For such a great question it makes it a hard one to answer.
One that obviously stands out would be my first deer. The year before we had gotten invited out for the early black powder hunt by a family friend. He actually took me that Saturday morning and I remember stopping at the local cafe that morning and eating breakfast. Once we got into the stand I realized I didn't dress warm enough. I had on coveralls but just a t shirt underneath it. I want to say it was around 8 that morning the old man tapped me and said there's a buck. For some reason I just couldn't see the deer in the woods and as I went to turn I kicked the bucket I had been sitting on. I remember thinking oh crap I blew it and he's going to be ticked at me. But he just patted my head and said it's ok.
Fast forward a year later, I believe it was 1995, possibly 1996. We were invited back for the early juvi hunt. The old man pointed in the direction of the stand and told my dad he would have to sit on the limb beside it. We found the stand and climbed up. A wooden stand with no shooting rail, 10' to the top at best. I remember my dad moving around a lot because sitting on a limb couldn't have been comfortable. It was a pretty uneventful morning until about 8:30. 3 does popped out about 50-60 yards away. I remember putting the trusty 30-30 up and my dad cocking the hammer back for me. That scope was moving around like crazy because I was having to free hand it and for a 9 year old it felt like that gun weighed 50 lbs. First shot was a clean miss. Dad racked another in and handed me the gun back. Shaking and free handing I somehow hit the doe with my 2nd shot. I could see on impact that it was a gut shot and she ran in the woods. We waited a while, not sure how long but felt like hours and went to looking. She didn't make it 30 yards inside the woods but wasn't dead. She was on all 4's but staggering. My dad pulled the gun up to finish her off (I don't blame him, to him he probably felt that was the best chance to get it on the ground) but I said no let me do it. So he handed me the gun and I finished her off.
Since that day there's no telling how many deer we've killed out of that spot. We've since replaced it with a better stand as the old wooden one is long rotted away. This stand is the closest one to the truck but if I ever had to pick just one spot to hunt for the season it would most definitely be this one.
One that obviously stands out would be my first deer. The year before we had gotten invited out for the early black powder hunt by a family friend. He actually took me that Saturday morning and I remember stopping at the local cafe that morning and eating breakfast. Once we got into the stand I realized I didn't dress warm enough. I had on coveralls but just a t shirt underneath it. I want to say it was around 8 that morning the old man tapped me and said there's a buck. For some reason I just couldn't see the deer in the woods and as I went to turn I kicked the bucket I had been sitting on. I remember thinking oh crap I blew it and he's going to be ticked at me. But he just patted my head and said it's ok.
Fast forward a year later, I believe it was 1995, possibly 1996. We were invited back for the early juvi hunt. The old man pointed in the direction of the stand and told my dad he would have to sit on the limb beside it. We found the stand and climbed up. A wooden stand with no shooting rail, 10' to the top at best. I remember my dad moving around a lot because sitting on a limb couldn't have been comfortable. It was a pretty uneventful morning until about 8:30. 3 does popped out about 50-60 yards away. I remember putting the trusty 30-30 up and my dad cocking the hammer back for me. That scope was moving around like crazy because I was having to free hand it and for a 9 year old it felt like that gun weighed 50 lbs. First shot was a clean miss. Dad racked another in and handed me the gun back. Shaking and free handing I somehow hit the doe with my 2nd shot. I could see on impact that it was a gut shot and she ran in the woods. We waited a while, not sure how long but felt like hours and went to looking. She didn't make it 30 yards inside the woods but wasn't dead. She was on all 4's but staggering. My dad pulled the gun up to finish her off (I don't blame him, to him he probably felt that was the best chance to get it on the ground) but I said no let me do it. So he handed me the gun and I finished her off.
Since that day there's no telling how many deer we've killed out of that spot. We've since replaced it with a better stand as the old wooden one is long rotted away. This stand is the closest one to the truck but if I ever had to pick just one spot to hunt for the season it would most definitely be this one.
