I am 8 years old, and I live in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Last September when my grandpa asked me if I wanted to hunt whitetail deer during the youth hunt weekend, I was so excited because it would be my very first time hunting, and we had been seeing a few nice bucks on the trail camera.
When Saturday morning finally arrived, when it was still dark, we walked along a bush trail to an open area that overlooked a small clearing and climbed into our 4x6 hunting blind.
I had my grandpa’s .45-caliber Taurus Circuit Judge rifle with a scope, so I was ready when it got light and the deer started moving. Soon we saw a couple of does pass by, and that was exciting. Then after a while, a spike buck showed up. I really wanted to shoot it but I kept thinking about the bigger bucks we saw on the camera, so I passed on it.
After a couple of hours of waiting, it got quiet, so we decided to head back home to wait for the evening hunt. After what seemed like a long time, we headed out again, and this time my dad took me to a pop-up blind near the edge of our bean field. It was a perfect spot because it wasn’t too long before deer started coming into the beans.
I saw a couple of does and then a real nice buck stepped out and started moving towards us. My dad told me to hold the gun steady and be sure to take careful aim. I had practiced shooting the rifle, so I knew what to expect. I was really excited and had to try hard to keep the gun from shaking, but now was the time to make the shot!
Finally, when the buck was about 75 yards in front of the blind, I pulled the trigger, and he gave a kick and ran fast into the woods along the edge of the field.
Now my heart was really pounding! I felt like I had buck fever! My dad told me I had made a good shot and had hit the buck, and I told him, “Nice! I know! I know I hit him! But I was afraid I was going to have buck fever and miss … but I know I hit him!”
After waiting a little while, we called my grandpa to tell him that I had shot a buck. He was excited and said he would come with the four-wheeler and some flashlights to help us track it and hopefully recover my deer.
It was dark by the time he and my grandma arrived, but with the tracking lights we were able to find the blood trail, and in a couple of minutes we found the buck lying about 50 yards off the field in the woods. It was a real nice 5-pointer that still had some velvet hanging from its antlers.
My uncle and cousins heard I had shot a buck, and they came to help gut the deer and bring it home. After everyone congratulated me and took pictures, we loaded the deer in the side-by-side and brought it to my grandpa’s house and hung it up in the “Buck Tree” near his barn.
It was so fun to have a successful hunt with my dad! He filmed the shot, so I like to go back and watch it whenever I think about hunting and remember how exciting it was to get my first buck!
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