It was a cool and rainy as I headed to our hunting land in Brady, Texas. The weather was to be very cold, and small chances of rain. I arrived at the ranch about 2 o’ clock in the afternoon, and after unloading a truckload of gear, got ready for the hunt.
I headed to the blind, and saw only a few does, and young bucks. I headed back to camp to wait for my father, as he was coming in later that night. He arrived about nine ‘o clock, and informed me that Jerry Hancock, and his two boys, Matt, and Luke would be coming in Thursday night to try and take their first deer.
The next morning was extremely cold. The temperature was fourteen degrees. I headed out, and saw a few does, and young bucks. Late that morning, all of the deer headed out, and had been gone for about 20 minutes.
There were four hen turkey in the road in front of me, and I noticed something strange about one of them. She had a big, thick 8 inch beard! I decided that this would be a great trophy to harvest, so I put the sights on her, and dropped her in her tracks. I took several photos, and then waited on my father to return to camp.
We headed to town for breakfast, and to get some supplies. We spent the rest of the day getting blinds ready for Jerry, Matt, and Luke’s arrival. Jerry and his boys arrived Thursday night, and we made plans for the next morning. We decided that Matt would go out with Jerry, and Luke would hunt with me.
The first morning, we had a beautiful nine point, and a wide 6 point come into our setup. Luke tried, and tried, but couldn’t get a good shot at the bucks. He was very patient, and would not shoot, unless the shot was perfect. We spent the day talking about the morning hunts, and preparing for the evening hunts.
About three o clock, we headed to the blind. Luke was ready to get a deer, and seemed to be on a mission. We arrived at the blind, and got settled in. Luke practiced looking through the scope, and made sure he had a good shot at all of the openings.
Then it happened.
About 150 yards out, a beautiful six point buck was working his way in. I showed him to Luke, and asked him if he wanted to take him. He answered with an excited yes! The buck worked his way into about 75 yards, and Luke prepared for the shot. Every time he would get on the deer, he would turn, or another deer would step in front of him.
Luke remained patient, and after about a thirty minute wait, the buck was all alone and standing broadside in front of us. I had been video taping the hunt, but Luke had gotten very excited, and wanted me to help him hold down the barrel, to steady his aim. Just as I bent down to sit my camera down, BOOM!!! Luke made the shot.
I could tell that he hit the buck well. The deer ran about 50 yards, and piled up in the oaks. Luke was so excited! He gave me a high five, and couldn’t believe that he had made the shot. We gave the buck about 10 minutes, and headed out to make the recovery. We got up to the buck, and Luke was thrilled. He went over and studied the bucks antlers, and talked about the hunt over and over.
We took several photos, and headed back to camp, as he wanted to call and tell his father his success story. After he talked to his family, we went and picked up his buck. He told me thank you a thousand times, and was so happy.
After dark, everyone returned from hunting, and congratulated Luke on his buck. We finished the evening with a wonderful dinner consisting of fried crappie, fried corn, and hot wings. It was a perfect end to a perfect evening.
No matter how many times I experience it, there is just nothing like watching a young person harvest their first animal. It is the greatest experience in the world, and I hope to experience it many more times in my life. Luke is now hooked on hunting, and will never forget this wonderful hunt.
I would like to thank Jerry Hancock for allowing me to share this special hunt with his son, and Luke for the hours of enjoyment provided on this hunt. Thanks Luke, and let’s do it again soon.