After having 4 girls born in to our family and not very interested in hunting it was a shock, and the beginning of a dream when our son was born. In April of 1990, it all started. I had just bought a new Winchester model 1300 Wild Turkey Federation shotgun and was looking forward to using it and getting my first long beard.

That morning it was raining but that was not going to stop me. As I headed up the mountain I kept thinking about what might be in store for me this day. I think all turkey hunters dream of that big long beard strutting his way toward our calls. без ебут смс онлайн большой порно

After only a few minutes with my back against an old tree, I heard the sound all turkey hunters love to hear, a loud gobble. After a few calls on my mouth call, in came the gobbler. After walking to about 20 yards he stood there it seemed just waiting for me to shoot. As I ran to the bird, there it was, finally a long beard. He was 19 pounds with a 9-inch beard. I was so excited. As I was walking out of the woods I came across another hunter. He came over and congratulated me. I told him it was my first long beard and first turkey with this gun and I even got my first son just a few weeks ago. My statement to him may have seemed strange but to me it was something special.

Now this was my dream, to someday see another long beard taken, but this time by my son. As he grew I would share with him stories about hunting. We would lie on the floor in our den and say, tell me another story, and of course I would. But I longed for the time he would be old enough to get a license and hunt with me. Other long beards were to be mine in the following years but in the back of my mind was the day my son would be old enough to hunt turkey’s with me. Finally, April 9, 2002, my son Mark turned 12. After completing the Hunter Safety course we went to the hardware store and bought his first license. Only a few days were left until the opening day of Spring Gobbler season. ворошиловский стрелок изнасилования

That morning finally arrived. As we drove to our hunting spot my mind went back 12 years ago when this moment was but a mere dream. After getting our gear together, we paused outside of our truck to thank the Lord for this special time together. We walked up the steep trail stopping every so often just listening for a gobble. After a couple of hours nothing was heard and we decided to move up to the next hollow. After a few calls, we heard what we had been waiting for. Not one but two gobblers answering our calls. I whispered to my son, if they both come in, you take the one on the left and I will take the one on the right. Only a few minutes went by until 2 big long beards appeared. My son followed his bird with his gun as I followed mine. I had told him I would not shoot until he does. The birds kept walking and I could not understand why he would not shoot. I slightly turned my head toward him and said “shoot”, and he whispered, “Limb in the way” and before I could get my head back on my gun, BANG, went his Mossberg 20 gauge. My bird was on the way out of there but flopping on the ground out in front of us was my son’s first gobbler. I will never forget hearing him shout, “I got him, Dad, I got him.”

We both walked down to the gobbler and began to inspect the beautiful bird, noticing all the colors of his head and feathers. He was a nice gobbler with a beard of 9 inches, 1-inch spurs and weighing 18 pounds. My son gave me a hug and said “Thanks, Dad, for taking me turkey hunting”. We stood there and bowed our heads and thanked the Lord for this special time. I was not to get a turkey that day, but I think I was happier that day than I was the day I got my first long beard.

As I walked back to the truck with my son and his gobbler over his shoulder, I thought back to that day 12 years earlier and said, “My dream came true.” I don’t know but maybe in his dreams is the thought, someday I will take my son turkey hunting too. Why, the Lord willing, maybe I will be along for that hunt too.

It was the 2nd day of Pa regular rifle season (12-2-08). My youngest son Shawn taken a 6 point buck on the morning of the first day. As for my hunt so far, I had seen 3 different bucks on the first day but I could not
tell if these were legal or I just couldn’t get my gun on the deer in time to make a good shot. I had seen a very quick glimpse of this buck on the first day but I thought he was gone forever- possibly could be shot by
another hunter in the area.

As I thought about the day before, I kept focused on the woods in hopes to see a big buck. I knew of a 12 point with drop tines in the area. This was the buck I had hoped to see. The morning had passed. I was getting tired and a little frustrated since I did not see any deer at all. It was 12 noon, I decided to go back to my house for lunch. My son wanted a ride into town to visit a friend. I came home got back into my hunting gear and returned to the woods. It was now 1pm. Still no deer – my mind started to wander. I thought I seen something cross the right away. I focused on the next right away – did not see anything. I looked down and back up and about 70 yards away – a legal buck walking up through the thicket. I held my Remington 7600 30-06 gun on the next – small opening. When I seen hair in my redfield scope I squeezed the
trigger. Down the deer went. I seen the deer thrashing around- so I fired again -that time I missed clean. The deer didn’t move so I waited about 5 minutes. This was the longest 5 minutes of my life while my heart was racing. I walked up to the deer at approx 2pm. The deer I thought was just a legal buck – was a huge 15 point with a 23 5/8 spread. I called everyone on my cell phone contact list! I have never had a big buck before. I never had a need to have one scored. I looked on the Pa Game commission web site – there was very few big bucks posted for Clarion County, Beaver Twp or in WMU 2D. This was truly my hunt of a lifetime!

