As I look back on last year, I see that is was a Season for my Son
To start the year we discussed what he wanted to hunt during year and he was most excited about Elk, and a chance to get his first buck. We put in the draw and waited to see what happens.
This thread will contain Bowhunting, as well as firearms (disclosure), so you are welcome to follow along last year as we wait for a new one to start.
I also had a turkey tag and was hunting with my recurve for the first time. No luck for me, but a successful hunt nonetheless.
This year I had made it a goal to hunt with my takedown recurve.
We were going to hike the Kalalau trail on the Na Pali Coast of Kaui. It would be a quick trip, in one day out the next. We didn't have time to do the whole 11 miles in then back because the trail is very strenuous, steep, muddy and wet. The plan was to go in 6 miles, set up camp. Then I could hunt for goats that evening and early the next morning. we would then pack back out that afternoon to catch the late flight out.
I quickly strung the bow and started moving. I was about 30 yds from a couple nannies and they started to move along the trail then cut down the cliff. I moved to where they were crossing since the goats generally move in a small herd. Sure enough more goats crossed ahead of me. I hurried toward the spot they dropped down as I saw a young billy right in front.
I caught up to the mob and came to full draw. The young billy was 20 yds off the trail below me. I released and saw my arrow nick the goat high and they moved off. my first missed opportunity.
Times like that are tough with a non-hunter. I never like to know an animal suffers, but sometimes death is not easy. I suggested she head back to camp and I would come back after I followed up.
I knew the best thing to do was wait it out and let the nanny die where she was. But the other part was she was close to the trail and I told my wife I would try to finish it off sooner and didn't want other hikers come by. I went back and retrived my arrow. Good blood but also guts.
This was my chance. I slowly crept down the trail with fingers on the string. The light was fading as the sun had set. I closed the distance and got within 20yds. A tourist helicopter flew overhead so I took pushed my luck and got a few yards closer. I came to full draw as the goats head turned.
I watched as my arrow flew harmlessly over her back. The goat got up and ran down the trail then off onto a cliff. I followed but couldn't get closer than 60yds. The rocks and cliff were too dangerous to risk. Once again the goat bedded and I walked dejected back to camp.
On the way back at least there was a rainbow, hope for the next hunt. Its an amazing place.
My Son was excited since this was going to be his first backpack trip. The plan was to do 4.5 miles in the first day, then 6 miles out the next where we had our vehicles parked.
I told him it would be a great way to get in shape for packing an elk out!
As it relates to the hunting season, it cuts 2 weeks of vacation time!
It is always a humbling experience to visit less developed countries. It makes you grateful for the opportunities we have and the freedoms we often take for granted.
I try to relate to my children how the kids I see in these places are always smiling and can be happy with nothing more than some friends to play bare foot soccer in the rocky, dirt park. (and NO electronics!)
This was a trip to climb our first 14er. Mt. Sherman was to be the goal. It is on the right.
It was a beautiful day. We took a number of boys and my son was a great motivator to get some of his friends to keep going. (peer pressure is real! important to have good friends) It was a lot of hard work to get to the top. Getting down was almost more since you use up your energy going up. Also the mental aspect of reaching the top is past so they had to focus on still working hard.
Back at the vehicles they were all wiped out. A great learning experience, mental toughness and fun. My son would talk about it for months and was proud to have climbed a 14er.
I had a Archery Elk Either sex tag, a Moose/caribou/wolf tag in AK, a doe antelope tag in WY, and an archery doe tag, and a late cow elk tag.
My son had a Archery doe tag, a rifle buck tag, a cow elk tag, a doe antelope tag, and a tbd 2nd elk tag.
I am cursed when it comes to big bucks! so much harder to kill them with an arrow. Here is one of my favorites that I had watched for a couple years and came so close. he was killed on a rifle hunt.
Any guesses on the score?
this trail camera picture was one of the better spots for my son to hopefully get a doe. We set up a ground blind together and put the camera on it.
He was able to take over 3 weeks off and add a week of caribou on before our moose hunt. He had good luck and shot two caribou that week, 1 of which will go P&Y. with me only having 2 weeks left of vacation I was going for broke on this DIY (with friends) hunt.
We met up in moose camp.
The last night in camp we saw the Northern Lights, beautiful.
This was the closest I came to a legal bull.
this day he spotted a cottontail and was able to connect! He was really excited as he told me, "that's my first animal with a bow!"
It was a good confidence booster and we ate the cottontail that night.
That's when I felt the wind shift and hit me on the back of my neck. I watched the cows spook but never saw the bull. I ran into 6 other hunters as well. I knew that my season was over and time to help my son fill his tags.
Here was a satellite bull.
Here is the spike, would be a regular.
We made the drive to WY with high hopes. The first morning out we started seeing antelope. Most were on areas we couldn't hunt, but it was very promising. We checked out a couple spots the biologist had said with no luck. The next spot was perfect! We had a herd in an open field but there was a fence row with tall grass. We were able to belly crawl just out of sight. We covered a couple hundred yards slowly as the pronghorns had bedded. Anticipation built as we got closer. Finally we were parallel to the herd and set up.
My son was ready when they stood up and he made a good shot on. He was excited with his First Antelope!
This spike was one and screwy the other. My son wished he had an either-sex tag.
We moved onto another area and saw a bunch of does. We stalked along looking for a buck. The next ridge over held more deer with a couple of Forkedhorns 400 yds away. I asked about making a move on them. Once again he said he though we could do better, so I said how about lets try and see what happens, also its your first buck and who know if we will have another chance? We didn't get very far when the wind started to shift and they left.
