My grandson got his first deer on the first day of the second muzzleloader season.

Here's the whole story.

This has been without a doubt the most fullfilling weekend of hunting I've ever experienced in my life. Even better than when I killed my first deer.

After two years of patience and hard work, I finally got my grandson and a deer both in the right place at the same time.

Let me tell you the story.

We were muzzleloading up in Baxter County on the Corp land around the lake. We had hunted Saturday morning without having an opportunity to shoot anything. All we saw were does. After going back to the cabin for lunch, and a short nap, we headed back to our makeshift blind under a leaning cedar with a couple of fallen cedars in front and beside us. It was a natural blind. There were large rubs everywhere, and I had seen 30 deer two weeks ago during the last weekend of the gun season. Everything that I could identify was a doe.

Anyway, as we were traveling down a logging road back to our blind on a four-wheeler, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye about twenty yards off the logging road. The movement that I saw was a buck deer bedded down, and when we went by he raised about halfway up and then just layed back down. All I could tell was that he had one long main beam on one side and somesort of antlers on the other side. We went on down the road about 75 yards and stopped. We got off the four-wheeler, and I put a primer in my grandson's muzzleloader.

We then began to slowly sneak back to where we saw the buck. And, there he layed, looking at us. He was facing us with his body quartering away to the left. He just looked at us. I've never seen anything like it. I was standing there with my grandson looking at this deer at less than thirty yards. My grandson couldn't see it. I kept pointing and wispering "Bryce, there it is", "Don't you see it". He said, "I can't see it". I said, "It's right there", " Do you want me to shoot it". I had my muzzleloader slung across my back. It didn't have a primer in it. He said, "No, I want to shoot it". Then I said, "Look down, Bryce look down", "You're looking to far out in the woods". Then he saw it.

Now, I would've rather had a standing broadside shot, but after two years of trying, we going to get a shot if possible. We had a clear shot at the deer heart/lung area through the front, between the shoulder and the brisket. I told Bryce to aim just below the nose, and to the left just a little. Now, he's a pretty good shot with both a rifle and a muzzleloader. Just a couple of weeks ago we were shooting our muzzleloaders, and Bryce was putting about a baseball size group in the target at about 35 yards. So, I felt that he could make that shot. The thing is, I forgot how distracting those horns can be.

Well, Bryce got his shot. He didn't hit where I thought he would, but he got his deer. So, after some dancing around, big hugs, and pats on the back, we went over to see his deer. Remember, I told you that the deer was bedded facing us, and it was laying quartering away to our left. Well, Bryce shot the deer in the head. He blew the left antler off. I've still not found that antler. I looked yesterday, and again today. I even looked up in the trees to see if it might of flew up there and got hung on a limb or something.

Now this antler was was long and heavy, with three points on it. I saw that clearly. I would guess that the main beam was 15 inches in length. The other side, which the deer broke off when he flipped over after the shot, was considerably smaller. It was uniform, but smaller. We found why when we examined the deer. It had an injured left hoof. I guess maybe the deer got his hoof hung in a fence or something. I don't know if that's why he didn't get up and run or what the deal was.

I told Bryce I would mount his first deer, but I told him there's nothing left to mount. He blew off one antler. I gave him his small antler to keep, and I did find the bullet in a tree close by, and dug it out for him.

Now, my grandson rubs it in that he got his deer this year and I didn't. I'm proud he was able to finally take that next step. Oh, and I don't care if I never take another deer, as long as he gets to continue getting his. I can take a little ribbing.

We've got a deal. I'll take him hunting now, and when I get too old to go by myself, he'll take me. How's that.

this summer i caught a 5lbs bass on current river. That same day i went back to the same spot and hooked another big bass but didnt get it to the boat.

Back in 01 or 02 my mom killed a 11 point buck it scored 153 3/8

First time i went huntin by myself, my dad said, "Now son, since your on your own you can get up and leave the stand anytime you want too, but don't leave too soon b/c their might be a deer come when you leave" i said ok. It was really cold and i was ready to go after the first 5 minutes, but i stayed, cuz i wanted a deer. About 25 minutes later, this big 8 point comes walking up, so i say boom, he falls, i yell at dad on the radio and tell him that im ready to go now!!!

So the next day he tells me that every deer doesn't come in the first half hour, i said ok dad. So i'm up in the tree for about 45 minutes and then this 6 point comes walkin up, i say boom!!! I yell at dad and say, i'm ready to go now!!!

Best hout and 15 minutes of hunting in my life, and the shor-*test*-('")!

Setting yourself up for a lot of disappointments in the future. In the meantime, you can hunt my deer plot and help me harvest what is left over.

How are people's duck seasons goin? We (Cache River Bottoms hunters) have done pretty good. We have killed more Shovelers than anybody in history. We decided if we didnt quit there wouldnt be any left for next year so we have been sneakin up on geese lately. So now we have officially killed more Stupid Bellies than anyone in history! By the way, we dont have many Mallards so we shoot whatever wants to die.

Same here ive killed about a thousand shovelers. Which xxxxx!

Yeah, to me now shooting a shoveler is just like throwin another shell in the bottom of a ditch.

What's a "shoveler"?

Soybeans planted last week of july to 1st week of August. Nice and tender and tempting at the beginning of bow season.

Its a small duck, about the size of a teal or maybe slightly larger. They are very easy to call and will work just about anywhere. Since they are so small it makes them easy to kill too.

It was my first deer i was seven years old. and my dad was showing me how to gut it. he said, "dont cut the (bad word for poop) sack, or it will stink like heil" sure enough he cut the thing and believe it or not. it stunk so bad and it was full of corn and my dad was embarrassed. lol