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With my recent spinal fusion surgery my two middle kids and myself were unable to make the 4 hour drive pulling the camper down the the family farm in southwest MN for our opening weekend. Kids were bummed and I was bummed as it was the first time in 34 years I won’t be hunting there. So we needed a plan B. Our back 5 acres at home here is technically a “forested wetland”. It’s tall swamp grass with pin oaks and brush. Usually we can’t hunt it till it freezes during the late muzzle season because it’s too muddy most of the year. This year has been crazy dry so we set up a ground blind and took the wheeler out last week and drove down a couple shooting lanes. We tried hunting it 2 weeks ago during youth season and could hear deer but that grass was too tall to see anything so the shooting lanes were needed. My 11 your old son and I went out there this morning well before sunrise. I am still not cleared to shoot because of the recoil so it was all on my son to make it happen. A little after 8:00 we spotted a buck through the brush. Son got ready but he made it through the first lane. Moved to the second lane but the buck stopped right behind the one tree in the way. He stepped off through the lane and I thought he was gone. We had went out Wednesday night and set up a dripper and a camera in the shooting lane. Turned out to be a good idea! Soon as that buck got down wind his nose picked up and he turned around and came right back into the shooting lane. My son got a little buck fever and missed the first shot. The buck just stood there looking our way. He racked another round in his Tikka 7-08 and fired again. The buck jumped picking up his front leg and trotter off through some thick brush. We waited about 10 mins and went to look. No blood anywhere. I was working my way through the brush trying to find a spot of blood. Was starting to get worried that he missed when I heard him hollering dad dad dad. Turns out the buck only went 20 yards and piled up in some thick brush. One happy boy and proud dad! With me being physical unable right now he had to do most of the gutting on his own. The deer was standing right in front of the camera so we are going to go pull the card tomorrow and hopefully we got him on camera too.
It wasn’t the way we normally hunt opening weekend but we made the most of the hand we were dealt with my back and it turned out alright! 1st deer we’ve ever taken at home and his first deer with his new Tikka we bought this summer. Will be a good story for years to come.
It wasn’t the way we normally hunt opening weekend but we made the most of the hand we were dealt with my back and it turned out alright! 1st deer we’ve ever taken at home and his first deer with his new Tikka we bought this summer. Will be a good story for years to come.
