Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Youth Deer Hunting in Virginia

I wouldn’t expect many to wade through this entire post, but I wanted to memorialize two days (10 months apart) that have given me more of a sense of accomplishment than perhaps any other days in my life. And I thought this was the best place to write it.

Five years ago, I started taking my older son (Ryan) back-pack hunting the Virginia National Forests with his Youth Model Vanguard in .243 Win, which he shot well. We didn’t have any private land to hunt, and I (correctly) thought that the backpacking experiences would be both enjoyable and maturing for him.



The only deer we ever saw up there were during bear season, after deer season was over. We also didn’t get to hunt more than two days at a time due to work and school demands, and the fact that you can’t hunt deer on Sundays on public land in Virginia.

But Ryan was patient and worked hard nonetheless for years. He was hunting with me when I got a deer with my 10mm when I was mostly trying to push deer to him, but couldn’t pass up the shot. I was relieved that he was happy that he merely could be in on a successful deer hunt, even if it wasn’t his. Ryan learned to field-dress, skin, and butcher a deer very quickly, and very happily.

Then, last year, I found out that a younger friend of the family co-owned a small farm about five hours away (also in Virginia). The friend, to whom I owe a lot for all of this, welcomed us to hunt on his farm, which has decent deer traffic, at least at times. It is comprised by a field about 600 feet square next to another 200 yards or so of forest, which connects with the National Forest land.

Last November, I couldn’t take Ryan (then 13) on opening day because he had a competitive event in town on which he had been working very hard and was part of a team. So, we drove down and stayed nearby the farm on Saturday night; got up early; and then got into position down in the forest on the second day (Sunday).

We saw some deer, but they weren’t in range and/or were not on my friend’s property. At about 10:00am, Ryan was hungry, and I thought the primetime was over until late afternoon. I told him to keep hunting, and I would go back to camp several hundred yards away, and make breakfast. Ryan was eager to keep hunting (after all of the years of not yet getting one). I walked back to camp quietly and slowly. We both had radios. When I went into the tent to get the stove, I heard a boom. I ran out, and could see him stand up (he was sitting) and there was another boom. Radio: “Dad, I got one.” 60 yard offhand shot with his Wby VG .243 Win. With 80gr TTSX bullets. He missed the first shot, which may have been due to hitting vegetation, but who knows. Second one put it down in its tracks.



80gr TTSX leaving the barrel at about 3,227 fps, and about 3,050 fps at impact. He was ecstatic that he, finally, had done it. He got to hone his skinning and butchering skills, while I mostly furnished supervisory services. He laughed a few times sarcastically about the value of my supervisory services that I provided while watching and celebrating with a cigar and some coffee and then a beer.



I took only Ryan, and not his younger brother Miles, that first weekend last year, because Ryan had been hunting so hard and patiently for so long that I wanted to maximize his chances. I took Miles (then 10) back to the same place the next weekend.



He briefly had a chance for a shot at one deer when he was on the ground, but didn’t get to take it because he followed my suggestion and rested his rifle on a branch to steady the rife as he aimed. But the branch broke, and the deer ran off. So, I bought him a shooting stick for this year.

During the year, Miles and Ryan worked on their shooting, including from the Trigger stick.

Miles (now 11) took over the Youth Model Vanguard, which Ryan (now 14) had outgrown. I found a full-sized .243 Vanguard for Ryan at Walmart on sale for $249. So, I put an extra scope on it, and he shot it well, especially with the Hornady 95gr SST loads. Those leave his barrel at 3,086 fps. Miles was using the Hornady Lite reduced-recoil loads, with an 87gr SST leaving his shorter barrel at 2,577 fps.

Virginia has a two-day Youth-Only deer hunting season during the last weekend in September. Friday, I picked the boys up a little early from school, and we headed out to the farm. We stayed at a nearby hotel and discussed our strategies and other issues. At about 6:30am (15 minutes before shooting can begin), we arrived at the farm, geared up, and Miles and I crept into the woods into one location we thought was promising. Ryan, playing the role of the supportive and loyal big brother, a role he sometimes declines, eagerly agreed to hunt from the edge of the field facing the forest in order to give Miles the best first chance during the first 30 minutes of the hunt. Ryan agreed that the main goal was to give Miles the best chance to get his first deer this year and, hopefully, this trip.

We saw some deer but mainly white tails flipping around in the far distance. After about an hour, Ryan crept in to where we were and continued hunting. Miles and I crept about 50 yards deeper into the forest and continued to watch and hope.



About 90 minutes later, I heard a boom from behind me where Ryan was. I jumped up to see Ryan approaching a downed buck about 30 yards away from him. He said that three bucks together approached him, coming out the brush, and he immediately shouldered his .243 and fired at the one that to which he had the clearest shot. He was happy, and Miles was happy for him.



