It seems the last couple of seasons have been times for my children to learn some things about patience and persistence in their hunting experiences. While mature does and a few spikes were hunted successfully and freezers were filled...





The mature bucks we were chasing taught us some good lessons on how smart and truly challenging the world's most wonderful, dynamic and humbling game animal (in my humble opinion and limited experience...grin) can be.

I have been encouraged at how determined and yet conservation minded my children are becoming in their approach to hunting - and how much I am seeing them enjoy lots of hunting where we never fire a shot and just have the fun of being together and watching and pursuing deer.

But every hunter needs a little success to keep sharp - and children especially thrive on the encouragement of achieving the goal, so we kept after the big boys.

After seeing their sisters kill some nice mature bucks, the boys got up a little easier, stayed at it a little longer, and had that little gleam in their eye and spring in their step that told me that they were pretty determined to try to keep pace with their older sisters. I really wanted to find a mature buck or two for them, but for a whole season we saw bucks that either needed another year or were too smart and quick for us. We did see one big 7 point and a mature short-tined 10. We decided to try to kill the 10 and give the 7 another year, so naturally, we could have killed the 7 a dozen times and never could get on the 10. The boys killed several does and enjoyed the season, but they didn't get a buck.




The following season, I told the boys that the Saturday of youth season was theirs. We did some scouting and saw both bucks. The 7 had become a nice 8, and the old 10 had declined a little into a short tined 8 (the drought didn't help!), but an early rut had both bucks chasing does and really hard to predict. So, we headed to opening day not sure what we would find.

The boys rolled out early and I had to make them wait a little while for a hint of daylight as we headed out. We had decided that my oldest son would try to get on the big 8, and that his younger brother would try for the older short tined buck. We were prepared for either buck to show, as both boys had shot their respective rifles a bunch before the season - the younger his Model 7 .223 running hand loaded 55g Hornady SP's and the older with his Model 700 243 dropped into an original Ti stock that I bought off the 'Fire a couple of years back. Both rifles sport youth length stocks, and both boys shoot them well enough that it sounds like I'm bragging if I tell folks about it...grin.

As we drove into an area where we could circle south and ease up and see a bunch of country with the wind in our face, my younger son spotted two deer in a bedding area with scattered live oaks and quite a bit of underbrush. I drove past and wouldn't have seen them, and had to back up and search with my binoculars to find a deer at all. Young eyes!

I finally saw part of a deer standing, and then found a doe lying down 25 0r 30 yards closer to us. I backed up a little more and could see more of the further deer. He was standing like a statue as bucks will, and had his head high in the limbs of a tree so that his rack was hard to see. Sure seems like bucks do this on purpose.

I could tell he had that deep body and thick neck of a pretty mature buck, but he stood staring and didn't move for what seemed like forever. He finally turned his head and looked from us to his doe, and I was pretty sure he was the bigger buck we were after. He wasn't going anywhere as long as the doe stayed put, and she was bedded and showed no signs of blowing out. We just backed out and left them to try to figure out what to do next.

It was getting lighter, but the sun still hadn't come up. We had come in from the east, and the wind was quartering across from the north where he wouldn't smell us, so we decided to wait until the sun came up behind us and see if we could ease in with it behind us. The doe he was with stood up, and as she fed away from us, we eased in with the sun behind us. It was just right. Worked like a charm, and my son drilled him through both shoulders and dropped him. His doe trotted off, but there was no sign of him getting up. We walked on in and the buck was still paddling a little, so the boy got a rest on a tree and sent another round low behind his shoulder, and that was it.

The sun was barely up on opening day, and my son had his first mature buck...

My younger boy spotted the deer, his big brother did the shooting - if it wasn't for a little input on the strategy to get in on him - I don't think they would have needed me at all...grin.

No ground shrink - 5.5 years old, and a really nice Texas Hill Country 8...




Hope y'all enjoy the story and photos!

DJ

Great photos, DJ. I love the way it seems your boys stick together. I hope they are able to hunt together for many many years to come. Oh, and I hope they drag out all your deer for you, here on out!!

They are really close. Best friends, and I sure hope and pray they stay close all their lives. I didn't have any brothers, and try to remind them how blessed they are.

Guide and hunter.



And they are good help - dragging deer & on lots of work. Grin...

DJ

DJ: great stuff as always!

By the looks of those deer they used the .223s on it should solve the argument about a .223 leaving a blood trail....


Excellent. So good to see you posting again.

Nice buck for Junior!

Those kids are having too much fun DJ!

Thanks, Ingwe! I'm really enjoying sharing the hunts. Glad to have some time again!

Little brother is still hammering stuff with his 223, but his older brother has been in his "macho" stage since turning 8 and is running a 243 in a cut down Ti that I chopped to 21" or so. He's very recoil tolerant. Just hope he doesn't detach a retina...

DJ

It's good times, Samo! They really are enjoying it, but I may be having more fun than they are.

DJ

Congratulations

Awesome stuff!! That sure is a nice buck & some great pics!
Congrats to all of you and good hunting!

great deer and better story. The first of many.

It's always good to see your posts DJ.

Thanks, Bear! Will pass them along.

DJ

Thank you, WC. Hope you're right - looking forward to many more, Lord willing.

Where out west are you? Spend a little time out that way.

DJ

Thanks, Blue - good to hear from you! Glad to have an opportunity to contribute and share a little bit.

Stay safe.

DJ

Who got the knives...the boys or the girls? powdr

Great story and photos. Thanks

Never even told the girls about them, but the boys only wear them hunting with me. Anything long enough to reach vitals requires my supervision! They love them, but these pictures were on hunts before I started letting the 2 older guys carry them. They're perfect, since they are so similar with one a little bigger than the other.

Can you PM me an address - Wife tossed the box on me...grin.

DJ

Thanks, GRF. Funny to think of sharing these little Texas hunts plumb to Canada and y'all enjoying our humble whitetail hunts with all the amazing stuff you have north of the border.

Small world in some ways...

DJ

Wow, that is awesome! Thanks for sharing the story and pics.

Classy all the way around, DJ. Congrats on that experience and memories.

Always love to see you posts DJ. This thread is exactly why I do. Congrats to you guys on another great adventure. Love the pics.....alot!

Great story, great photos and great buck!! Thanks for sharing and congrats to all.

Congrats, always look forward to posts like this!

Congrats DJ! Fine looking kids!

Super! Those two look like they are having too much fun, if that's even possible! I have 2 sons and I hope they are as the stories and pics show your two to be.

Congrats to the young hunter! That's an excellent hill country buck!

That buck is a stud! And pics show the kids know how to place shots, which is a paramount hunting lesson.

Huntr,

Thanks!! Glad to get to share the hunt with everyone!

CLB,

Thank you, sir. I'm grateful for these times, and the memories made.

JG,

Thanks a bunch! Funny about the pictures - they're becoming as important as any part of the hunt! Binoculars, rifle, camera - I won't hunt without them. Thanks for the kind words on the story. I'm really enjoying sharing it with y'all.

Loved your mule deer hunt pictures - was rooting for you to take a giant, but looks like a great hunt!

DJ

Thanks for a GREAT story. NEVER make light of "it's just a doe". Does eat MUCH better than a rutted buck any day of the week and they are just as challenging. Congratulations to all.