By Don Ott, Sportsmen Portal Field Staff
I received a phone call from Jason Say asking if I would be available to film Arianna’s Hunt of a Lifetime. There would be a possibility I may have the opportunity to hunt Merriams in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It took no time for me to answer “Yes.” I hung up the phone and got online and ordered my Non-resident license and broke out my credit card. My tag cost only $85.00.  I never dreamt that I would get to use it. Our main focus would be to get Arianna on film with her Merriam first, then possibly Jason. Being and avid turkey hunter I know the challenge we were about to face.  All in one week, that’s a tall order.

Jason and I set out on public ground with the mindset that due to not being familiar with the area and having 8 to 10 inches of snow we would put on as many miles and cover as much terrain in an attempt to locate a few birds. In our course of travel we cut 5 sets of turkey tracks. Four of which were gobbler and one lonely hen track. I was thinking, “boy this doesn’t look too promising!” Although I did see three of the four gobblers. But like all weary birds they saw me as soon as I saw them and the “turkey scurry” commenced.

The Black Hills of South Dakota is very rocky with tall stands of Ponderosa Pines, not providing much ground cover. I decided to hunt above a peak of jagged rock that jetted out from the hillside on a bench that overlooked a mountain meadow. Earlier that morning, Jason and I watched 19 birds; two long beards, 8 jakes and 9 hens descend down the jagged rock point into the meadow below. They would respond to our calls, but had only one thing in mind. Getting to the food source.  The snow was melting and the meadow was green.

I know we heard two dozen gobblers as the darkness faded and turned into daylight. But all we could do was sit and watch. I peered over my shoulder at Jason and stated, “it wasn’t going to happen”. This wasn’t something Jason was used to hearing. I think in a four day period I must of told him that a dozen times. He didn’t understand why and would respond with “Then let’s move and make it happen!” I would give him a look, shake my head and laugh. This time I stated, “You just can’t move when you have birds all around us and birds at 60 yards. We need to sit still; wait until they descend further down the mountain . We can depart and set up a make-shift blind. Then maybe we can work some magic!”  We both agreed a blind needed to be built.

We erected a blind from downed timber and some pine limbs. Set out a hen and jake decoy 30 yards behind us up the hill. Hoping to have a bird focus on the decoys allowing Jason to get the camera ready. We no sooner got in the blind when I gave out a few series of yelps and purrs with my “Joanie Haidle Beard Bustin’ call” and one gobbled some 200 yards below. I called again and he cut me off. I looked at Jason and told him he was coming and to get ready.

One hour later, I see not one, but 8 gobblers strutting and chasing each other while calling violently to my calls. Finally with a few soft purrs, the birds turn and start our way. Approximately 25 minutes lapses and I hear wing beats and foot steps. Just some 30 yards below the point a big mature gobbler flies up into a tree and peers up toward our blind. He was attempting to see the hen that has been calling. I thought my heart would pound out of my chest!

At this point, Jason is getting tired of sitting and wants to move. I stated, “What? You can’t move! They will bust us again and it’s over!”  I slowly bent forward to pick up my glass call and coming around the big rock 40 yards out was a mature gobbler. He sees something he didn’t like and turned to run. I stated to Jason, “To your right! Do you have the camera on him? I’m gonna have to take him!”  I shot and crushed the bird!  I couldn’t believe I had just harvested a beautiful Merriam on the last day we could hunt.

Jason will tell you he is a novice turkey hunter. After 35 years of hunting birds, I still consider myself to be a novice. Because every bird is different and I’m still learning.

In Jason’s defense, yes, we did get busted more times then we want to admit. But we really didn’t have time to conceal our setups due to running and gunning, and having so much success with our calling.
Best advice, patience and concealment. What a magnificient hunt!

Every winter our rivers and the fish that reside in them go through many changes. We cannot predict the weather and water levels. However the predictable thing is that the walleye, musky and bass will be on the move. The transition to wintering pools and movement from there to suitable spawning habitat. During these migrations the need for energy is critical to the development of eggs and the necessary fuel to undergo the rigors of spawn itself. Winter fishing is the jig fisherman’s time and many of the largest fish of the year of all three species come during this time.

