FOLES55
Senior Member
My father who is now 66 years old has been blessed this morning in experiencing the best day of his life while hunting and enjoying God’s creations. This man introduced me to this lifestyle when I was about 11 years old and he and my mother were getting the “big D” and Dad decided to take up hunting which originally might of been to hide from her. Either way I vividly remember as a child two monumental moments in my hunting past with him I will never forget. One was when I had a double barrel 20 gauge loaded with buckshot perched up alongside a power line and right at dark Dad came walking up so we could head back to camp and suddenly he stopped raising his rifle pointing down the road behind me. I then heard several growls and when looking out was a pack of canines. Suddenly they bolted towards him and “boom” Dad fires his rifle, instinctively at my young age I jumped up and fired both both barrels rolling one canine down the fence row because he had tried my Dad. The second was when we hunted an oak ridge together from two separate ends, it was cold and crisp that morning and Dad gave me the good spot high in a huge pine called the "Condo stand". Had that same double barreled scatter gun in my lap and behind me was an old roadway going up and over the hardwood ridge. About the time I turned around there he stood a big old narly 8pt with cold smoke bellowing from his nostrils! I FROZE up with buck fever something serious and watched that deer walk away as I sat there shaking all over. About an hour or so went by and here come Dad to get me down. My eyes began to pour like the flood gates had been broken. That man climbed up into the stand with me and hugged me with big arms of reassurance that he had no cares about me not shooting this deer. He probably laughed actually while my head was turned.
Well today was different and I did shed several hidden tears of enjoyment for a man who has gone a great period of time from many lows and zeros with only lesser bucks to cross his paths. He has maintained a level of dedication to not fall into to temptation and just shoot these deer and set a goal to harvest a bigger mature deer than his last. For the last few years I have plowed dirt, planted seed, filled feeders, hung trail cameras, made mock scrapes and broke my back to get him his largest buck to date. During these years I’ve taken numerous big bucks and even my kids have taken great deer that were better than their Paw's. Dad could sit in a stand I saw two shooters the morning or evening prior from and every deer I saw except those deer would show up for him. Frustrating to say the least. Can’t imagine his thoughts and feelings, but he stayed the course.
Fast forward to this morning, he picked a spot between two huge bedding areas that are bordered with long wide hardwood funnels filled with white oak candy. Myself thought it was best to hunt the backside of the candy bar. Go figure nothing new I'm seeing small bucks/does and now watching a wide young 8pt buck make scrape 15 yards away that Dad would love to shoot. Get a text from Dad,3 Doe left to right. Short time passes and then "Pop"! My text goes out "was that you?" Yes, buck down! he replies. So I say well stay seated and double down if you can so I could hunt more. I get another text OMG huge buck no shot. I then told him grunt bleat or something but stay ready he might circle back. Ten minutes or so pass and then "Pop" again. Now I'm texting did you get him? He responds bigger 8 or 7pt also down! Well I climb down and head his way. The rest can be seen below by the photos taken whereas I've talked enough. I'm a proud son and grateful to say the least. Thank you God for this gift you have given him and me.
Well today was different and I did shed several hidden tears of enjoyment for a man who has gone a great period of time from many lows and zeros with only lesser bucks to cross his paths. He has maintained a level of dedication to not fall into to temptation and just shoot these deer and set a goal to harvest a bigger mature deer than his last. For the last few years I have plowed dirt, planted seed, filled feeders, hung trail cameras, made mock scrapes and broke my back to get him his largest buck to date. During these years I’ve taken numerous big bucks and even my kids have taken great deer that were better than their Paw's. Dad could sit in a stand I saw two shooters the morning or evening prior from and every deer I saw except those deer would show up for him. Frustrating to say the least. Can’t imagine his thoughts and feelings, but he stayed the course.
Fast forward to this morning, he picked a spot between two huge bedding areas that are bordered with long wide hardwood funnels filled with white oak candy. Myself thought it was best to hunt the backside of the candy bar. Go figure nothing new I'm seeing small bucks/does and now watching a wide young 8pt buck make scrape 15 yards away that Dad would love to shoot. Get a text from Dad,3 Doe left to right. Short time passes and then "Pop"! My text goes out "was that you?" Yes, buck down! he replies. So I say well stay seated and double down if you can so I could hunt more. I get another text OMG huge buck no shot. I then told him grunt bleat or something but stay ready he might circle back. Ten minutes or so pass and then "Pop" again. Now I'm texting did you get him? He responds bigger 8 or 7pt also down! Well I climb down and head his way. The rest can be seen below by the photos taken whereas I've talked enough. I'm a proud son and grateful to say the least. Thank you God for this gift you have given him and me.
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Oh yeah the HUGE buck he saw is not the second buck he shot. Said it is much bigger than these two. Glad to know he saved me something. Lol
