Hunting with my Little

Hunting season has started and everyone that knows me, knows how much I enjoy being out in the great outdoors.  Fall is almost as great a season as summer!  I promise to take some time this week to get back to our Africa pictures to continue to share those with everyone, but first, I want to share last night's hunt with my little......

Tonight had to have been one of the most awesome deer hunts I have ever been on!   Last year was kind of a tough year on my little for hunting so to watch the excitement renew in her was just as exhilarating for me as I believe it was for her to have so many deer around her, she literally couldn't contain her excitement to settle down to take a shot.

After re-situating several times (in the same spot) as the deer were funneling in on us, she finally turned around and says "I'm nervous!!!!"   Of course, this statement is said with a grin from ear to ear.   Finally I told her to come up next to me, go easy, you still have a dozen deer watching you.........

K comes up next to me so I could ask her why she was so nervous...   Her response, "I don't know!" (Still grinning ear to ear.)   This couldn't have anything to do with ALL these deer literally surrounding you?   "Well, maybe."   OK, time to settle down, take a deep breath, relax, set up again, when you see the deer you want to take, put the cross hairs exactly where you want, squeeze off the shot.   Take your time, make the shot a good one.

So we go through this whole routine of deer funneling in on us again, and every time she is just finishing getting the rifle up and situated, the deer turns and she loses the shot again.   I don't know how many times this happens, but far to many to count!   OK, now the deer are a little on to us, lots of snortin' happens and everybody leaves.   Time for plan B.

All right, now we're going to work the edge of the trees and see what we can see. But wait......look up ahead of us in the meadow....that's where they all went.   Time to do the sneak and stalk.

I am so proud to be her Big right now, my chest if bursting with pride!   She made a text book sneak on these deer; doing the "squat walk", the belly crawl, all while handling her rifle in a safe manner.   Same routine, get up and situated, the deer turns and she loses the shot and eventually runs out of daylight.   Doesn't matter.   She conducted herself as a true sportsman tonight - never rushing the shot, taking her time to have a solid shot and being comfortable prior to pulling the trigger.   No deer was harvested tonight, but an excitement was rekindled and a responsible young hunter never pulled the trigger on an "iffy" shot. 

This is what hunting is about; sportsmanship, commeradery, spending time outdoors, watching the animals in their environment.   I am honored to have been along to watch the whole evening unfold and I am excited to go out again with my Little - we have the whole rest of the season to fill her tag!

My Little making banana bread for the landowner generous enough to allow us in to hunt on his land.