Scott's post about his son got me wanting to share this that I've shared with a couple of friends on here. Saturday we were all at the ranch, sitting around the firepit talking; grandkids being loud, adult beverages being enjoyed (by the adults), etc. I look across the pasture and about 300 yards out is this big, dumb axis just standing there like the Hartford stag, staring at us. (I'd hit the hoochie-mama cow elk call a while before, when I heard another axis blowing.) I go to the truck and get the .280 out, asking everyone about 3 times if he's still there. They all answered "Yes". He was big enough that I didn't even think about binos. I get everyone, including the 4 year old little girl, to get their fingers in their ears, lay the rifle on the fence wire, hold over his back and squeeze. He didn't act hit, but decided to leave the area toot-sweet. The grandson asks me if he can go with me to make sure I missed. (He's 7.) We get to the old cross fence, and I show him how we ALWAYS take a round out of the chamber to cross a fence. I lift him over, showing him where all the deer cross, get over myself and off we go looking. I find an old can and ask him to carry it so we can throw it away later. (Most of my time is spent cleaning up this place.) We go up a rocky ridge, the boy's behind me, and in a split second, hear the can drop hard, realize that that is NOT good, and then I hear the scream. He'd fallen and holding his leg like it's broken. (It wasn't.) I fell the bump through his jeans, lift it up and see a pretty good, triangle flap cut. I guessed 3 or 4 stitches. I gather him up and start walking, telling him that he's gonna have a really cool scar. That did not impress him in the least. His mama (my daughter) and Grammy come running across. I hand him off, then get him back, put him in the truck and mama and his dad head out to Junction. Here he is a few hours later, after getting 9 (I was off by 5) stitches. FIREPIT PROVIDED BY Ramball36.



If I'd been a better shot, none of it would have happened. But still, I'm very, very proud of my boy. First scar on the new ranch and he'll be a much better man than me someday.

So did he trip and cut his leg on a rock?

Accidents happen, sometimes no matter how careful we are. Easy to say, but hard to do, try not to beat yourself up about it. I bet he forgot about it a day later and was back to his normal fun-loving self.

Yep, 'sorry, 'left that part out; a big rock jutting up with a semi-circle notch like a knife blade in the top of it. I've been walking on rocky ranches all of my life and know to look down at every step. I shoulda been watching him much closer.

It happens.

Them kiddos bounce back pretty quick, sounds like you got a good one there Creek

Builds character.

Supper glad he is okay and will have a story to tell his classmates. Now that he is, did you hit the Axis?

Yup....he’ll be bragging about it next year

I checked again, alone, the next morning. Fairly confident it was a clean miss. Nobody heard a "whap" of any sort, and he didn't act hit in the slightest. 'Not my first time missing.

TFF'ers would have told him to pee on it . Thankfully you have more sense than them even after downing a few.

Yup

Yup
I still tell the story of my first stitches from 45 years ago.

You know it. Hunting scars are the best.