Moms First Deer.

[hoyt2002]

About 9 years ago, My mom followed me, my wife and her grandchildren at a 3D shoot. After the shoot she decided she wanted to try archery. She got a bow and started to practice and shoot at the 3D shoots. When she felt confident in her abilities to shoot well she asked if I would take her deer hunting. I agreed and she began her journey into the hunting world. The next few seasons, there was lots of learning for her. A few misses and missed opportunities. She stuck with it and also got a few multi season tags over the years and we hunted all the seasons a few times. Myself and 400out spent lots of time in the field with her trying to make things happen. As time went on her physical ability became an issue for her but she did not give up and we just adjusted our hunting tactics. She continued to hunt and go where she could and did not give up on her dream of taking a deer with her bow.

This season would be a little different from the past seasons. She talked of this year being her last try at deer hunting. For myself and 400out we felt some pressure to make things happen for her. We did not want her to give up before she reached her goal. She could not hunt the first part of the season so she would meet me and 400out at camp a week after we started our elk hunt. So we would hunt elk in the mornings and evenings and scout deer mid day looking for deer in an easy access areas for her to get into.

The first day after she arrival in camp, we located a bedded mule deer doe in a gully that we could get into. Me and mom stalked in from above while 400out sat at the bottom of the draw and watched. As we approached the gully in the draw the doe got up and started to move up hill broad side, mom came to full draw and I began giving her the range. Just below us another doe jumped up and began to run. This doe was bigger and closer so we switched our attention to her and I made attempts to get her stopped for a shot, but she continued to move and came to a stop broadside out of range at 81 yards.

Both does moved down hill and into the next draw. We followed and moved down hill attempting to get below them and meet up with 400out. We all moved to the draw we seen the doe's go into and were able to locate them again. They stood above us at 53 yards looking down and behind where mom was coming up behind us. She came to full draw again and we gave her the distance. When the doe cleared the tree, she was quartered away looking at her again, mom let the arrow fly. The doe instantly hit the ground myself and mom couldn't believe it, 9 years of effort and hard hunting had just paid off. We hugged and mom cried (from excitement) as we gave the doe time to expire. She had just killed her first deer at 62 years old.

After a few minutes we moved up the hill to retrieve her first big game animal. When we got to the deer I noticed her eyes seamed to be bulged out of socket and there was blood coming from her forehead. The arrow had went in the deer's forehead and the broadhead was protruding from the back of the deer skull. Though this was not were mom was aiming, if was an answer to her prayers as she put it, she has always been very worried about hitting a deer bad and if suffering while it died. Before the hunt she prayed that god would guide her arrow for a quick clean kill and that is what she got. she said afterwards that god answered her prayer but the arrow did not go where she had planned, but it went where god had planned it.

The head is now being done in a European mount and it should be a cool addition to the trophy room at my parents house with that arrow still through the skull.

We are hearing lots of talk of her next hunting adventure coming next year, I guess this will not be her last year to hunt as she had claimed before the season.         

[full choke]

That is awesome! Way to go!
Thanks for sharing!

[h20hunter]

A. Awesome job.
B. I need to see a photo of that!

[Southpole]

Love the smiles!!

[Timberstalker]

Awesome.  Great story, and thanks for sharing.   

[Skyvalhunter]

That's awesome thanks for sharing!!

[jennabug]

  great story!

[Blacktail Sniper]

great story!

 

[dvolmer]

That is just flat out awesome!!!!  Love it!!!

[BoomWhop]

Woot woot. Love the pics. Good job.

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

That's real good work!

[pianoman9701]

You and your mom are awesome. Thanks for sharing her story. 

[Duckslayer89]

That's awesome. great story of sticking with it too

[400out]

It was meant to be for sure!! But I knew it would happen this year! Like hoyt2002 stated there has been a lot of effort applied to getting this wonderful lady a deer! No matter the weapon! I have always enjoyed being a part of getting another hunter their first animal! Actually any animal more than harvesting one myself, and this one didn't fail my love by any means! The joy could be felt for miles! I'm so proud to have been a part of it!!!
And yes she stuck it right in the melon! It was sweet!

[hoyt2002]

It was meant to be for sure!! But I knew it would happen this year! Like hoyt2002 stated there has been a lot of effort applied to getting this wonderful lady a deer! No matter the weapon! I have always enjoyed being a part of getting another hunter their first animal! Actually any animal more than harvesting one myself, and this one didn't fail my love by any means! The joy could be felt for miles! I'm so proud to have been a part of it!!!
And yes she stuck it right in the melon! It was sweet!
[/quote
Thanks for all the help buddy.