Opening Day of Youth Deer Season 2008
After much anticipation, we left for our deer camp on Friday afternoon. The weather was horrible; wind and rain ruled the day. After getting lost on our way there, trying to take a detour for a bridge that was under construction, we did arrive around 7:00pm. Suffice it to say that I know a new way to get there now. 
Ryan and I got up Saturday morning at 5:00 and quickly dressed in our warm clothes. It was a damp and windy morning, but thankfully the rain had stopped. We made our way to the shooting house and settled down for the morning hunt. We hunted until 9:30 and while we saw no deer, there were ample squirrel and turkey to keep us entertained.
We spent the middle of the day sighting in some rifles and helping the camp setup a new tripod. By 2:00, we had eaten lunch and were headed back to the woods for the afternoon hunt. By 2:15 we were in a new stand anxiously waiting. At 3:30, a doe walks in front of our stand. I could not have painted the picture any better. It was a big doe at 20 yards standing broadside. I handed Ryan his double barrel .410 shotgun loaded with slugs. This was his chance. He pointed the gun, took a deep breath and fired. The deer flinched and ran away. He missed! 10 minutes later another doe walked to the right of our stand. Again I couldn’t believe it, 20 yards broadside. Ryan held his gun, which had been reloaded, aimed and fired. The deer ran 10 feet and stopped, he fired again. The deer took off into the woods.
We waited until just before dark to go and look for any signs of a successful shot and of course found none. Regardless of the outcome, it was an exciting day. Ryan and I had a chance to talk about Christ, about God’s Creation, about life, and learn more about each other. I wouldn’t have changed a thing. Next time, however, he will have a youth model rifle with a scope and we will have spent a bit more time at target practice.
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You tell a great story Troy and one with a valuable lesson.
In the end it’s all about the experiences you and Ryan had -
together!
I have pictures of my son that look stikingly similar, clad in his orange vest, on a damp November morning, carrying a shotgun and enoying his time in the woods with Dad.
Cherish the time together with your children, one day you’ll wake up and they will have lives of their own. It is then that you’ll most appreciate the stories you create together.
George
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