Just wanted to share our experiences thus far this season(her first). On sunday she accompanied me to the mule deer haunts and was told that if we spotted mulies I had 1st choice, whitetails she had 1st choice. we saw both but no shooters. monday we went out searching for whitetails and played tag (her words) with a small forkhorn buck for a little while before it got too dark. she like many kids her age doesn't tie her shoes so they flop around and fly off if she kicks or runs, making it hard for her to be stealthy.
tonight (tuesday) we went to a favorite spot to sit and wait for the deer to come to us. we spotted a spike bull elk before we even sat down, less than 30 yds away! we sat & watched him feed until deer started to appear in the meadow, 3 does at first. then watched 2 smallish bucks sparring very far away (300yds). we saw another doe & then a bruiser whitetail enter the meadow but also very far away, too far for her to shoot. I want her to get first chance. then we hear a bugle off to our left about 500 yards away. at first I think it's a person, then I study the hillside and see an elk moving thru the trees. we take only our binoculars and strike out across the meadow, (legal shooting light had faded) we snuck up to where we could watch the elk coming across the meadow. we counted ten cows and 1 bull, not counting the spike already in our midst. we snuck closer and waited, they came out not 150 feet in front of us, my little girl had the glasses and can see them well since the moon is coming out as the light is fading, she turns to me and hisses " he's huge!" I looked and he is maybe a 5x6 or 6x6 raghorn but is clearly in charge of this small herd.(maybe some bow or muzzle hunter killed the "big" one) I convince her we should leave and maybe not return for a few days in the hopes that they may be in the same general area on saturday when her elk tag can be used.
I gotta say taking my little girl hunting and seeing her excitement and hearing her tell her mom the stories when we get home makes it all worthwhile, I wouldn't trade this time for anything.
