Originally, my son's Air Force BMT ship date was June 26 but when he tested for his selected job it was moved to Nov. 29, then backed up to Nov. 14 due to miscommunication. We had planned to spend a week hunting with my wife's uncle Steve in Shenandoah Co. VA on Nov 5, but with time growing short we couldn't stay but 4 days.
We rolled in Friday night and looked at some trail cam photos of the bucks he had been seeing and decided to hunt together the first day. We set up in various spots around a 95 acre hay field with food plots in different areas well before daylight. The stars had barely faded over the mountains of the George Washington National forest when the radio hissed,"Wes, rack coming to you, shoot that sucker!" You don't call the boy to the trigger if you want a deer to walk. BLAM! 3 minutes into the trip he's scored. We had the buck on a trail cam about a mile up near Steve's house, but the nice 7 point walked into the wrong field this time. I got what I wanted out of him, some great last-trip photos with Steve and my boy, plus some fine venison. I figured we were done, since Wes always gets a deer up there and I never do. It was going to get better.
We played with turkeys (a bearded hen and a split beard gobbler), dispatched some destructive varmints at the neighbors place, and checked trail cams for the next couple of days. We goofed around in the woods like a bunch of kids, and I was having the time of my life with the boy. We hunted together in the mornings and split up in the evenings. We were seeing does and young bucks but the good bucks were staying low and nocturnal.
Tuesday afternoon we were formimg a plan for the last evening hunt. We were rolling out Wednesday morning so it was crunch time. I had my photos so I was prepared to go home with those. Wes was going to hunt the hollow close to the house and Steve was going to a neighbors. I had the field to myself.
I went early and relaxed. The 4:15 doe show never came so I figured it would be slow but at 5 I saw deer near the barn, about 450 yds out. 2 does came around the fence, then a buck but with the sun dead on me I couldn't raise the gun to examine him. The 2 does came in slowly, staring my way. I had estrous bombs up, but there was something they didn't like. They had my wind but couldn't figure it out with the doe scent. They stopped at the far side of the food plot, and he stopped about 50 yds behind them, about 175 yards out. Everybody seemed to be looking right at me. When the does would drop their heads to feed, I could raise the rifle a little at a time. When I finally got down behind the gun, I realize the older doe is fixated on me and stamping that foot. It's now or never. I didn't have time to look him over well before I shot. I knew he had brow tines and was out to his eartips so I hoped for the best and touched the trigger on the 300 WSM. When the flash cleared he was running like he was on fire.
I haven't had time to check the rifle or the rounds. I don't know if I grabbed the wrong ammo or if the scope got bumped, but I hit him about 4 inches lower than I was holding with a good rest. He didn't run but 40 yards but
those were tense moments for me.
When I hit the radio everybody was waiting to see if that was me. I tried to get Wes and Steve to wait but they were already on their way. When I walked up on the buck I still didn't know what I had. There in the grass lay the heavy mainframe 8 with a crabclaw and a split brow that made him a 10. When I got to the truck to drop my stuff the crew rolled up. I tried to play it off as a small buck but when they saw it Wes jumped all over me. I had finally scored.
I would gladly have traded deer with the boy, but the pictures I have now are priceless. I took my biggest buck ever on the last trip I will get with my son for a long time. We were in the skinning shed a while that night, reliving the hunt, and the next day as we drove home I was a little choked up. I knew that I was counting down the days to his departure, and the trip I was on would be, at least for a while, our last ride.
(http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b437/shaddragger128/VA%202011/VA2011001.jpg)
Wes's 7
(http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b437/shaddragger128/VA%202011/VA2011022.jpg)
My best photo ever
(http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b437/shaddragger128/VA%202011/VA2011041.jpg)
The cabin porch
(http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b437/shaddragger128/VA%202011/VA2011039.jpg)
The crew
A link to the rest of the photos http://s1043.photobucket.com/albums/b437/shaddragger128/VA%202011/
P.S. The last photo on the album is the buck Steve killed on Friday after we left. Wish we could have been there for him!
Boy, that was almost tough to read :sad:
Ya just wouldnt be right in the head if it didnt hurt a little bit Shad :wink: You got a lot of reasons to be proud of that boy. God bless him.
Air Force uh? Next time you talk to him, tell him I said, "thanks". :wink:
Great write up on your time with your son and the hunt that went along with it. Sounded like a great time and good memories will be there forever.
Jerry
Thank you for the story and pics. As Jim said, kind of hard to read to the end, but a strong man's story told simply and straight. Thank your son for serving, and thank you for letting him go and sending him off well.
Great story.Thank' s and Congrats on your buck. Godspeed for your boy.
Awesome !! Please tell your son THANKS for serving our country. :yoyo: :yoyo: :yoyo:
Very nice indeed. Thanks for sharing, congrats, and tell your son a heartfelt appreciation for serving our country.
GREAT story, GREAT pictures,. :bowingsmilie:
Great story and pictures!! Thanks for sharing!
Jim
Thanks guys. I passed along your comments to the boy in my last letter to him in BMT.
:confused: Not sure how I missed this one.
Congratulations all around & I wish your Son the best in his new career!! Tell him Thanks for us too!! :yoyo: :yoyo:
Great writeup, what a great way to spend the last few hours with you son before he leaves for duty, Congratulation's on the hunt, you guys did good. cc
Thanks to both of you. Nothing like making memories with your kids. Thanks for sharing.
Pat