Daughter's first hunt. - 01/17/15
I'm late in posting this... but here goes.
Even before she was born, my wife told me that our first child was going to be a hunter. Her reasoning: When the baby was kicking around inside her, I would read aloud from a reloading manual, hunting magazine, or hunting novel. According to my wife this literature settled the unborn child down better than any of the children's books she would read aloud.... Who am to argue with that logic?
Ten years later, after logging countless hours wandering the hills with me, shooting her 22, observing (and even assisting) in field dressing an elk, she completed her hunter's safety course and would be eligible to apply for a junior's tag in AZ.
Elk and deer were both a no-go. She didn't draw a tag. We were lucky enough, however, to purchase a left over Javelina tag for a unit close to home.
For three days, we spent a lot of time glassing, talking, napping in what was perfect weather to be outdoors. On the fourth morning, we found a herd of pigs and were lucky enough to have a small boar stand broadside at about 80 yards for enough time for me to watch her pull up the rifle, comment that she couldn't see anything through the scope, realize that the cap was still on, flip it up, and fire. The pig turned around about four times and ran down into the wash, I told her that she must have hit it. I was surprised that it didn't drop after spinning. We found blood at the bottom of the hill. followed for about 100 yards and found the pig in some catclaw. She was able to put the finishing shot on it. When I retrieved it for her, she was all smiles. In her words, it was the best day ever....
![[Linked Image]](http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx258/couesdeer/IMG_0673_zps685483fc.jpg)
Even before she was born, my wife told me that our first child was going to be a hunter. Her reasoning: When the baby was kicking around inside her, I would read aloud from a reloading manual, hunting magazine, or hunting novel. According to my wife this literature settled the unborn child down better than any of the children's books she would read aloud.... Who am to argue with that logic?
Ten years later, after logging countless hours wandering the hills with me, shooting her 22, observing (and even assisting) in field dressing an elk, she completed her hunter's safety course and would be eligible to apply for a junior's tag in AZ.
Elk and deer were both a no-go. She didn't draw a tag. We were lucky enough, however, to purchase a left over Javelina tag for a unit close to home.
For three days, we spent a lot of time glassing, talking, napping in what was perfect weather to be outdoors. On the fourth morning, we found a herd of pigs and were lucky enough to have a small boar stand broadside at about 80 yards for enough time for me to watch her pull up the rifle, comment that she couldn't see anything through the scope, realize that the cap was still on, flip it up, and fire. The pig turned around about four times and ran down into the wash, I told her that she must have hit it. I was surprised that it didn't drop after spinning. We found blood at the bottom of the hill. followed for about 100 yards and found the pig in some catclaw. She was able to put the finishing shot on it. When I retrieved it for her, she was all smiles. In her words, it was the best day ever....
![[Linked Image]](http://s761.photobucket.com/user/couesdeer/media/IMG_0673_zps685483fc.jpg.html)
