I have been carefully bowhunting blacktails on a special piece of property this season.
My son Thomas has had several close encounters with several bucks that we had patterned early in the season, and I have been trying to get him in position for his first buck.
Two of the bucks have been bedding in a difficult spot.
Yesterday, I changed my approach to them.
I sent Thomas to a good spot to watch and I went around the backside of the mountain, hoping to move the bucks to my son.
After about an hour long hike, I approach the area where I have been seeing the bucks.
My senses are on red alert.
I see a bunch of sign and fresh beds in the dry grass.
Suddenly, I catch movement to my left.
It is the smaller of the two bucks that we have been persuing.
He rises from his bed and scurries down the the slope.
As the buck climbs the oposite bank, I knock an arrow.
I find the buck in my rangefinder...47 yards.
The buck does not know what disturbed him and comes broadside.
I come to full draw, find him in my spothogg sight and align the 50 yard pin just a tad low on his vitals.
Thunkkkk...
The Gold tip arrow finds its mark and my slick trick broadhead penetrates perfectly.
I feel that rush of adrenaline pouring through my veins as the buck races away with the fletchings waving in the air and crashes into the heavy brush.
I mark the spot that (I shot from and then move up the hill to find my son.
He is very excited for me and is slightly relieved that the big one is still on the mountain for him.
After an hour wait, we track the buck.
I want Thomas to find him first, so I hang back a little.
The buck didn't go far.
This may not be the biggest blacktail, but he sure is a pretty one.
God, I love sharing my passions with my son.
He makes me proud every day of my life.
We have a bunch more hunting to do.
Bowhunting Rules!
Hope to post my son's buck here very soon!

Beautiful buck! Even better that you had the opportunity to share it with Thomas. Brings back memories of my first deer hunt with my dad.... Whether Thomas get a nice buck or not, this season has already been a success!

Very Nice animals

Nice looking animal. Thanks for the story and report. Hope your son gets his buck soon.

that is a very nice blacktail. by any standards.

and if the size of fish your son catches then i cant wait to see the buck he gets this year.

That is an outstanding animal! The best part is that you scoped him out before the season, made a plan and then worked it to perfection!

Beautiful buck Salmonella...I've been looking forward to your photos. Glad you got yours and I hope Thomas fills his tag too. Is it going on the wall?

Our season started on Friday. Hunted doves on the opener, then switched to deer. It was t-shirt weather the entire time and we did not see many animals....no legal bucks. We need some weather and shorter days.

Ike

Awesome story and pics Salmonella. Congratulations to the two of you. Just saw the rest of the story/pics on MM - you should copy it all over here for all to see. Your message is something we all need to think about from time to time.

Ok Salty....
Last evening we were back after the blackies.
I had Thomas in position overlooking a bowl where we had seen several nice bucks over the past few weeks.
I would snoop around the backside of the ridge to see if they were using a different area.
After scoping out the ridge to no avail, I look back to where I left Thomas, a peek through my Swarovskis showed him excitedly waving his arms.
I hustled back over to Thomas' location to find that he had scored on his first buck ever. (with a bow no less!)
He told me that he had made a good shot, but I thought that we should give him a while to stove up.
After a half hour or so, we moved down hill to find Thomas' first buck.
I was so stoked for Thomas.
He on the other hand was real quiet.
I asked him why he wasn't showing too much emotion.
He said that he was afraid that he had let me down because he didn't hold out for a bigger one.
He said that he always sees me ogling over trophy sized animals and thought I'd be upset at him because he had shot a young buck.
I guess that was a reality check.
I said to him "Son, I am as proud of you right now as I could possibly be". "Don't ever worry that you let me down"
I gave him a big bear hug and packed his first buck off the hill.
I'm so proud to call my son a "Bowhunter".

way to go

That's a nice trophy first buck, any way you look at it. Well done, Thomas!

Perfect shot... excellant first buck. It will always be a memory for him! I have lived that memory many times in the years since I shot my first buck with a bow. Great job.

Nice job and congratulations to your son.

If the antlers were a dark red, that deer would be an exact copy of my first deer. Way to go! He got his first deer younger than I did though.

Couldnt have placed that shot any better!!! Way to go.

Thomas should be nothing but proud of that buck. It is a fine trophy for his first bow kill....you've got to start somewhere. Heck, I would have arrowed that buck in a heartbeat. The archers who always hold out for the monster hardly ever kill anything. He obviously made a clean, double-lung shot and had no trouble in recovering the animal. That makes it a trophy in my book. Congratulations to both of you on your fine bucks.

Ike

Bigger than my first buck Thomas! Congratulations. You probably already know this but just spending time with the old man in the woods and on the river is worth more than anything.
At the age of 39 I shot my fifth elk last year....a spike. The four before that were all special and all branch antlered bulls but that spike was a total kick (and a good eater). I shot him at 11 yards and my heart was PUMPING after I shot him. As long as you enjoy the hunt each and every animal you harvest is awesome.
I hope your dad had you get your hands dirty with the gutting and skinning and that you remembered to throw his unit over your left shoulder for luck next time ;-)
Nice job.

Way to go guys...haven't hunted deer since I was 13 or 14 but just got word that I am going to spokane area for the rifle opener and let me tell ya if a buck like that comes into my sites...it's gonna get ugly!
Tim

Congratz Thomas!!!! That is some cool stuff!!1
Dave, you gotta get me into an animal... I'm buying my archery gear this year.

WTG to both you and your boy. You BOTH should be proud. My proudest moments deer hunting were when I guided my best friend who had never hunted before to his 1st 3 pt. muley...now he's addicted. And again, a year or two later I helped him guide his son to his first deer ever...a mulie spike (youth tag). Neither were trophy animals but man we put in a lot of hard work scouting, hiking, and packing out!!! I've got some of my very own proud moments too, but funny thing is, I've never shot anything bigger than a 3x2. 4 bucks in my hunting career and all 3x2's what are the odds?


Congratulations!!!! I'm rifle hunting this year and I'm getting the itch, bad!

Camo

Wow, congrats to both of you!... I can't wait until Oct. 7th-13th for my early muzzle loader hunt. I've got a couple monsters scoped out and hope to capitalize.

PS. Thomas, my first buck was a 1x1 (spike) at the age of 12. You're doing great buddy!

Keith

GREAT BUCK!!!!

great bucks and good on you for getting out with your boy

Very Nice!!! Congrats...

very cool pictures

Awesome story and pics, I have a 4 year old son and 2 year old daughter, I can't wait to experience
that kind of thrill with them!!!

Nice job