The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting American Big Game Hunting Still in stitches from emergency surgery, 8-year-old Grady bags his first buckGo | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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  As many of you know, our son Grady underwent emergency surgery just over a week ago. And yet today, he bagged his first-ever big game animal at the tender age of 8. The emotions ran high here this evening, and the pride and joy we felt – well, I can’t even begin to describe it. First of all, he made an incredible shot, one many adults would have trouble with. But he and his brother have paid their dues with diligent practice and lessons in whitetail anatomy, and when I asked him how he felt about the range, he just whispered “the buck looks huge in the scope. I can do this.” If something would go wrong with the shot, I’d only blame myself. I am severely limited in physical ability and can’t stalk or move in closer to game any more. I’ve been relegated to a couple of shooting platforms near the house, and this is what out twins have been practicing from. Cutting to the chase: we first spotted the buck in an area to which I could not get Grady a decent rest. Chasing does, the buck soon left and re-appeared in another clearing. The range was long for an 8-year-old, and this morning, he turned down a shot at a coyote at a slightly longer distance, though the lighting conditions then were poor. This evening, everything seemed to fall into place, and he seemed confident that he could make the shot. The buck was facing away for what seemed an eternity, and I talked to Grady and assured him that the buck would eventually cooperate (I hoped!). Well, something finally spooked him. He made an abrupt move and wound up quartering slightly towards us. I reached in, cocked the hammer and was about to say “let me put my thumb on the buttpad” to soften the recoil as Grady still had 3 incisions with stitches in them. But before I could even begin that sentence, the rifle went boom and the deer went down, shot neatly through the juncture where the neck and shoulder adjoin. I grabbed the rifle, reloaded for him and said “keep an eye on him. If he starts to get up, shoot again.” To be honest, I was worried about the range and the stress and excitement of the moment and how it would affect Grady’s accuracy. Turns out, I shouldn’t have worried at all. The buck was down and out with shot placement even a seasoned veteran would have to be proud of. To say I was proud would be the understatement of the year. But even more than the pride I felt, I was thankful for the blessing that Grady and his twin brother Andy have been and for the miracles that allowed them to light up our lives. Eight years ago, in the NICU ward of Santa Rosa hospital, we were told that if want wanted to get them baptized, we should do so immediately – at nearly midnight – as the morning likely would be too late. And yet today, they are tough little fireballs who seem to enjoy every minute of every day and have a knack for finding the bright side of every situation. And while they do get into disagreements, those two boys are inseparable and have a bond that only God can understand. When Andy walked up to Grady’s buck, he flashed the biggest smile at his brother and offered to “skin and gut him for you.” Next, I am going to do my best to get Andy on a buck (though he is most excited about hogs), though I am not sure just how much more of this type of excitement I can bear. In the mean time, I guess I’d better see if the local taxidermist has a lay-a-way plan…  Bobby Μολὼν λαβέ The most important thing in life is not what we do but how and why we do it. - Nana Mouskouri | ||
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uh oh, a couple more Tomek's putting critter's on the ground. Texas wildlife beware. Please tell Grady Congratulations, and congratulations to you for teaching them right. | |||
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Seems like there was an old song years ago by a young lady by the name of Amy Grant, IIRC the title was "My Father's eyes" Your son certainly has his father's eyes, and evidently can shoot like him also. Good on you and your son. The expression on his face tells more than a thousand words. If they don't have a lay-a-way plan, let me know. GWB | |||
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Way to go Grady! Glad to hear you are back in the saddle! You made your Dad pretty proud - Dads are like that Weidmannsheil to both you and your brother and an attaboy for practicing your shooting! - mike ********************* The rifle is a noble weapon... It entices its bearer into primeval forests, into mountains and deserts untenanted by man. - Horace Kephart | |||
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WOW !  Next job is for the kids to make a dent in that TX pig population!  | |||
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Great job Grady, great job dad. | |||
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It doesn't get any better than that! Tony Mandile - Author "How To Hunt Coues Deer" | |||
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Having a soft spot for kids and hunting, this story has touched me deeply. Great story and great buck!!! Congratulations to Grady and Bobby!!!  | |||
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COOL! _____________________ A successful man is one who earns more money than his wife can spend. | |||
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wow - what a tough little guy   | |||
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It is reasons like that we live for. Makes the pain go away, at least for a few minutes. I bet Grady didn't feel a thing at the time. Great job. Larry "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history, when everybody stands around reloading" -- Thomas Jefferson | |||
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impressive! Good Hunting, Tim Herald Worldwide Trophy Adventures tim@trophyadventures.com | |||
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Good job Grady and Dad! | |||
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What a great story. Thank you for sharing. It made my day. Please tell Grady congratulations on that beautiful buck. "If you are not working to protect hunting, then you are working to destroy it". Fred Bear | |||
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Another great Tomek story. Great job to all of you! | |||
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Hey Bobby,tell Grady he done good.I am glad his surgery worked out!!!! | |||
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Well done Grady! You made your Dad and the rest of us proud and reminded us of what hunting is all about!!! On the plains of hesitation lie the bleached bones of ten thousand, who on the dawn of victory lay down their weary heads resting, and there resting, died. If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch... Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son! - Rudyard Kipling Life grows grim without senseless indulgence. | |||
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Congrats to Grady! The first of many I'm sure. | |||
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Awesome story, great buck and well done guys!! | |||
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awesome! congrats to the family | |||
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Outstanding.... Mike Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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What a great buck! Congrats Grady! | |||
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Congrats to you both!! Plan to take my daughter next year. Hope it works out as well. Regards, Scott "....but to protest against all hunting of game is a sign of softness of head, not of soundness of heart." Theodore Roosevelt | |||
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Wow, nice buck Bobby! You must be a proud father! "Ignorance you can correct, you can't fix stupid." JWP If stupidity hurt, a lot of people would be walking around screaming. Semper Fidelis "Building Carpal Tunnel one round at a time" | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting American Big Game Hunting Still in stitches from emergency surgery, 8-year-old Grady bags his first buck
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