Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Lafayette, Tn
Posts: 701

OK, heres the deal. My son has never really expressed an interest in deerhunting prior to a couple days ago when after he stayed with his pepaw while myself and the wife went out of town. They seen a lot of deer but all does and his pepaw wouldnt let him shoot any of them not realizing he had a lifetime sportsman license and had the permitting to do so. I havent been deerhunting in about 7 years other than taking the rifle out to pop some yotes and actually watched some very nice bucks pass right under my nose. And although I still have no desire to kill a deer I want to and am going to help Cale in every way possible to bag one. When I was first introduce to deerhunting there were no doe harvest so I learned to be patient in waiting for a buck with no choice otherwise but now we have a very liberal doe harvest along with buck tags so its basically open season on deer. No one hunts our farm or any of the surrounding farms. The surrounding farms are off limits but I have told several they could hunt on us cause we dont hunt, yet not a sole has showed up cause it must be "too far out of the way" for them. Here in lies the dilemma, A doe would be an easy kill for him and we could have it done and back at the house in no time, anytime, BUT I know of at least 3 bucks that would be once in a lifetime deer especially for around these parts without paying to hunt in another state. Have watched 2 of these deer grow up in the last couple years and one in particular just moved in the area and has a drop tine and I would guess him to be the new mack daddy. I know the feeding area, bedding area, and general movement of these deer but we all know that knowing these things are no guarantees to bagging one but does increase the odds of it happening. The final gun season runs through Jan 9th and I had rather him hold off as long as he can to try and get that sad daddy and then if it dont happen knock out a doe but Im afraid that because he has no patience (has proved that squirrel hunting yet has not bothered me cause its his first year) he will want to knock down the first deer to come by. I guess my question is the easy road to build confidence and keep interest with a doe harvest or patience and try for the bigger prize and major bragging rights of the house cause I have nothing on the wall that can compare to what I know is on the hoof on the back forty.

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Jeff Driver

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Registered: May 2007
Location: fairmont wv
Posts: 11948

if it was me if your son can legly take a doe and a buck i would let him kill a doe then try to have him take the time to bag a buck holding a yougster back can cause them to lose interst in deer hunting or any kind of hunting jmo

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Anchorage,Ak
Posts: 1727

take him out and let him get a doe to take the edge off. Then go after the big boy. i don't think bagging one doe will run him out of your area. Also its better to teach him to hunt for the meat not just horns.

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Registered: May 2006
Location: Pamplin Va.
Posts: 454

If he has a good time it will build interest , if he has a miserable time he will lose interest. Just ask him what he wants to do, if you kill a doe today doesn't mean he can't hunt the big one tomorrrow. Besides even at 45 I like to go ahead and get one in the freezer early.


When my two were young I would take them in when they got cold or tired, now that they are older i'll make 'em stay a little longer.

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Dean Jamerson

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Registered: Aug 2010
Location: guys mills ,pa
Posts: 2192

we all want our kids to get the big one, but, if he gets a doe, that will be his first trophy. my dad treated my first deer,doe, like it was a 30 point record. and i have been hooked ever since. sometimes gettin any deer proves to be a little harder than ya think. murphy's law when huntin with kids sometimes. missed shot cause of excitement, gun jam, no deer sighting within the first 10 min. then fidgeting, complaining, etc.. jmo,either you will grow up to be a walker or a sitter, my son still has little patience, but loves to deer hunt. obviously, he is a walker.
kelley

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Registered: Jun 2008
Location: SC
Posts: 1012

I'd let him go for the doe, if that's what he happens to see first. I had already killed a deer on a dog drive before I ever shot one with a rifle...I completely blew not one, but my first TWO shots (in the same day) at a deer with my .243. Easy shots that I could make not even thinking now, but that first time around the jitters got to me. The first one that came out that night was a face-on shot at a 6 point, which my trembling caused me to miss like all get-out. Not too long after that shot two does came out and I got to try (and miss) again. Guess it only took me two to shake the nerves off a bit, because the next one I shot at fell dead in his tracks. I'm not sure I would have WANTED my first chance at one to be a trophy, because I would have been sick to my stomach knowing I missed it. Like someone else said, I don't think taking one will run everything else out of the area. That's certainly never been the case anywhere that we hunt. Good luck to you both. No matter if it's a doe or a trophy buck taking your first deer sure is something you'll never forget!

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Registered: Jan 2008
Location: Louisville, MS
Posts: 503

shoot a couple of those does and ole big boy will have to come out more to find does to breed.

The best way i have found to explain this is: if you and two of your friends walk in a bar and there are 10 women there you can socialize with the guys untill closing time then start talking to the women. If yall walk in and there are only 2 women those women will get chased around the bar all night and somebody is going home empty handed

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Registered: Aug 2009
Location: MIDDLE OF NO WHERE WV
Posts: 1732

let him go smoke a slick head or 2 away from where you think the bucks are so they are not disturbed then go after the ol freaknastey drop tine buck. good luck hope he gets one

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Lafayette, Tn
Posts: 701

The fact is at this moment in time I dont think he realizes what permitting he actually has cause this is the first year he has had to carried them even though we got his lifetime sportsman license before he was 3 months old. Other than the can we shoot one question to his pepaw the only time he has said anything about killing a deer is when we see the bucks around. Coming out the other night to go coonin two of the big boys were right in front of my truck less than 35 yards and he was stoked and wanted to shoot one of them right then and there. Bout killed him to know he couldnt legally or ethically shoot one under the headlights of the truck. My theory was to let him know that he could take a doe and that the does would be there anytime he wanted but also if he wanted the trophy he needs to hold out and it just be his decision on when and what he wants to kill. I guess its really stupidity on my part cause when I first took up deerhunting we had no doe season and had no choice other than wait and I actually loved deerhunting growing up. I just decided I liked coonhunting better but who knows, seeing Cale out in the timber trying to take a deer may reignite the fire I used to have deerhunting.

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Jeff Driver

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Registered: Jan 2008
Location: norlina nc
Posts: 566

I would let him shoot a doe then worry with getting a big one. The more times he goes and doesnt shoot anyhting the more his interest will drop...

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Registered: Aug 2006
Location: Northwest Mississippi
Posts: 774

DO NOT let him shoot a big buck!! lol Can't spoil the kid his first year huntin... jk but seriously i wouldn't worry about the big one, let him shoot the first doe or spike or whatever that comes along.

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