The art of jigging few master. There is more to it than just slowly bouncing the jig over the bottom. The jig must be manipulated to appear alive to the fish. I enjoy fishing jigs because it is fishing in a true form. The way fish want to see the retrieve will change through out the season. The skilled will pick up on these subtleties.

First we can all be better jig fisherman by understanding some basic principles. The diameter of your line used will affect many things. The friction of both water and air against heavier line will affect the action of the lure and your ability to stay in touch with your lure. You can effectively fish a lighter jig with lighter line. Many times the fish will prefer to see the jig falling slowly this can best be done with lighter heads and line weights.

This gets us into presentation. If the fish want to see the jig falling then the more times you can make it fall during a retrieve the better. When the jig is allowed to fall to the bottom it is then retrieved with short hops by raising the rod tip or squeezing the rod. During real cold water temps it may be necessary to fish extremely slow. The jig stays on or near the bottom for the duration of the retrieve. Basically the size and speed of the hop is varied to determine which is best. The fish will decide. I remember one night in particular. The best jig man I know and I were out braving the cold and after two hours had nothing to show. I thought that maybe the fish needed enticed to bite. I made my cast and waited for it to make contact the bottom. I then ripped the bait hard and fast like I would a jerk bait. I was thrilled by a take on the third rip. The next cast was rewarded on the second rip. I told my friend what I had done and for the next 45 minutes we had constant action.

The last retrieve is what we call swimming. This is a slow steady retrieve, ticking the ledges and rocks from time to time. This is a very effective retrieve for walleye even in very cold temps.

The good jig fisherman is concentrating on his lures every move. When it hits a rock, he knows it’s a rock. Many times after plucking my jig off a rock I am rewarded with a strike. A jig jumping off the bottom imitates a fleeing bait fish or crayfish effectively. The takes vary from a good pluck of the line to just added weight but sometimes and the hardest to detect is the lack of weight or resistance. This happens when the fish takes coming towards you. The only way I know too detect this take consistently is to fish with a closed face reel. By holding your index finger in front of the reel while you cup the reel itself in your rod hand the line travels over your finger allowing you to feel this take. I can’t get that sensitivity with an open face reel. The bait caster is an alternative but an unnecessary one and at a cost. The retrieve rates are also faster than what I like for this type of fishing. I like simplicity. Much of the fishing done by the serious walleye fisherman is done in the dark as well. This is entirely all feel and you need every advantage for slow winter jig fishing.

I have heard nymph fisherman say that they must fish nymphs for weeks on end before they develop the feel. I believe that the jig fisherman is the same. I know a few old boys on the river and believe me, experience is hard to beat. . One last thought, keep track of where you find fish along with the current water level and cfs. I hope you find the enjoyment in winter jig fishing as I have.

My name is Shane Hutton from Pittsburgh, PA. I am an avid outdoorsmen and more than anything love to hunt. I have been getting deer (doe) every year with the help of my father since I was 12 years old. Now hunting has become the thing that I look forward to the most all year, not Christmas, not birthdays, not summer. Hunting. Over the years being successful at bagging does with my rifle but only one buck in 11 years kinda turned me off of rifle hunting and put my passion into archery hunting. I think there were about 39 days in 2008 you could go archery with the pre-season for doe only in Allegheny county and I did a total of 36 sits. My friends joke and when someone asks me for directions and they say “Shane will get you there by trail”. I have seen a lot of big buck around the city of Pittsburgh and have a lot of luck seeing them; but getting them is a different story. I missed and wounded so many deer I literally was about to give up on archery, when finally I got a doe, and then a small buck in 2007. Awesome year for me. With three years of bad, rainy, hot weather for opening day rifle season at my family camp I figured my only shot this year was archery and thought nothing of rifle season. That’s why I put so much time in. Well I had a great archery year and seen a lot of different deer, wildlife, and neat things but couldn’t get a shot at a nice buck. So I figured I better make the best of my rifle season. With low expectations I went to my archery spot and got my hanging tree stand that doesn’t have a rest and took it down and brought it home. I then bought a piece of conduent pipe and a bender and some hooks and bent me a rest to put on the front of my hang-on stand. I took it to Elk county at my family camp and scouted the area and put it up in the tree. I seriously only go rifle hunting to spend time with my family, and get into the woods. Its such a great experience being there but I don’t go expecting to see the things I do in archery season. Well all my hard work, perseverance, and dedication paid off this year because at 720am I had this giant 8 point walk within 30 yards of my stand and I dropped this  beauty with the first shot. I never expected this, and I was so happy.

