Here's how this past weekends Youth Hunt went:

Well, my 9 year old grandson didn't get his deer, but we had plenty of excitement. We saw several deer over the weekend, but it's not easy getting a deer in the right spot for a youngster to have an opportunity to take.

On Saturday morning at about 9:30, my grandson had gotten tired, and made himself a pallet with both of our jackets on the floor of the stand, and was laying there looking up into the sky when a buck grunted very close by. It surprised both of us. I got him up as quietly as possible, he got his rifle, a 7mm-08 I got him for making the Honor Roll at school. The buck grunted several more times. He was trailing a doe along a run that goes by my stand, but the leaves are still so thick that you could only see movement and bits and pieces of the buck. I looked at my grandson, and he was shaking uncontrolably with his teeth chattering. I asked him if the was cold, or excited. He whispered, "I-I-I'm e-e-excited". I moved him over on my knee and pulled him up against my chest, so he would have some support to help the shaking. I told him that if we get a good look at the buck, just concentrate at the spot right behind his shoulder. He leaned back and whispered, "P-P-P-Pop, m-m-my heart is beating so fast, I-I-I think it's going to jump out". I told him to just try and relax and focus on the spot right behind the shoulder, if we get the chance. Well, we never got the chance, and we didn't hunt that afternoon. He told me at lunch that he thought that he had all the excitement he could stand for one day. He wanted to go back Sunday.

Well, Sunday morning between 6:30 and 7:30, the deer were everywhere, but the leaves were just too thick still. On several occassions during that hour he got his rifle, and of couse began the "shakes" again just like Saturday. We saw a total of 10 deer in that hour, 3 of which were bucks, but could not get any shots. I'm a firm believer in getting a good clear shot at the right angles. Finally, a four-point stepped into an opening at about 45 steps, my grandson couldn't see him. I kept pointing at the deer in the small opening. You couldn't see his head after he stopped, but there was a clear unobstructed shot at the shoulder, and his entire body. My grandson couldn't find him, and only when the deer stepped out of the opening did my grandson see the movement, but there were no more opportunities for a shot. That was the last deer we saw that morning. I cleared a few shooting lanes at lunch, but we didn't see anything that afternoon.

I told my grandson not to worry, his time will come. We'll just keep working to get him his shot. If he can stop shaking long enough to shoot, he should be successful.

I have to admit that I found it very exciting seeing it all happen through his eyes. I can't wait till this coming weekend. I feel success coming.

I've never been a deer hunter, but what a great story!!! Good luck this weekend!!!

I hope to have some input on this thread come Saturday evening.

I was up in the stand by about 6 or so this morning. Around 6:40 I hear something rustling through the brush about 70 yards away, so I hurried up and drank my last swallow of Dr. Pepper. Out waltzed an 8 point, and when he got about 60 yards from me I blew one through him.

Anyone else had any luck?

Poor Deer

I like Bayman's story better....

My best friend in HS had a brother that hunted all the time with his dad. His mom kept hearing all the hunting stories and wanted to go. Took her about 2 years to convince them she was serious, but they finally took her.

The first morning, they ate breakfast and set out. They put her in a stand pretty close to camp, I guess they figured she'd get bored and head back. They went on out to where they had actually seen deer.

They'd been gone from her nearly 5 minutes when they heard a shot. They thought she'd shot herself or something and ran back to see what had happened. She was climbing down from the stand, and there was a nice 8 point lying there on the ground...right under her stand. It had come in behind her, and she was afraid of turning ...didn't want to spook it. She took her rifle ( 30-06) and reached across her body with her right hand, the hand she had the gun in. She aimed looking back over her left shoulder at the buck. (she was squatted down with her back to the deer, looking over her left shoulder) She got off a perfect shoulder shot, dropped the deer in it's tracks. She got the best deer of the weekend.

She didn't hunt anymore, she just didn't see what all the fuss was about.....deer hunting was just too easy. Those were her words, and this is a true story. I tell everybody now about my friend's mom who shot her one and only deer...one-handed, behind her back.

I'm in on a hunting lease, up around lake Norfork. We managed to take 3 bucks up there last weekend. I got an 8 point and there were two 7 points taken as well.

We also have some land at Ravenden. My step-dad and some of his buddies hunted there, and they didn't see anything all weekend.

Some people are saying that the rut has already kicked in and the bucks are chasing does, as for me I haven't seen it yet. Hopefully this cold snap will trigger them into the to rut.

I just hope the temps will stay where they are at and get even colder. I am sick and tired of going hunting in this 80-degree weather. You sweat so bad that it is just about impossible to remain scent free and the mosquitoes make the hunt miserable.

We went down to Felsenthal NWR, on a permit hunt, the first week of November. The mosquitoes down there were awful. I think it got up to around 85 on the last day of the hunt. I know I hunted in shorts and a T-shirt, covered up with my bug suit, and still got hot.

I'm going to give it another try this weekend!

i havent got to go huntin in my life but i might get to this year

Well, I hate to breathe life into a dead topic; but I've got a really good deer hunting story for all the ladies out there.

My husband took two weeks of his vacation to go to the hills to deer hunt. His parents live in the hills, so he stays with them. Anyway, while he was gone for TWO WEEKS, I had our bathroom totally remodeled! I now have a new tub, new shower surround, new faucets, new shower/tub doors, new vanity, new lighting, and a fresh new coat of paint on the walls. Didn't tell him anything about it, AND I PRAYED the whole time he was gone for God NOT TO LET him kill a deer. And guess what...he didn't!

and, just so you know, he loves our bathroom!

I hope he reads this. 2 weeks in the woods and no deer? Come home and find out your wife spent a couple of grand on a bathroom? Next time, you're going to the deer woods with him...quietly or kicking and screaming.

Hope the new BR got a hot tub.

My Bro went huntin wit some of his friends and everybody got a deer but him he still hasnt got anything and hes 16 lol.

Question: If a deer"Buck or Doe" sees you in your stand and gets spooked will it be back to the same place within a day or two,and does it know to look up in the stand the next time it comes threw?

Seeing that you could go both ways (Dear..."buck or doe"), the stand location may prove fruitless unless the Dear (buck or doe) was risque. I guess it really depends on the maturity of said Dear (buck or doe) and if the Dear was into the whole buck/doe bi-thing.

I prefer to have a Dear Doe look upon my stand...

Thanks for answering my question.