Daughter's first deer

Reagan

5 year old buck +
Some of my earliest memories are hunting with my Dad. When I was blessed with two daughters I tried my best to get them interested in the outdoors. They both like to fish but my oldest daughter has shown little interest in hunting. My youngest daughter has shown more interest and she was successful in killing two squirrels this year with a .22. I've been very impressed with her shooting. We shared a blind and deer stand several times last year and she watched me kill a doe while bow hunting.

I stated on a different thread that my plan was to not allow her to shoot a deer until she is a little older. I worried about wounding and how she would deal with it. I worried that I was rushing her and I did not want to ruin a good thing.

I asked I her last week if she would feel bad if she shot a deer and we could not find it. It was funny to watch her eight year old mind work on the right answer. She at first thought that she should say she would not be bothered. But then she thought about it and told me it would bother her a little but she understands it could happen. She helped blood trail my dad's doe last year that was a flesh wound that we never found. So she knows it can happen.

Well after spending Saturday afternoon practicing with a cross bow, she kept hitting the bullseye and I told her she could try to hunt deer. Sunday morning the sun was already up when we climbed into a two person ladder stand with a crossbow. After a short wait, I looked up and a doe was about 50 yards away and coming in. I guess this deer had a death wish. I grabbed the cross bow and helped her get it on the shooting rail. She could not see the deer but I told her to hold on because it would be in her shooting lane. The doe paused and head bobbed as she looked up at us. She then continued right into our lane. My daughter eyes were as big as dinner plates when she found the deer in the scope. She calmly said "Dad, I can shoot this deer right now!" I flipped her safety off and started to explain that she should only shoot if she was 100% sure of the shot. Before I finished the bolt was on its way.

It sounded like a hit but the doe ran off and stood about 100 yards away. I could see it's rear for several minutes and then it walked off. We waited a very long 40 minutes as she checked the time every 60 seconds. When we got down and looked for the arrow I saw hair and some blood and feared it was a gut shot since a double lung would have dropped in sight.

As we looked more we found a very good blood trail that my daughter followed with very little help from me. The doe ended up going about 200 yards and was dead in her bed. The bolt hit one lung, sliced the liver and a little stomach.

I think she might be hooked. She was shaking all morning.

I became a very proud Dad last Sunday. We enjoyed heart and tenderloin for dinner tonight.


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Great write-up Reagan and congrats to your daughter! Once they get that first kill and see what it's all about they're usually hooked and want something bigger next year.
 
Congrats to your daughter, and to you.
 
That's how you get a hunting partner for life! Congrats to the both of you.
 
Congrats to both of you.
 
Awesome
 
Congratulations to you both. Great story.
 
I love seeing these kids hunting.

Congrats to you and your daughter.
 
Awesome. Congrats to your daughter.
 
Big doe very cool
 
Congrats on an awesome hunt! I love hearing about the kids hunts!
 
Congrats on the success.
 
Thats great !! I know the joy my daughter shot her first duck this year. She asked me if she could go last spring I hadn't duck hunted serious in 10 + years . So her grandpa ( who is a duck nut ) took us we all had a blast.


Congrats to your daughter & your family !!!!
 
Awesome!
 
Great story! Congrats to your daughter and to you. Good memories!
 
Love seeing kids hunting!! Just awesome. I can smell the grill from here!
 
Congrats to both of you
 
Great story. Congrats to you both. Memories to last a lifetime!
 
Congrats to your young one and to the proud papa! Reminds me of my daughter's first kill.
 
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