I have been privileged the last couple of years to get to know a veteran who served his country in Iraq. He is partially disabled as a result. I let him hunt on one of my prime properties last year and he harvested his first deer, a doe. He was thrilled for two reasons: 1) it was his first deer and 2) he was able to do it with his daughter.
He has bow hunted a couple of times this year and seen deer everytime out. He enjoys it so much that he will not shoot so he can come again. Tonight he texts me and asks if he can come out and hunt. I told him sure come on. I have been seeing 2 mature bucks working over my does and yearlings and giving them fits. Yesterday in the cold there was a parade of deer running around the yard. He and I are on the way to put him in a stand that has not been hunted yet this year when we round the corner of some cover and there is one of the mature bucks. He is standing in the middle of an oat food plot at approx. 80 yards. He looks at me for instructions as to what to do. The deer is starting to move off. I grunt with my mouth and tell him "Shoot him" so he dumps him at 105 yards with a spine shot using my M1A. His first buck is a palmated 7 point, field dressed 155 pounds and appears to be a 3 1/2 year old.
He is till on active duty and has processed our guardsmen for their deployment to Iraq and Afganistan. Unfortunately, he has had to also process the bodies of our fallen guardsmen back. I am proud of this young man for his service to our country and to be able to help him transition back into society and begin to hunt again. This was something that took time for him to want to shoot a gun again. He had seen way to much action and death. His next trip will be to Antlers for some pigs and deer with his bow.
If you know of a young soldier just back from fighting please help him adjust and take him hunting. After all, we could not enjoy what we do without someone paying a price.
He has bow hunted a couple of times this year and seen deer everytime out. He enjoys it so much that he will not shoot so he can come again. Tonight he texts me and asks if he can come out and hunt. I told him sure come on. I have been seeing 2 mature bucks working over my does and yearlings and giving them fits. Yesterday in the cold there was a parade of deer running around the yard. He and I are on the way to put him in a stand that has not been hunted yet this year when we round the corner of some cover and there is one of the mature bucks. He is standing in the middle of an oat food plot at approx. 80 yards. He looks at me for instructions as to what to do. The deer is starting to move off. I grunt with my mouth and tell him "Shoot him" so he dumps him at 105 yards with a spine shot using my M1A. His first buck is a palmated 7 point, field dressed 155 pounds and appears to be a 3 1/2 year old.
He is till on active duty and has processed our guardsmen for their deployment to Iraq and Afganistan. Unfortunately, he has had to also process the bodies of our fallen guardsmen back. I am proud of this young man for his service to our country and to be able to help him transition back into society and begin to hunt again. This was something that took time for him to want to shoot a gun again. He had seen way to much action and death. His next trip will be to Antlers for some pigs and deer with his bow.
If you know of a young soldier just back from fighting please help him adjust and take him hunting. After all, we could not enjoy what we do without someone paying a price.
