Yesterday morning at about 8:30 am (opening day) my son was able to connect with his first Antelope.
He was excited and relieved to get this buck down as it took a bit of shooting to make it come together but he kept his wits about him and made a killing shot. I am a proud dad for many reasons but he showed real compassion and concern for the Antelope and worked hard to bring it to an end, I'm sure most of us can relate to a bad shot here or there on an Antelope or other game.
A very good friend of mine who posts on this forum as "Taylorce" arranged the permission to hunt and we all thank him a bunch for his help. My brother got his Antelope this morning and I didn't punch my tag but it was enough to be there with my boy for his Antelope. I also got to take a Coyote as well.
I hope to see a lot of your successful kids pictures this fall.

Thanks again Chad we had a great time!

Nothing will ever make a bigger impression on someone concerning shot placement, than a shot gone bad. Nice animal and congrats to the young hunter.

Joe

Congrats to both of you!!

.......and he got some education to boot!

Bob

Congrats to BOTH of you.

It's great to see the hunters of tomorrow getting off on the right foot today. Far too many teenagers are glued to video games and walking around the malls and have little or no interest in hunting, fishing, etc. -- or just getting outside at all.

Again, congrats to both of you.

Congrats are certainly in order.

Tell your son that every hunter has made those 'bad' shots before; however, proper tracking and finishing the job with the successful harvest of the animal is a true test of a man's determination.

Congrats again!!

GREAT JOB!
And kudos to you for taking/teaching him.
I've got a BUNCH fixing to join our ranks.

i was gonna get fancy and t-zone a doe from about 200 one year. i made a poor shot and the round missed the does head on a steep downward trajectory and clipped both back legs breaking bones in both. before i could climb down the tree and get to the spot i had hit her she was already a good 100 yards or so ahead of me. very little blood but very strong drag marks. i finally cornered her in an acre lot of chest high grass were we comenced to playing ring around the rosie as i circled she would move away then turn and come back as i circled again. i finally rushed her and put on into the back of her head as she bawled and tried to drag herself away.
the absolute worse shot i have ever made and it will always be with me as a reminder of what not to do.
i have since discovered a much more accurate rifle and will rarely if ever take a shot of more than 100 yards without a rest of some sorts.
as long as you learn from it mistakes can become lessons.

congratulations to your boy, SS.

i've found with my own kids that the hunts mean much more to them later on if they write down a few paragraphs about the experience. along with pictures, its a great way to keep a memorable day alive.

if you or your boy is interested in starting a hunting diary, click here.

Job well done! by both of you

I have shared you Son's feelings. How we deal with these times tells alot about who we are. Congratulations, you have both done well.

Hey Snellstrom, Congratulations to the young man and you too. What is the Rifle and Load?

I agree with the other folks that it is a Lesson well learned. It will serve him well on all future Hunts.

Congrats.

The load / rifle was a Win M70 Lightweight Carbine 20" barrel push feed shooting 85 gr Barnes X and 43 grains of IMR 4350.
Even if some of you folks are not .243 fans or Barnes X fans neither are to blame for the multiple shots on this animal. Just as the first shot was being fired this buck started off running and my sons first shot hit him in the right rear leg down low, a few misses then he hit him in the brisket just ahead of the front leg and just under the heart. That shot made him sick and he laid down but kept his head up so we crept in closer and my son made a neck shot that finished it.
My son had considered using his .284 win but decided 2 weeks prior that he would use his mothers rifle (my ex wife) and so he practiced with it. No matter how you slice it better shooting would have helped the results but once it started off bad ( leg hit) its tough to recover plus you feel compelled to end it quick which rushes the next shot and the whole thing starts to unravel on you.
He and I have talked about it thoroughly and know what went wrong and what things he did right and I'm proud of him for keeping it together and following him up and ending it as quick as he could.
Thanks everyone.

Dave,
Happy to help your son get his pronghorn this year. I only wish I could have been around to see you guys take this buck. I hope you all have a successful elk and deer hunt this year.

Chad

very nice, I love those beautyfull antelopes !!! congratulation to the young hunter!!!Regards

quote:

Originally posted by Snellstrom:
...He and I have talked about it thoroughly and know what went wrong and what things he did right and I'm proud of him for keeping it together and following him up and ending it as quick as he could. ...

Me too. When the trouble starts, it gets back to the character of the person on how well they handle it. And he did a fine job.

Now..., about that M70...

Snellstorm,

Congratulations to your son. That is a HUGE event in his life, and yours too; something neither one of you will ever forget.
Now, go punch your own tag...

Don

quote:

Originally posted by Snellstrom:
Just as the first shot was being fired this buck started off running and my sons first shot hit him in the right rear leg down low,

I would call this 'one of those things' that just happens sometimes. The only thing that could help avoid it is the knowledge of deer/antelope body language that comes from a lot of hunting.

Congratulations on the end result and for being honest.

Being a 243 had zero to do with it IMHO

Great job and good pics. I am guessing we were not too far from you over the weekend. My son got his too.

We were north of La Junta and south of Limon, how 'bout you guys?

And 1894 mk2 you are correct just as he was about to shoot I saw the body language of that buck but before I could say anything it was all past tense. A bigger faster bullet from "you name the hyper shortmag" would not have affected the outcome in the least.

THat is awesome - congrats to you both...

quote:

Originally posted by Snellstrom:
We were north of La Junta and south of Limon, how 'bout you guys?

And 1894 mk2 you are correct just as he was about to shoot I saw the body language of that buck but before I could say anything it was all past tense. A bigger faster bullet from "you name the hyper shortmag" would not have affected the outcome in the least.

Eads....thats where we hunt. Gotta love landowner vouchers. Private farm land.