We have about 10 people that live permanently up there and they along with a couple camps were looking at my deer all week. I was the biggest buck taken by far. This might not be a giant on a farm, or Canada but for a mountain deer its one of a kind. It was just a great experience, maybe once in a life time experience; and too see my hard work pay off I am just grateful, and happy. This is the only great buck I have ever got and surely could be my best ever. It scores in the 140 class, with 20”main beams,  a 19” spread, and 4” diameter main beams.

The first day of rifle season was one I had been wishing for. Not only was the sky clear, but the temperature was great, not to cold, but not hot enough for deer to slow down and not move as much.

Me and my dad, Danny, made our was across the open field in which to get to our 2 person stand. But as we came closer to where we enter the woods, the creek we need to cross is way to high for our boots to cross it. So our only other choice was to walk through the woods, right next to our stand and risk messing up the hunting for a portion of the day.

Once we finally got situated in the stand around 6am, we sat for around 2 hours with no signs of life coming from the woods. Another 3 hours went bywith a few sounds of cracking limbs, but nothing major to worry about. Not only was it a tad thick to see from our stand, but the night before, it had rained which made it hard to hear if anything was coming or going.

Finally, 10:30 came around. My dad and i were debating whether to stay in that stand, or switch to the other across the property. Then my dad took a quick turn to the left, and he kind of jumped, because there was an 8 point, about 25 yards away. He told me to get my gun up, but the brush was so thick, there was really only one place to shoot at him, around 60 yards away. So after about 3 minutes of watching the buck, he finally stopped right in a clearing. My dad hit a bleet call and the bucks head sprung right up. I aimed for the neck, fired, and watched this beautiful 8 point drop right right in front of me!

My dad and i were overjoyed, even cheering loud enough for our friend Jeff to radio us from across the property to ask whats going on over there.

For my first buck kill, i was so excited. But then again, my dad always joke at how i “set the standards high” for a first buck, and shouldn’t expect anymore big ones like this.

There is one fly that will catch fish on the Tulpehocken Creek twelve months a year. One fly is all you need. It is the zebra midge, a simple fly that imitates the most abundant insect life in this stream. A midge, in its larva state, is distinguished by an enlarged head that is fused to a segmented thin body, usually dark in color and is smaller than a dime. Trout in the Tully depend on this aquatic life for nutrition throughout the year.

The midge is often overlooked by fly fishers due to the popularity of the caddis hatches that begin in late April and the trico hatches that begin in late June. What makes this fly so unique is the ability to fish it twelve months a year with great success, as compared to the caddis and trico imitations.

The zebra midge imitation can be fished by a number of methods. It is a sinking fly, so most of the time it will be fished dead drifted on the stream bottom with or without a strike indicator. The secret with this fly is to keep it rolling and drifting with the current down deep. Trout key on midge naturals as they get dislodged from the rocks and debris in the stream and drift with the current. This is exactly what the fly fisher is trying to imitate.

To better your chances with strikes, a tandem rig (2 fly set-up) with a strike indicator can be used. In one version, the zebra midge can be tied 12-16 inches behind the first fly, usually a type of bead head nymph, with a strike indicator further up the leader. When fishing this set-up, both flies should be drifting along the stream bottom. A good rule of thumb: if you’re not getting snagged every few casts, you’re not on the bottom. One need’s to be where the trout are feeding and that is down deep. Make sure there is enough line between your strike indicator and the first fly to achieve this. A simple technique to use to estimate stream depth is to look at the water height on your waders and add another 12 to 16 inches to compensate for stream flow. The flies will not hang directly under the strike indicator when fished, due to the differences in drift rates between the strike indicator and flies, thus the need for extra line length.

In times of high fast water, like the springtime, a weight may be added between the strike indicator and first fly to get the tandem rig down deep. Don’t be afraid to experiment with this set-up. That’s what makes this fun.

A third way to fish the zebra midge is solo through the strike zone of feeding fish. Many times feeding trout can be seen thrashing and slashing in a stream’s current a foot or two below the water’s surface. Carefully cast to these fish a few feet upstream, adjusting for stream flow, and let the midge dead drift through their strike zone. This is one of the most exhilarating moments of fishing a midge pattern, sight fishing to feeding fish just under the stream’s surface and actually seeing the “take”. Fish-on!