Here is the terrain
We closed in quickly and My son got off a shot. The deer jumped and kicked. We moved fast through the brush to see where it was going and he got a follow up shot. He was excited now!
This is what we saw
Great First Buck
Then the wind picked up a little. The does behind us caught a whiff an started to get antsy. The does started milling around and some turned back. This caused some confusion and a couple grown fawns were going back a forth. One fawn was coming right into the shooting lane. I told my son to Draw back. The deer was coming fast straight at us. At 15 yds it stopped staring at us. I whispered for him to wait to see if it would turn and give a shot. It turned to go back and he took the shot! once again the arrow flew harmlessly past the deer. Another close call but no blood.
this fox missed out on a gut pile meal
Opening morning was raining hard. The first area we wanted to try was a muddy mess. The truck was spinning out on the flat part of the road and I didn't have chains. Back to Plan B. We glassed some areas and saw many other hunters but no elk.
Monday morning I go into work later so we were going to hit a Honey Hole. It was muddy so the going was slow. The elk can be found anywhere from right by the trail head to a few miles back. We didn't want to spook them by going in the dark so tried to time it just right.
I told him to hurry and shoot the bull because they had spotted us. All I hear is "I can't see them!" I look at him and he has the bipod set up but is in a little depression. I grab the rifle and we move up a few yard closer to a swell. He gets on the elk. I keep saying shoot the bull! By now the lead cow was heading out and the elk started moving. I didn't have any calls with me, so I tried cow calling with my mouth to stop them. The bull took one last look and I heard the rifle go off, and the bull hunch!
He headed to a little saddle and I told my son to shoot again. He couldn't get on it but said "I can shoot a cow!" No, don't shoot the cow, watch the bull (There was no way I wanted two possibly hit animals to follow up in the limited time that morning). By then the bull was moving good and the elk had gone over a little saddle and the next ridge.
We tried to get an angle around the knob they were on when he shot but they were gone. I climbed up to where the elk were when he shot and found the tracks. No blood.
We started following the tracks in the mud and hoped for some blood or a sign that he had hit the bull.
At the next ridge we followed the tracks towards a saddle that overlooked a big ravine. I walked up to the saddle and glassed the ravine hoping to spot some elk but nothing. I looked down at the ground and saw no tracks crossing there. I told my son that we need to back up to the tracks and see where they turned down. We turned around and went a few yards. I was looking at the ground when my son said-
"Dad! there's a bull right there!" The bull was bedded behind a little rock ledge by a juniper, but his head was still up. my son took a quick follow up shot but hit the rocks right in front of the bull he was so excited and too close. (I was relieved that the bull didn't move at the missed shot and knew he was down for good) I had him back up and get a better angle and finished the bull off. I told him how proud I was that he got his first elk, and a bull on an OTC public land tag!
First Elk!
There was nothing in the field when we glassed. We saw a few deer on other properties so we hoped some might move in. As the short day was coming to a close we finally spotted a group coming up from a creek bottom. After all the scouting we had done we knew they would leave that property, cross another and turn up onto land we could hunt. The timing had to be just right with the wind and daylight.
With shadows getting longer the deer left the first property and were on the second, bunching up at an old barbed wire fence, the border where we could hunt. We still had about 10 minute of legal light but it was raining off and on so it was darker. Right when the deer were about to cross, we heard a 4wheeler on the first property and the rancher and his dog came out on a bluff to get his cows. The deer hesitated and we held our breath.... After a couple minutes the Rancher left and his cows followed. Then the deer crossed the fence and went into a little depression and we made out move. We got close right as they were coming up. I gave my rangefinder to my son and said you got 1 minute to get up there and shoot one!
He looked at me and said you're not coming? No way they will spook with both of us. So he set off to close the distance along the fence line. I saw the deer look at him when he ranged the distance, draw, and shoot!
Ps lovely tag on the brush of that fox
We got back to the vehicle and put some dry clothes on while waiting the 20 minuets to follow up. my son was excited and nervous at the same time. If the deer crossed the fence we did not have permission to hunt there. However if foresight that this might happen I had already talked with the manager a couple times about retrieving a deer off of the property, and he said as long as he was informed it was fine.
We got flashlights and started looking. The rain didn't help and we couldn't find his arrow. No blood either at the spot of the shot, but it was dark and wet. We walked down to the fence line without finding much. My son was sure he had hit the deer. I was wondering if we should wait til the morning light to look for it.
I decided to circle around the other property and work back to were he thought the deer had crossed and heard all the commotion. There was a thick stand of trees and brush that we almost had to crawl through. When we got to about 15yds from the fence I saw a patch of fur! We found the doe!
Of all the hunts we had been on that year, I was the most proud of my son at that time. He had hunted the deer for almost 4 months and countless days, patiently sitting in a blind, many unproductive days, and 2 missed shots that he bounced back from, practicing more and working on form. Always staying positive throughout.
It was great to read these stories! As I presume you already know, every season for the rest of your life is "a season for your son". I didn't learn that until last month. In reflection, I realized that every hunt my Dad and I ever shared [and they were plenty] was about me. Even when I convinced my Dad it was his turn to set-up to shoot the bull he made the focus on how I had called him in. The year you've had has been full of pride and excitement for sure. The year your son had has been immeasurably impactful, and that impact on him will only grow as time passes. Congratulations!...to both of you.
I was impressed with the performance of his set up. He was shooting the Mission adjustable youth bow set at 25" DL and about 39lbs. The arrow is an Easton axis 600 spine cut about 27" with blazers and a Wac'em triton 100gr broadhead. Total arrow weight is about 328grains. He got a complete pass through and we never did find the arrow, maybe in the spring when we go look for sheds.