Ryan shot him behind the left shoulder and the bullet went diagonally to the back of the ribs on the other side, and ended up under the hide on the far side. It went through rib bones on both sides along the way. We picked the 95gr SST over the 80gr TTSX this year because it just shot better in that rifle, and that gave Ryan a little more confidence—even though it wouldn’t have mattered at that range or even much further out.

For scale, Here is the spent SST next to a .340 Wby 225gr TTSX that went through the moose in my avatar. There is little if any lead left on the SST, but it definitely did its job.



Miles hung out and watched as Ryan was field dressing his deer. I told Miles that he either could participate in that and learn, or he could go back to the chair Ryan was hunting from 30 yards away and continue to hunt from there.



Miles hung out with us for a bit, but then went back to hunt. I don’t think any of us were optimistic that another deer would come anywhere near us until we got Ryan’s deer back to camp and finished skinning and butchering it. But you never know.

In what will be some of my most favorite moments in life for all time, just like when Ryan got his first deer, about 40 minutes after Ryan took his shot, I began walking slowly and quietly toward Miles selfishly to retrieve my coffee thermos. I saw Miles looking through his scope off into the deeper woods. I couldn’t tell if he was just practicing and aiming through the scope or if he saw something. I stopped moving. I couldn’t see anything from where I was standing. Then, Miles calmly stood up with his rifle braced on his shooting stick. He didn’t know anyone was watching him, but I was glad I was. He moved up about five feet quietly and calmly while staring through his scope. He then slowly moved about ten feel to the right. Then, he was motionless staring through the scope. Then, boom.

I ran up and asked him if he got it. “I don’t know daddy.” We headed up together to where he was shooting. 150 yards away we found this guy, who fell right where he was hit.



Perfect shot right through both lungs, and exited—at 150 yards! An 11-yr-old on his first deer!! Deer was walking and feeding right to left. It was alone. Entrance wound:

I was particularly happy that, trying to take his first deer, Miles was cool as a cucumber. As taught, he didn’t fire until he had maneuvered to have a clear shot. He said he fired when he had a good hold on the deer, and it was shortly to be headed into the deeper brush (behind him in the pic above), where Miles would lose him. He patiently waited until he had a certain shot.

We headed back briefly to where Ryan was still working on his deer. Ryan was very happy for his younger brother, telling me several times that he was happy for Miles. I jokingly told Miles: “Good grief, couldn’t you have waited for one closer to the camp and after we finished with Ryan’s deer?” Miles laughed, and jokingly apologized. His smile was genuine, and he kept muttering: “I’m glad I got that deer.” I kept saying: “Me too.” I told him he made an awesome shot after patiently waiting for it. I did say: “Great shooting.” But then, I added: “Even better hunting!”

Aside from driving, the trip, mechanically, can be broken down something like this: 3 hours hunting; 2.5 hours field dressing deer and getting them back to camp; 3 hours skinning and butchering; and 3 hours cleaning, trimming, and packaging the meat at home. We all worked together on all of this, and now have an unforgettable set of memories.







After butchering each deer, as has become a ten-months-old tradition in our family, the deer high-five their hunter for their success. Awfully nice of the deer to be so generous.





I think and hope the boys will continue to hunt and become even better over time, but they’re off to a great start.

Miles’s deer had an, interesting to me, black tail.



Thanks to Robbie for making all of this possible. And thanks to the boys’ grandpa for teaching me much of what I am trying to teach the boys.

Happy hunting to you all.

That's a great summary of some obviously great times. Glad you shared. They did some real hunting there!

Thanks JPro. Unfortunately, I'm already in Karachi now for work for a couple of weeks, but reliving the good times.

Congrats to you and your boys!

awesome story. thanks for taking the time and effort to share it.

Thanks skeen and GRF. It was therapeutic to write it up.

I just read this: "A foraging area around 20 deer per square mile can start to destroy the forest environment." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_deer

If true, I consider my sons and I to be "environmentalists." Basically, hunters are tree huggers. Who knew?

What a great story. Genuinely happy for you and the boys!

Very nicely done! I had a similar experience last year with my then 7yo and 10yo sons. Great times!

The best days I ever spent hunting were with my son. Glad you got to be there with your boys.

Many thanks for the nice comments.

Pointer, did both of your sons get a deer?

What a great story, thanks. You should be proud!

Congratulations to your young men, they're learning more than if you'd left them in school for the day!

Great hunt and story! They are lucky boys.

Thanks guys! I hope you all have a successful hunting season or two this fall. When I get back in country, I'm going after elk and black bear in Colorado. But, whatever happens there, my year already is a success given what the boys managed to do.

Fantastic !!

I remember the year my wife & son completed their Hunter Safety together, & then both got their first deer.

I still get a bigger rush from their continued success, than my own !

Everlasting irreplaceable memories, money can't buy.

What a great hunt and story to share! Congrats to Dad and the young hunters!

Yep! Little Brother followed up by Big Brother.

Untitled by Tyler Staggs, on Flickr