Zebra midges may be purchased locally at Tulpehocken Creek Outfitters (TCO), West Lawn. TCO will be glad to answer any questions about fishing this pattern and the equipment best suited for the presentations described.

The next time you head out to fish the Tulpehocken Creek, don’t forget about that small fly that will produce big results all year long, the tiny zebra midge.

From left to right – Chris, his son Cameron, my son Michael and me. 2007-08 trapping season total: 41-coon, 5 –coyote, 3-red fox, 3-grey fox, 3-beaver, and 7-muskrats

We had a lot of fun on the trap line, and I had an opportunity to share some things with my son that some people will never see in their lifetime.
One morning while running a small line up by Tionesta, we had the pleasure of seeing not one, but two bobcats. In all my years in the woods I have only seen one. That alone is a thrill, but to see two at once and be able to share it with my son is something we will never forget.

Bobcat tracks

We had a lot of fun on that small line, but there was so much woods and so little time.  We spent a week there and only caught one coyote.

We started our regular line around home and caught a nice coon on our first set. Good start.

My son and I run a small line in the mornings before he goes to school. We then meet Chris and his son in the evening and run about a 50 mile line.
One afternoon after meeting them, my friend Chris (who is kind of a jokester), said get the coon out of my trap box.   Much to my surprise, it’s a live baby coon.  The coon was too small to harvest, so he brought it to show me and the boys.  Nice guy… maybe next year!!

This is a nice grey fox in one of my best coon culverts.

Some days all you get for your efforts is some tracks at your sets to show that the animals are still smarter than you.  Other days you get to share memories with your son that will last forever….like the morning we found this in one set.

What a surprise… an adult female fisher, what a mud ball she was.  Most people will never see one, but we have caught and released 4 this year.

It has been a fun filled season so far. We are trapping beaver this year and have caught two so far.

This is Chris with a 40# beaver, but the best was in the next set.

It doesn’t look big with me, but when we had the boys hold it up

This one goes 50# ….   What a haul. How many kids go to school and can say they helped catch a fifty pound beaver over the weekend.

Now we are not hard core trappers out to catch everything we can. We are trying to pass along some of what we know to our sons and hope they will enjoy it and maybe pass it along to their children.

New Year’s Day brought us one more surprise on the beaver line.

Yes…. It’s an otter… 21 miles from the clarion river, as the crow flies.  We never saw any sign that otters were in the area, but there he was at 8:00 in the morning.  We called the game warden and he said to hold tight and he’d be right there. He [Rodney Bimber] showed up about 20 minutes later.

He managed to get a catch pole on him and we released it from the trap.  It was caught in a 330, in front of the hind legs.  Although we set all our traps for beaver and try to avoid otters, sometimes things just happen.

Unfortunately, this catch would end on a sad note.  The trap had broken its back and the otter had no use of its back legs. The game warden had to put it down. The otter was an adult male and weighed 23#.

This has been a great season so far.  There have been a lot of surprises and good times, and as my son says “it’s good father/son bonding time”

Thanks for the great story and photos Kevin.  You can send us your hunting or fishing story and if we use it on our web site we will send you a Pennsylvania Sportsmen Portal T-Shirt. The Pennsylvania Sportsmen Portal is all about folks who hunt and fish in PA and we love to feature our site visitors. Only criteria is, you must be a Pennsylvania resident. Stories can be from out of state adventures also, but we are really looking for stories that feature hunting and fishing in PA.  Click Here For More Information.

When I answered the phone that morning he told me he had just seen a 10 point that he had showed me on video twice before.  My Dad had already gotten a real nice 8-point in archery season so he had been trying to video my Uncle Pablo shooting that buck in the morning.  They both saw the big bruiser at 150 yards about 9:00 a.m.  He went behind some brush and never came out.  My Dad climbed down from his tree stand and did a little drive in hopes to push him past my Uncle.  Only three doe came out.  We don’t shoot doe in buck season even though you are permitted in Chester County.

When he got to the stand he told Uncle Pablo that he would go up to the house and push down.  When he was 200 yards from Uncle Pablo he saw the monster’s rack down through the woods.   My Dad thought the buck might not go past Uncle Pablo as he didn’t in the morning.  He got on the phone and called his oldest son, Vernon.  Vernon works a second shift job so he didn’t get an answer.  His second call was to his good buddy, Herb.  He said he couldn’t leave work because of it being the first day of buck season and they were short handed.  I guess I was his last hope.  I hadn’t hunted in 15 years.  Dad told me to go get a license and pick up my brother Victor from his job and be here by 3:30.

