| Author | Message | ||
| Freddy McGuire (Vaturkey)
|
Hopefully we can get Diablo and his daughter to post the story... Special Day...  | ||
| vabirdhunter
|
Great picture! I notice in the back ground there is still alot of green in the trees. That seems to be the case thoughout the state. The colors in Chesapeake are starting to show . Really looks great in the woods. I'm not sure who downed this buck , but congratulation to who ever it was. Tim | ||
| HODY |
Great Job folks, glad you had some success. Saw a few does and smaller bucks, along with some Turkeys. No shooters though. It was nice to be out there and not at work!!!! | ||
| Diablo |
Monday, November 4, 2002 The day dawned damp – overcast and cold with the temps hovering in the low to mid 40’s. I looked like a pack mule carrying all the gear for today’s hunt. It was worth it though, as I wanted to make sure my daughter’s first real deer hunt would not get cut short due to cold or rain. Sydney (12 years old) has hunted with me before…but those trips were mostly nature hikes. Today’s hunt was different…it was HER hunt. We had practiced shooting and shot placement and we were with 2 great friends – Amy and Freddy McGuire. The morning was foggy and cold with the forest showing Sydney many of its personalities as the fog rolled in and out and as the sun burned tunnels through the forest canopy. A few deer skirted our position early and did not offer a shot, but at 9:40 AM, “Hawkeye” (aka Amy McGuire) spotted a deer. Amy had gotten up to stretch her legs and had walked a few yards behind where Sydney and I were sitting. She was slightly uphill and behind our position and had a much better vantage point of the flat below us. I heard Amy whistle and look back to see her doing a great impression of white oak bark. She was pressed tight against the tree with her eyes very wide and pointing down the hill to our left where she obviously saw the deer. The contour of the hill was such that Sydney and I could not see the deer when Amy did. Finally after me casting cautious glances down the hill to find the deer then back to Amy, who was tracking the deer for us by pointing in its direction, I finally spotted the deer some 60-70 yards below us. A pretty buck! He was feeding along unhurried. Sydney showed the calmness of a seasoned veteran as she got into position next to me for the shot…never rushing or getting overly excited at all. I was holding a small maple sapling upon which Sydney rested her muzzleloader. She had no trouble seeing the deer with her naked eye, but couldn’t find the buck in her scope. I whispered for her to look through the scope with both eyes. In a second her excited response of “I see him” confirmed for me that she was on the buck. “Follow the back of the front shoulder up to the mid point of the body Sydney,” I whispered. She steadied the gun to the spot. “Dad – stop breathing! Your making the gun move!” Sydney obviously was calmer than her dad - I followed her instructions. Sydney steadied the gun again and squeezed. I could see the deer tumble hard through the blue smoke of her muzzleloader. I stole a glance at Sydney and saw that she was fixated on the spot where the deer was as well. Amy, who was watching this whole sequence of events from behind us, quickly gathered her muzzleloader and the three of us watched the flat for any signs of movement. The only movement I saw was of a greenbrier tangle trashing with the last efforts of Sydney’s buck. I gave my binoculars to Sydney and the three of us eased down the point to where I last saw the buck fall, about 30 yards from where Sydney shot him. Amy and I explained to her how it was necessary to move quickly but quietly, scanning the surroundings for any signs of her deer. A few more steps and I suggested that Sydney might want to use her binoculars to study the greenbrier tangle at the base of a large chestnut oak only 30 yards away. “What do you see Sydney?” “Dad! I see my deer!” We approached Sydney’s buck the same way I had done alone so many times before on my own deer. Somehow – and not surprisingly – this moment far overshadowed ANY deer I had previously taken. There were many hugs; a few tears and more smiles than could be counted! Freddy, who was one ridge away, heard the shot and was on the scene very shortly. The only thing that could have made this hunt even better would’ve been if Freddy had been there, on-site, to witness the whole