My daughter has been jinxed it seems so far this season but got the skunk off this morning.
My Dad was originally gonna take her and me to go by myself to another place but I told him I'd check the weather this morning when I got up and might just set with her in the shooting house. I got up at 3, and it showed potential storms on the future radar after daylight. I didn't like the thought of sitting in a storm and an extra hour of sleep sounded good so I decided to take her.
We got settled in before daylight and saw two orphaned fawns about 15 minutes after shooting light. They gave us hope to see mom with a boyfriend. They worked off and about 6:30 my daughter looked straight in front of us in the woods and says here comes a deer. I told her to go ahead and get her gun out the window in case it was a buck she would shoot. I then looked left and here comes an 8pt across the field about 90 yards. I told her to move her gun to the other window but she said I can't because a spike is looking this way at 40 yards. It was actually a 4pt and the deer she initially saw. She gets the gun out the front window without being busted and puts it out the side window as the buck heads towards us. It gets about 75 yards and turn broad sided. I told her to take her time and shoot. Bang flop.
Now is when it gets interesting. I've always taught my kids to shoot a deer again if still moving. It hit the ground and flipped over backwards kicking a little. She bolted another one in, and he starts trying to get up so I told I told her to shoot again. I then grabbed my gun just in case it was still trying to get up. It started again, and I told her I would shoot it as she was getting excited but she didn't want me to. She shot again and it rolled over. I was now looking at it through the scope as it pushes up on his front legs. I put the crosshairs on his shoulder and right as the gun went off he pushed himself into the woods. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, but it gets better. Lol. I said let's get down and run out there. I made sure she had her gun on safety and got down. We basically ran out there. I expected the deer to be laying there right in the edge of the woods . Instead, he was in some thick stuff and took off running. I threw up and tried to get another one in him but missed in the thick stuff. At this point, I didn't know what to think. I ran through the thick stuff to be prepared to shoot him again and there he laid 20 yds making his last breath. My thoughts then were did she just somehow stun him and I make a lucky shot through the thick stuff. I was sure hoping not. We got out there, and her first shot was perfect though and 100% her first one. It was square through the left shoulder blowing out the top of the heart, gelling the rest of the cavity, and a quarter size exit out the shoulder. She also hit him her second and third shot, one back and one in the neck. There was blood everywhere from the field to where he lay. I have no idea how the deer got up and did what he did. They can be tough sometimes, but man it had her nerves up.
She was super excited to get to break in her new Bergara Stoke 6.5 cm and get the skunk off for the season. Thank you Lord for a great morning and deciding to go with her!
My Dad was originally gonna take her and me to go by myself to another place but I told him I'd check the weather this morning when I got up and might just set with her in the shooting house. I got up at 3, and it showed potential storms on the future radar after daylight. I didn't like the thought of sitting in a storm and an extra hour of sleep sounded good so I decided to take her.
We got settled in before daylight and saw two orphaned fawns about 15 minutes after shooting light. They gave us hope to see mom with a boyfriend. They worked off and about 6:30 my daughter looked straight in front of us in the woods and says here comes a deer. I told her to go ahead and get her gun out the window in case it was a buck she would shoot. I then looked left and here comes an 8pt across the field about 90 yards. I told her to move her gun to the other window but she said I can't because a spike is looking this way at 40 yards. It was actually a 4pt and the deer she initially saw. She gets the gun out the front window without being busted and puts it out the side window as the buck heads towards us. It gets about 75 yards and turn broad sided. I told her to take her time and shoot. Bang flop.
Now is when it gets interesting. I've always taught my kids to shoot a deer again if still moving. It hit the ground and flipped over backwards kicking a little. She bolted another one in, and he starts trying to get up so I told I told her to shoot again. I then grabbed my gun just in case it was still trying to get up. It started again, and I told her I would shoot it as she was getting excited but she didn't want me to. She shot again and it rolled over. I was now looking at it through the scope as it pushes up on his front legs. I put the crosshairs on his shoulder and right as the gun went off he pushed himself into the woods. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, but it gets better. Lol. I said let's get down and run out there. I made sure she had her gun on safety and got down. We basically ran out there. I expected the deer to be laying there right in the edge of the woods . Instead, he was in some thick stuff and took off running. I threw up and tried to get another one in him but missed in the thick stuff. At this point, I didn't know what to think. I ran through the thick stuff to be prepared to shoot him again and there he laid 20 yds making his last breath. My thoughts then were did she just somehow stun him and I make a lucky shot through the thick stuff. I was sure hoping not. We got out there, and her first shot was perfect though and 100% her first one. It was square through the left shoulder blowing out the top of the heart, gelling the rest of the cavity, and a quarter size exit out the shoulder. She also hit him her second and third shot, one back and one in the neck. There was blood everywhere from the field to where he lay. I have no idea how the deer got up and did what he did. They can be tough sometimes, but man it had her nerves up.
She was super excited to get to break in her new Bergara Stoke 6.5 cm and get the skunk off for the season. Thank you Lord for a great morning and deciding to go with her!
