Featured Stories

           THREE GENERATIONS ENJOY THE HUNT, THANKS TO CROSSBOWS

By Ron Andres                           

My wife dropped our 12 year old son off at deer camp Saturday late noon. Russell went to a 4-H fair with his Mother, aunt and cousin. They got to camp a little late but I was not too worried about it due to the high temperature. The thermometer was hitting 76 degrees outside.

Once my son was unpacked I had him ready for the hunt. I had him read Jeff Kunkles article about crossbows and kids in my father’s Woods N Waters magazine. I, myself, just read it Friday night after arriving in camp. I thought it was very good and figured it could be a good incentive for Russell. I saw some similarities in how Jeff worked with his kids and how my father worked with me. Now I was using these same techniques for my son. We didn’t have a toy deer to talk about shot placement but we had that issue of Woods N Waters. We flipped through the magazine and used every picture of deer and elk for Russell to point out where he should aim. My father used pictures for me too 35 years ago.

After a shower we headed off to the pop-up blind. This was the location Russell chose to hunt. We had hunted there for the youth hunt. We saw a couple deer but a shot was not offered. One deer was a small buck. I preferred the two man ladder stand myself. We learned a few things during the youth hunt. The folding chair was noisy for Russell to move in and with it, he sat low. He was unable to sit and shoot my TenPoint Defender out the window of the blind at a downward angle. Today I carried in a plastic patio chair for him.

We set up the new chair and got him settled in for the evening hunt. He adjusted his shooting sticks to rest my heavy crossbow on. I didn’t like how he set them up and I didn’t say too much about it, but it bothered me. A groundhog fed into the small food plot we worked on this spring. I grabbed the crossbow and aimed at it. I wanted to see how the set-up was working. I didn’t like it at all. I looked at how Russell was sitting and determined if he sat as high as I did now he should not have to stand to shoot like the youth hunt set-up. I told Russell why I didn’t like it and he agreed to change it. After around 6 or 7 modifications to the shooting stick heights and chair placement, it came together. Russell could now sit, rest the bow and shoot out the window at the downward angle required. I felt better about this and as I sat down myself, I looked out the window down a trail leading to the small food plot we worked on. There stood a buck no more than 30 yards away. His head down feeding and unaware we were there or what we just went through.

Russell was just starting to take the bow down. I told him to leave the bow up and get ready as there was a buck coming in and he was already close. This is what Russell was wanting. He decided that for the youth hunt. He said he wanted antlers for his wall. He preferred big ones and with many points. I agreed and said “don’t we all”.

Russell was sitting and watching the deer through the corner window, as was I. I have Russell shooting left handed because of a left eye dominance issue. This placed his shoulder and elbow into my chest.

The buck was now only 20 yards away and quartering to us. I was hoping the buck would keep coming into the funnel in front of us. The buck, however, started to take the trail out to his left, the same as a doe had done during the youth hunt. At the last minute the buck turned 90 degrees and continued to use the trail. Now 15 yards away, the buck was in the shooting window but still quartering to us. Russell had quietly taken the safety off the crossbow readying for his shot. I guess I was surprised he remembered how to maneuver it so it didn’t make noise, but he did. I could hear how much Russell’s breathing increased. It was fast and heavy. Myself, I think I forgot to breath.

I whispered to Russell to tuck it behind the leg once the deer was straight out. He nodded and the breathing increased and so did the wobbling of the bow. I finally took a breath myself and whispered to him to breathe and stay calm. Now the deer was very close. The buck hit the edge of the food plot only yards in front of us. He started to just walk past instead of feeding. Without thinking, I used my voice to bleat the buck to a stop. It worked. The buck was broadside maybe ten yards away. As the buck looked around I whispered to Russell ‘OK’. Man, the excitement in the blind at this point! I could see and feel Russell and well, I think I was holding my breath for the third time. It seemed like an hour passed and the bow still didn’t fire. I was getting nervous. The buck decided to start walking. Again, without thinking, I used my voice, bleating it to a stop a second time. Still broadside and still maybe ten yards away stood a motionless buck. I whispered for Russell to shoot.

It seemed like two hours passed as I waited for the shot. I think my dad excitement spring was wound too tight. MY mind was screaming OMG, SHOOT, SHOOT, NOW OMG ……..I took my eyes off the deer and glanced at Russell. As I did, the bow fired.

I looked back at the buck to see the Lumenok disappear into the deer with a resounding thump. The buck mule-kicked and was gone. I marked where I last saw him heading down the valley. Russell was very excited at this time and wanted to call mom. I suggested he wait until we recovered his buck and he agreed.

I took the two-way out of my pocket and called for my dad. I asked if his radio was on. A reply “yes, why?” came back. I handed Russell the radio. He keyed and screamed into it that he just shot a buck. Russell told his grandpa what just happened. My dad asked if he should come over. I suggested he sit tight just in case the deer went in his direction. Russell stated he didn’t realize deer hunting could be so exciting and we talked about what just happened.

Three hours passed. OK, maybe twenty minutes and we went out to look at the arrow. It was painted red and a good blood trail led down the valley. We told my dad this and we were heading his way. The buck covered a fair distance but the trail was east to follow. I let Russell lead most of way but I had to slow him a few times to keep him from over walking the signs. Both covered in sweat from the heat, we trailed the deer. Russell commented the deer couldn’t be far now because of the sign we were seeing. I told him I agreed that the deer was close. Russell trailed for another couple feet then stood up and looked around. He saw the buck’s side off to our right. He pointed and asked if that was his deer. I told him it was.

We walked over to the deer and I congratulated Russell on his first deer. Russell called to his grandpa with the radio telling him we found it. My dad was now on his way to us. Russell used my cell phone to call home. I could hear Mom on the phone too. When he was done telling Mom, Russell called his other grandparents and told them he had gotten a deer. My dad was now with us and congratulated Russell.

The three of us, three generations of hunters, returned to camp with the deer. I don’t know who the deer meant more too. Russell for his first deer, Grandpa, sharing a first deer with a second grandson, a dad with his son….

Overall this moment meant a lot to me. Perhaps it’s because it was close to not happening. My dad, now 83, was being forced to give up bow hunting. To continue bow hunting at 80 he filed Age Discrimination against the state to be allowed the use of a crossbow. He won. I realized then how a crossbow affects my family and how it could help others. Russell spent this summer in a JOAD league. Being left eye dominate and right handed he did ok. His compound at 28 pounds, however, is a tad light to hunt deer. Without the use of a crossbow my dad would not have been there, nor would my son. I’m not even sure I would have been there in this heat myself.

Here is a picture of Russell and his deer. The smile tells the story.

MELISSA'S STORY

Steve, Melissa and Don