Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting 2020 Dead Deer Thread

This child's 2020 deer hunting adventure is a moment in time I will never forget! His mom, brothers and I knew each other from high school. A few months ago she friended me on f.b. and we were talking about the past 30+ years. She talked about her 14 year old son, how well he does in school and is a big help around the house, so I asked if he ever goes hunting? She said No and that fishing is what he does most. Almost instantly out of my mouth came the words, "He is welcome to come deer hunting with me." His mom grew up in a hunting family yet it really wasn't her thing in life. Basically a nonhunter (like my parents), although she said she would ask her son if he would like to go. Being a thoughtful lad, he thought about it and said Yes. This all took place the first week of November and Kansas rifle deer season starts December 2nd.

Her son being 14 years old can hunt w/o a hunter education card as long as he had a KS Youth deer permit and hunted with a licensed adult. Me being a state hunter education instructor had his mom steer him towards the online hunter education class which is 1/2 of the requirements needed. Outside of a official state sanctioned class involving a cadre of other instructors, I could not give him the other half which is the 'field day' and final exam in a one on one setting. Yet since we would be hunting together, I needed to get him up to speed on what is covered in the manual in a field setting and shooting the rifle he would be using. Plus, we had never met each other before so a lot trust needed to be built in a short time. Besides I am used to teaching H.E. students with other instructors, taking them out to the range, grading their final exams, presenting them with their Hunter Education Cards and a handshake, all the while never knowing how they do on their first time out.

Next I consulted with Proud Dad and Pharmseller on the intricacies of starting out a 14 year old on his first hunt which just so happens to be the main Kansas rifle deer season. They were fantastic help having dealt with their children in the field. Pharm got me headed in the right direction for reloading a series of accurate 'youth' loads out of a Tikka. I didn't know how this child would responded to the recoil, but didn't want to put him behind the loads I use. So him, his Mom and I headed to a waterway I shoot at and from there I took this young man through the hunting ethics, responsibilities, decision making, shoot/don't shoot scenarios, handling and carrying a firearm safely, muzzle control, different types of firearms and types of actions, how to check them to see if they are loaded, safety locations, trigger finger discipline, aiming, breathing, how cartridges work and their different components, crossing fences/obstacles, hunter orange and why we where it, everything I could think of: Then we set up the targets and he practiced with my Tikka 7mm-08 and Ruger MRP. Which he settled into both and did a fantastic job.

His mom dropped him off around 5 am opening morning, we got organized and she wished us a good day hunting. Breakfast on the way out of town and a 15-20 minute drive out into the country. Got parked, put our gear on and walked in guns unloaded. I set Nolan on a high spot over looking a shallow valley of timber, pasture with a stream running through it. I start out every opening day rifle season at this one point. Then we waited as the constellation Orion faded in the west and dawn started to break. Around 7:15 am this buck came out of the woods, stood for awhile looking out across the pasture and I whispered to Nolan he could take the shot if he wanted, but he said the deer was at an angle and would wait (I taught him if he wasn't comfortable with the shot or it just didn't feel right, it was OK to just to hold back and wait). That buck then put his nose to the ground like a bird dog and went ALL over that pasture looking for does, he crossed the creek, then back again, circled around towards us and he stopped. I knew he couldn't smell us because the breeze was in our favor, yet he lifted his tail, trotted across the pasture, passed where he came out, on out another 40 yard and stood broadside at the entrance to a clearing. I knew the gig was about to be up and whispered to Nolan that this would be about as good as it gets, just pretend the paper target diamond is square on the deer's chest, let the bullet do the work. He agreed, settled in while I held the shooting sticks. I could hear Nolan control his breathing; deep breath in, slowly out, in, out, in, let your breath out half way...aim...kaboom. The deer bucked and headed into the clearing.

I congratulated Nolan and he said he put the crosshairs right on the deer chest. So we waited. Now I was going to wait 30 minutes, but because normally deer just fall to the ground when I shoot them with this Tikka I had some unfounded concerns about the lighter load and the distance (this was actually a lot longer shot then I originally mapped out). So we gather our gear and headed to where the deer disappeared, found the blood trail just as the deer jumped up in the clearing and headed across the creek. The deer was bleeding heavily, but also on his death run. Trailed him for a short ways to where he jumped a fence and we lost the blood trail. I had Nolan walk out into a open area covered in little bluestem, while I checked out a small grove of cedar trees. Walking back there was Nolan standing next to his 9 point buck not 30 yards from where we split up. The smile on this child's face was the greatest reward to me. His first hunt ever; safe, successful and having a great time from start to finish.