The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting American Big Game Hunting 8-year-old Andy cashes in on his 1st whitetail opportunityGo | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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 Well, after his twin brother Grady pulled the trigger on his first buck back on the 29th, 8-year-old Andy finally had an opportunity this evening. After watching several bucks filter through the area, a big-bodied 3-pointer decided to show up, and Andy said that he wanted to try and take him. I was thrilled to hear that as this buck definitely needed to be taken out of the gene pool and was not even a deer we routinely saw – and was likely covering lots of ground as rutting activity has picked up again the past few days. Things didn’t seem to want to work out early on as the buck stayed on the move and eventually followed a doe out of the area. Other deer milled about, but there were no legal shooters in the bunch. I told Andy that maybe this was a sign that a bigger buck was awaiting him, but he said he’d rather take “the buck that just left.” Before long, a doe ran through, and behind her – almost as if on cue -- was the 3-pointer. The wind was fairly calm, and I tried to stop the buck with a couple louder grunts on a custom call made by a friend of the family. That didn’t stop him for more than a couple seconds, but he did get his mind off of the doe momentarily and began to browse. That gave Andy the green light, and though the buck was not perfectly broadside, it still afforded a good shot opportunity. I noticed Andy was a bit more nervous now than before, so I reached over, put a little downward pressure on the forend for him and said just take your time. He took a couple deep breaths, and I could soon sense the tension in his hand increase. I had just turned my head slightly to look at the buck when Andy fired. I don’t recall the sound of the shot but will never forget the reaction of the deer as it hit the ground hard and pointed its feet skyward for a fraction of a second. Andy was ecstatic and forgot all about reloading, so I grabbed the rifle, dropped in another round and told him to keep an eye on the buck. After a couple spasmodic kicks, there was no further movement. The 120 grain Hornady SSP bullet took the buck, which was only 10 yards or so to the right of where Grady dropped his, behind the shoulder, pulverized the lungs and exited through the center of the opposite-side shoulder. It was textbook bullet placement and made those sweaty summer days of practice and the hours of the boys going over whitetail anatomy pay off. Grady and my wife Beverly were in the house at the time, and when they heard the shot, Grady jumped up off of the sofa and excitedly yelled “Andy got something!” Asked how he knew that, Grady calmly – and proudly -- replied that “Andy is not going to miss.” He was right, too: Andy made a fantastic shot and kept his composure better than I thought he would as I could tell that his excitement level definitely rose once the buck returned for the second time. It may only be the 9th of December, but my best Christmas gifts have already been received in the form of cherished hunting memories that these twin boys have provided. In fact, these guys missed school today and were at the doctor right after lunch – and are on antibiotics for upper respiratory problems. Andy was running a fever much of the day, but he said he felt fine (fever was the only thing that kept him home today) and really wanted to hunt. And since that only involved a short jaunt from the front door, I couldn’t tell him no – and after seeing that smile and hearing the celebratory squeals of delight, I am so thankful that I gave in.  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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Chances are, he learned a lot more about life (and death) today that will stand him in good stead for living his life as a man, than he would have at school. I'll also bet that 30 years from now when his son may be ready to take a buck, he'll remember what he did this December 9th much more than what he did in class on December 8th. Congrats to both Andy and you. Ya'll ought to be pretty well fixed for venison for the near future. Tell the boys there's an old fart in Pearland Texas that wishes them and their father a "hie to the hunters" Best GWB | |||
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An excellent photo of a great trophy. Nobody can ever claim that someone's first deer will always be the finest trophy they ever take. Did you keep the antlers for a mount? My first deer was a fork horn mulie. Despite all the hunting I've done and all the game I've taken, that set of antlers is still displayed in the place of honor in my tropy room. After all, they set the stage for what was to come. Tell the young man conratulations from the Navy Chief. | |||
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Well done to Father and son... Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? 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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Nice Work Bobby. Have a Pevo and smile---Dad | |||
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Thanks, fellows. He is still on cloud-9 this morning. And to add excitement to the household, we just found out that his twin brother Grady took 1st place in a creative writing meet held recently. Mac-The boys have always been enamored with a whitetail shoulder mount I have, and long ago I had promised that I would get their very 1st bucks done the same way. (Didn't think back then that it would be so soon, though, ha ha!) Grady's is already at the taxidermist, and one of us will he heading to town in a bit to drop off Andy's antlers and cape. 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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Well done Sir. | |||
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Bobby, that Bulberry sure des get a workout! | |||
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Awesome Let us speak courteously, deal fairly, and keep ourselves armed and ready Theodore Roosevelt | |||
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Well done Andy! - 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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The next 'cloud nine ' will be when they feed the family at Christmas with a nice venison roast !  | |||
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takes all of us back to when the squeals of delight were our own. fine work bobby and andy | |||
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Way to go, Andy!!! | |||
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Congratulations to the twins. I wish you would post photos of the first one as well. Great story for all young hunters. "When the wind stops....start rowing. When the wind starts, get the sail up quick." | |||
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 Nakihunter- Here is Grady's buck. There was an entire thread on his hunt called "Still in stitches from emergency surgery, 8 year-old Grady bags his 1st buck" Here is that link: http://forums.accuratereloadin...3411043/m/5191004761 Thanks! 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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Hearty congratulations to both. Don't limit your challenges . . . Challenge your limits | |||
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Congrats to Andy, Grady, Beverly & Bobby! Good huntin' ... creative writin'... and countin' blessings each day! | |||
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My dad told us the samething, he had our first whitetais mounted. I have mine hanging on the wall beside a Kudu and above a full mount Grizzly. That spike still means more to me than anything in my room. Congrats to you and the boys | |||
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Wow, what a nice buck and a great shot! Congratulations Andy! | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting American Big Game Hunting 8-year-old Andy cashes in on his 1st whitetail opportunity
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