A day hunt with my boy

Been wanting to take the my boy out for a hunt for a while. He's been on at me to take him for a 'roar hunt' since lock-down ruined our plans last year.

As some of you will appreciate, hunting with a 7 year old is not what I would extreme hunting. Can't walk as far, hunt as long or start as early as you can by yourself. That being said, I never had the chance to hunt deer with my dad (Rabbits/Hares were the biggest game we ever targeted), so I am conscious to make some memories for him that I never had and try and accommodate him in my hunts where possible by going to more easily walk-able areas.

Saturday morning rolls around, I'm packed and ready to go. Snack boxes, extra water, extra clothing, all sorted before he wakes up. Now its past 8am, and my chosen DOC block is 2 hours drive away. No point in rushing so much now, as the early morning deer movements would have finished by the time we get there.

With the boy all fed, dressed and the dog in the back of the truck off we head.

Now I've hunted the block once before (in late winter) so this time I try decide to try another way into the area I want to hunt that will be easier for my son. Much easier walk in and we're making good progress. Plenty of glassing, and gentle encouragement to him to stick with me and don't get ahead of me. At this stage the rifle is firmly stuck to my pack as we're looking over the gully system. Stop for lunch overlooking a gut and over the larger gully around 1.30pm with the sun beating down on us. Everyone happy to take a load off and eat (the dog getting extra crusts from my son).

Keen to crack on and poke around some bush edges, about 100m away. About half way figure its time to get the rifle off the pack. We walk another 20 metres and then up pops a deer about about 10 metres from up just over a dip. Action time!

I chamber a round bring up the rifle to my shoulder but it bounces into a gut to my right. Dash over towards the edge and scan for the deer. Where has it gone?

Bingo! Its trying to run up the gut about 75m away on the opposite site hampered by the tussock. Rifle up to my shoulder, get it into my scope, get ready to fire then remember I need to lead the deer with my shot (I'm not a running shot kind of hunter). I give it a half body length and let rip with the Kimber 7mm-08. The deer crumples and falls.

My son is stoked. "We did it dad, we got one!" he says. He's keen to go over to it, but I'm keen to saver the moment. Teach him to make sure the rifle is empty first (you never can tell in the heat of the moment if a another live round has been chambered), then we make our way over.

Where the deer fell.
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I Let him lead the way (spot, Holly the dog worried about where I am - why isn't the boss with us!)
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I get over to it and we've got ourselves a nice yearling. Not the stag my son wanted, but we're both happy and begin the job of butchering it.

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Plenty of questions asked and advice given. The Takonka Bison 90+10 is loaded up and we start our walk up out of the gully to the track. It's slow going and my son is starting to tire in the heat. I end up carrying his pack as well, which makes it slower going for me. Plenty of rest/drink stops on the way, but once we hit the trail it's smooth sailing.

See ya later dad!
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Eventually catch up to him, off load the pack and start on our way home.

Make the most of the drive home with a promised ice cream and play at the playgound being honoured before getting some fish and chips fro the drive home.

It was a good day and one that I hope he remembers for a while to come, because I certainly will!

That's just awesome dad!

awesome...absolutely awesome....those memories are priceless and good to hang onto in the hard teenage years....enjoy the eating and cooking with imput from young fella.

Well done, he’ll remember that for a long time.

Great stuff.
The icecream on the way home is just as important as getting something if not more so :thumbsup:

Great stuff....
Good luck trying to go for a hunt by yourself from now on !
Even now as teenagers my kids who have hunted with me from a young age insist on coming along every time .
And it's brought us closer together as a family .
May you both have many (successful) hunts together in the coming years.....

Pretty cool. This would have been my only thing i told the kids at school about all year hahaha

Those memories are the ones that stick forever, it's never time wasted teaching the young ones to hunt , great hunt and time with your son.

Epic memories mate! thanks for sharing

Those memories will never be forgotten. Good on you Dad!

Awesome :cool:
A few more years and he will be able to do the carrying. First of many.

Parenting done right :cool:

10/10. Day of memories, only to be topped when he shoots his own. Well done.
I've just had a weekend away that I didn't take my lad. Had to find a lot of reasons why he couldn't come.

thanks for sharing :) love taking my along too.

Bloody cool!

Great stuff!

Greetings 7mm-08,
I was impressed to see that you remembered the most important bit of equipment for a 7 year old, the snack boxes. It was packets of Shrewsbury biscuits when our kids were small, mid forties now.
Regards Grandpamac.

Good on ya :)

Awesome, the sentiment of making memories with your kids you didn't get to with your dad rings loudly for me, he's going to take those memories and memories of the relationship through life

That's time bloody well spent.

The effort is well worth the reward, good on ya!