sequence of events. At first I don’t think Sydney realized the magnitude of the experience that was playing out, but after Amy, Freddy and I shared some memories of our first deer, I think she understood. As proud as I was of my daughter for taking her first deer, I was most proud of her for how she handled herself before and after the shot. She showed great poise and composure to take control of the situation to make the shot happen and most important of all, she understood what she had accomplished. After some of the excitement subsided, I asked Sydney how she felt about what just occurred. Her response speaks volumes… “ Dad, I’m a little happy and a little sad”, she said. “What do you mean Sydney?” “Well, I'm happy that I did it all by myself, but I’m a little said that he’s dead – he’s so beautiful.” I looked at her and smiled and said “good for you Sydney – that sadness you feel is the “respect” you feel towards the deer…. don’t ever lose that feeling – we all feel that way at the end of a hunt when we’ve killed any animal.” Freddy looked at me and winked – “you’ve taught her well dad”, he said. This is definitely one for the memory banks – thanks so much Freddy and Amy for giving my daughter such a wonderful opportunity! | ||
| TScottW99
|
Congrat's!! Thanks for sharing that wonderful and exciting first hunt with your daughter. Great story and a great picture! Scott | ||
| VA Hen |
Sydney - Congratulations once again on your first buck. It is a memory that I will cherish forever. Thank you very much for coming up to hunt with us and you are welcome anytime!! Jeff - Thanks for the great memories! We had a blast. Can't wait for our next opportunity to get together (hunting or not)!  Amy | ||
| Diablo |
If somehow we could develop a means to capture the magic of those precious "first" moments....we would have built a better mousetrap. It's times like this that remind me of what phrases like this mean: "It's about the gobble...not the gobbler" "It's about the hunt...not the kill" "It's about memories...not collections" Thanks for all the comments. JD | ||
| Dale
|
WOW. What a great introduction to deer hunting. Having killed my first muzzleloader buck last year, I can say that the only thing better would have been to share the experience with others. Take time now to write down the memories in a journal. You will get alot of enjoyment later in life reading your own account of the hunts of your life. | ||
| Aussie girl |
Freddy and Amy, Thanks for taking me on that hunt!! It was a blast! I thought it was pretty cool I was the FIRST person to kill a deer on your land!! Thanks for giving me the opportunity of a life time and everything that ya'll did to help me acheive it... Thanks again...it was a real whizzer! ~Syd. | ||
| vabirdhunter
|
Wow, let me dry my eye's now. Diablo great job!!. Syd, There must be a smile on your face a mile long. This is a memory that will last for ever. Pass it on. | ||
| HODY |
What an awesome story, I congratulated you before the story posted, but I must do so again. All I could think about was how awesome it would be to be there and how my 2 1/2 year old daughter will get to experience this in a few years. Sounds like you had some good hosts there Jeff and Sydney. Freddy and Amy are great folks. | ||
| GN |
Sydney...congratulations. AMy,Diablo, Freddy , having done that drill for a lot of folks (young and old) but not on deer,there is a great deal of satisfaction for the "guide" out of putting children and others in a good position to have the memory of a lifetime. I know you all are feeling good. | ||
| Freddy McGuire (Vaturkey)
|
Aussie Girl... you are certainly welcome! We really enjoyed having you guys and thanks for letting us be a part of your first buck! Congrats again and job well done! Freddy & Amy | ||
| knight_va
|
And that folks is what LIFE is all about!!!!!!!!!!.........Congrads on a great first deer!!!!! U will forget many things in your lifetime.. but u will NEVER forget that few min. in time!.....GOOD JOB!!!!!!!! Max | ||
| Big Bird |
What a wonderful story and picture. Congratulations to all of you. I hope you tell the story every chance you get. It is a great one! | ||
| Strutstopper |
Congrats! I'll second the notion that it's much more fun to help a youngster harvest his/her first deer than it is for me to take one now. | ||
| DRPIV
|
a great accomplishment for a special girl and a great dad, fantastic story and event. |