When we arrived Dad had all my clothes laid out and my shotgun on the pool table in the basement.  Victor and I got dressed in some old musty smelly hunting clothes that were as old as my Dad.  Dad sent Victor down in the valley with Uncle Pablo.  He had been on stand since 5:30 a.m. with nothing to eat or drink.  Dad said he was dressed like it was archery season so I knew he was cold and hungry.  He called up to the house and told Dad to send Victor down with a bottle of water.  We gave Victor a half hour to get set up.  Just before we left the basement the sky got black and it started to sleet and rain.  This was something Dad hadn’t planned on but it was perfect for stalking a big buck.  Dad was videoing and trying to keep the camera dry and I was trying to keep my scope dry with a glove over it.  As we snuck through the woods, you could hear the sleet on the leaves.  It sounded like bacon cooking in a hot frying pan.  As we neared the spot where Dad had last seen the buck, I slowed down.  I could just see the rack moving in the two foot undergrowth.  Dad said to crawl to the next tree about 20 yards closer and slide up the tree and smoke him before he makes his escape.  I think he expected me to chase that monster to my Uncle or to my brother.  When I slid up the tree, he had just decided to leave his bed.  I’m not sure if it was my perfume or just time to go eat.  When he stood up I still could only see his massive rack and neck so I dropped down and imagined where the vital area would be, I didn’t want him to get away.  I didn’t want to loose the only shot I was going to have and I didn’t want to take a head shot and blow off that massive rack.  Dad was still videoing as the monster started to move.  I squeezed off a shot.  He dropped like a sky diver with no parachute.  Dad turned the camera, still recording, and said “nice shot”.  It made me feel great.  Victor called five minutes after he heard the shot.  He told him it was over and I had just gotten my first monster.

I think I’ll go back into retirement until my son Will starts to hunt or since I have a license now, I might take Will with Dad second archery season after Christmas.  Who knows?  Things change.  This is how I forgave my dad.

Gross Score: 153 6/8
Date of Kill: 12/1/08
Outside Spread: 21 1/2

Thanks for the great story and photos Lori. You can send us your hunting or fishing story and if we use it on our web site we will send you a Pennsylvania Sportsmen Portal T-Shirt. The Pennsylvania Sportsmen Portal is all about folks who hunt and fish in PA and we love to feature our site visitors. Only criteria is, you must be a Pennsylvania resident. Stories can be from out of state adventures also, but we are really looking for stories that feature hunting and fishing in PA. Click Here For More Information.

Brandon and his deer

Brandon and I woke up about 4:30 a.m. on Monday morning and got ourselves ready and my wife dropped us off at the edge of the woods just before 5:00 a.m. We staked out our spot and no sooner did the sun start to rise we heard two shots off to our left and I just couldn’t help but wonder if that was our buck! We waited and Brandon was patient and quiet, he really surprised me.

Just about 9:30 a.m. I saw some deer out to the left of us and they looked like they were heading away from us. It was a nice size buck and two doe. I told Brandon to get ready, just incase. The wind had picked up and I wasn’t sure if the buck would catch our scent or if we were pretty well hidden. Brandon was sitting on one side of the tree and I on the other and no sooner did I tell him to get ready, the buck started our way. We waited and within the next few minutes he was getting closer. I thought to myself, here it is the buck for Brandon.

We got ourselves together and I wasn’t sure if I should go for the doe and let Brandon get the buck! I shot once, but the buck was still up, it was about 30 yards away and I told Brandon, go for it! With one shot, he nailed it right under it’s front, shoulder and down that bad boy went! A beautiful 9 point buck, a little over 200 lbs., what a beauty. I think Brandon was in shock at first, but he was so excited, grinning from ear-to-ear and I couldn’t help but think to myself how wonderful this was to be here with him on his first hunt! Not only did he get the big one on his first day out, but he was using the gun that his great-grandfather gave him, only a week before. The gun was passed down to him to use on this first hunt. His Great-Grandfather said it would be the perfect one for him at his age and boy was he right!

We tagged the deer and Brandon was so excited, we gutted him and Brandon watched intently. I decided our next time out, he’s going to give it a try. We called my wife and shared the news, she ran up to take the pictures and I think she told the whole world! This was a moment I’ll never forget, the smile on his face, the excitement of the kill and the bonding we had together. He’ll be my hunting partner forever. The hunt between father and son is priceless, it’s a time that the two of us will never forget and is, by far, the most exciting thing we have done together.