Youth Deer Season 2013

Last weekend was youth deer season.  Poor Jay had to work, and the kids couldn't decide if they wanted to go, but by Sunday night, they were both itchin' to get to the woods.  They have no faith in their mother, so they spent the night with the Quacker's and went out first thing in the morning with Grandpa.

Monday morning came (Columbus day), I got my first text at 6:00 a.m. from Madolyn telling me they were in position.  The second text came a few minutes later, "grandpa won't let me put more than one shell in the gun."  My reply:  "Do what grandpa says, don't complain."  The next thing I hear is my cell phone ringing, "We shot a deer!  Both of us shot the same one."  "What?"  "Yeah, we both shot the same one."  I threw my clothes on and headed out the door.

Recap

I made it to the hunting site and saw the crew.  They were beaming.  Honestly, I can't tell you who was the most excited out of all of them...Grandpa, Lane or Madolyn.  They each were talking a mile a minute, telling their version of events.  Fortunately, the kids weren't fighting over who shot it.  And how could they?  Simple math made it clear that one person did not fire all the shots that made their way into that doe.

We loaded up and went back to the Quacker's for pancakes to celebrate.  It was now Grandma's turn to hear the story.  I took a couple pictures of my dad telling the tale.  He was very animated (no surprise, right) and couldn't keep from laughing.  Madolyn, the sassy 13-year-old, was butting in, telling her side of the story, and Lane just kept pacing and giggling.  It was a hoot.

In a nutshell, they were set up in position and the Quack was giving hunting tips...as Madolyn says, he would not quit talking.  All of a sudden she sees four deer heading right towards them, so she bumps him and tells him to be quiet (in a sweet tone, I'm sure).  Now, here is the part that is so typical of any hunt I've ever been on...no one was ready.  One gun was on the ground and grandpa was holding the other one.

In slow-mo, they each pick up their respective guns and aim.  On the count of the Quackdaddy's three (although I'm told they both shot on two), they pulled the trigger...aiming at the same deer...of course.  Lane's blast blew him off his seat on a five-gallon bucket.  Remember first off I told you that Mad was upset to only be allowed one slug at a time?  When I asked her how it was that she shot four slugs into this poor deer, she said, "Grandpa just kept handing me shells."  Ah-ha.  (I shook my head, in all my years of hunting, I could shoot and reload as many shells as I had at my fingertips.  She gets it honest - we had the same guide.) 

This was the kindest photo...

I won't go into the gory details, but how my kids shot so many slugs into this deer and never managed to bust the gut or butt is beyond me.  Thankfully, the deer was in good enough condition to take to the locker for processing.  I will say that although we enjoy the sport aspect of hunting, we also eat the meat.  We feel like it goes hand-in-hand.  Either you eat it or donate it.  It will not go to waste.

Which reminds me, our local chapter of Farmers & Hunters Feeding the Hungry will pay for processing at a few area meat lockers if you are willing to donate your game.  Just ask at your locker if they participate in the program.  (I know the locker service in Martinsville does.)

We went on about our day, and Madolyn decided that she wanted to go hunting that afternoon, and since Lane tagged the deer, she still had a tag.  Three of my nieces also wanted to go, so off we went to Grandma Great's pond.  I put everyone in a safe position and got myself situated.  It was a beautiful evening.  There is something about sitting in the woods and just listening that is therapeutic.  It is so peaceful...until the person behind you shoots a slug.  Yikes, I was not expecting that first shot from my niece, but somehow managed to stay upright.

Hey, I'm wearing my orange.

The kids were very good and we did see a few deer and have a couple shots.  It wasn't necessarily a successful hunt, but at least we saw something.  I had to laugh though because at one point, I looked around at our group and took note of a few things that might not be listed in a guide to successful hunting...The older girls were texting non-stop (me too, just a little); the younger two were digging in the dirt and throwing nuts at each other, in silence, of course; I was knitting a washcloth; and one of my nieces brought along a tall, steaming cup of coffee.  I'm still shocked that a handful of deer came within 50 yards of us...