Went out this past weekend with my 9 yo for the 6th time this hunting season trying to find a buck for him to shoot. This will have been his first ever deer to shoot so the pressure was on. It has been rough to say the least when he has been out with me. So much so that he was becoming very doubtful. We got in the stand around 0515 with a blustery 24 degrees outside and a good 10-15mph wind in our face. Fortunately daddy remember to pack the portable heater making his life and mine, lets be honest, a lot more comfortable. Feeder went off at 0720, and does were already there waiting in anticipation. They fed for a while with a young 4 pt running around thinking he was Casanova. They weren't interested.

Around 8:10 a nice 10 pt mature buck walked up and jumped in the feeder. It was "Go" time. We had the adjustable height chair all the way up, a think book on top of that and he was was stretched out to the max as straight as arrow so that he could see out the window and get the crosshairs on him. We have been battling with the chair height/window height issue all season. Never really finding a good solution. I walked him through the process. Told him to take his time, squeeze the trigger slowly when he was ready and the deer was broadside. The buck was asking to be shot, standing directly broadside. I told him, the safety is off. Fire when you are ready. He lets the .243 rip. I am watching through my binocs. I whispered, "you missed, you missed. Load another". He proceeded to argue with me. "I didn't miss Dad. It was on the the grey crease (referring to the crease behind the front shoulder). The buck proceeded to jump out of the pen and stopped about 15yds away. Was he actually going to go down, i though? Instead he walked over to a tree and bedded down. Suspicious now I was. Did he gut shoot him? Was he wounded? I told him, "I can see him where he has bedded down. Lets just watch him and see what happens". My son didn't have a shot from where he was sitting. 40 minutes passes and he is just sitting there until a doe comes buy and gets him up. He stands up without staggering and walks away. We waited for 2.5 more hours until we decided to get out and check for blood. Nothing under the feeder. No blood where he bedded down either. Had to be a clean miss.

The rest of the afternoon my father and myself were really giving him a hard time about missing. He was a good sport about it but I could tell he was really disappointed he missed. We decided to go sit the same stand that afternoon in case he came back. We were in the blind at 2:00. Wind was really blowing now into our face. We decided to keep the blind windows closed until the feeder went off. About 3:00 does were starting to come in. Feeder doesn't go off till 5:20. Its now 4:10 and I glance up and see tall tines walking through the trees. Big buck, big buck I yell. We aren't ready. Windows closed, son totally unprepared. He starts panicking. "Dad, I am so nervous." He is shaking like a leaf. I open the window, and place the gun out of it rested on the window sill. This time, instead of sitting, we had practiced standing his feet spread apart. It was a better feel and fit for him he said. He is lined up, buck is broadside then turns and jumps out of the feeder to go to two does outside the feeder. He then jumps back in and is perfectly placed. My son is getting ready and tell him, "no, don't shoot" as he was turning again. My son says, "thanks dad, you saved me. I was about to accidentally shoot the doe. I had the wrong deer in my scope". The buck jumps out and goes back to the other two does. They are now circling back towards the blind. 20 yds now, I tell him lets do it. He lays the rifle up and takes the shot. Buck walks 10 steps, does the death wobble and its over. I high 5 my son repeatedly as he was beyond ecstatic. He rips his coat open and says, "dad, look". His heart was pounding so hard his shirt was moving up and down off his chest. Needless to say, he experience "the thrill of hunting" that keep us all coming back.

And......it just so happens his buck was bigger than the two bucks his 13 yo brother has shot. He definitely let him know all about it. Now the 13 yo is itching to get out in the field. The rivalry has begun.

OUTSTANDING! Great deer and bring on the Sibling Challenge!!

AWESOME STORY! Man that's what it's about from a youngsters perspective. Thanks for keeping it real and and a big congratulations to the shooter.

Greatness right there!

Good times right there

Great buck and a great smile. Congratulations to Dad and the hunter. I've been preparing "the chair" for my grandson for about 10 years now. He's 4.

Perfect congrats

Tell him great job

Awesome recap of the hunt(s), congrats to the young man and to you

Very nice. Congrats to the young man!!!

That is awesome. Congratulations to both of you.

Congrats!!!

Congrats to the young man and you, dad. Great buck and story. My 10 year old daughter has killed 3 deer. We have the same height issue. In all three cases for her, she has sat in my lap and it works well. I just sit behind her and watch thru the binos. I ask her to tell me when she is going to take her deep breath for the trigger pull so I can hold my breath and be still for the shot. Worked this year on a 130 yard shot. Her farthest yet. Just a thought. Congrats again to you both.

Great pic his smile says it all. Big congrats to your son!

That is just Awesome for a 9 year old to have missed earlier, get ribbed by dad & gramps then go out and make it happen is what its all about Great memories made right there; Congratulations to your son

AWESOME!

Congrats.

Great story, good times and lifetime memories. That's what this sport is really all about.

Congrats to the young man on great buck

When my son was younger I would place thick foam cushions on the chair seat.
They worked perfect for him for many years they also make for a comfy head rest before it gets light enough to see

That was a great story, thanks for sharing it with us. Congrats to your boy on a fantastic buck