Today my son got his first island Blacktail deer. She was not the biggest and we had already passed on her at the beginning of the season, but she was everything I could have hoped for and a little more . Since early September my son has been coming with me hunting our local logging slashes and woods on Vancouver Island . We have found Elk Sheds passed on numerous does and a few bucks that were either to far for him to shoot or in the company of young ones etc . This year they opened does for under 18 hunters but we were looking for a buck most of the season . We passed on many that were too early or too late in the day as learning to hunt the right way is as important as bringing home a deer in my opinion . We spooked lots and we just didn't see a lot too would be my guess. Starting a 14 year old with an hour drive in pitch black pre dawn is not the best way to ensure an alert hunting companion I have come to find out.
Why was this little doe perfect ? Today was my sons last hunt of the 2013 season as he is with us every second weekend , it started great with lots of wind, rain and a later daybreak around 8 am .My son is a good shot and target shoots regularly and was alert and ready to hunt this morning. Just as we were getting into the area I like to hunt, he pipes up "I think that's one" . The Doe was silhouetted on the top of a small ridge about 100 m above the road in a newer slash . My son not wanting to take a shot that he did not know the backdrop on decided to hop out of the truck and make his way up the road to the start of the ridgeline and hunt into the wind towards her . I stayed in the truck watching my son hunt the hillside and keeping an eye on his deer at the same time . As he was stalking up to her he got behind a stump and lost visual of her , She was not quite so new and had him locked in her radar the whole time ,when he stepped out to peek from behind the stump she threw up the white flag and bolted. We each Meh'ed at her but she was not having it .She slowed but not long enough for him to get a good shot . We thought she was gone for good , I walked up the hill side with the spotting scope and was preparing the "well better luck next year speech" . When I got up to the top my son wanted to give it another go and we decided the best course of action would be for him to creep up to the next higher ridge line and hunt both the draw and the next hillside towards a line of trees where I figured she would eventually end up. I told him that she probably did not go far and was holed up in one of the little draws he would be going across . He hunted our plan to a T and was coming back out to where I had stopped and remained pretty much motionless and silent for a good 15 minutes or so . Suddenly about 60 feet from me the little doe stands up from behind a log , My son is about 100 yards away and walking towards us . She sees him but not me. She starts towards me, takes a step and then starts looking back and forth between me and my son. My gun is at the truck and I am way over the 18 year old antlerless season limit. He closes to within about 50 yards, the doe is in full checkmate and I am safely out of his line of fire . Despite my excitement my son is cool and collected the doe is looking at him and he is perfectly frozen and I have pretty much lost volume control and am "whispering" at a dull roar thinking he cant see her behind a stump lol . he waits until she is looking at me and cocks his tikka t3.When she looks back at him he is again like a stone statue .By now my arms are flailing and I am just about screaming BEHIND THE STUMP THERE SHE IS ... at least thats how it felt . When she looks back to me he delivers a perfect spine shoulder shot that drops her like a sack of potatoes , she is still kicking but anchored in the spot she fell . We approached cautiously I put a hand on her and told her it was ok she would not be wasted and finished her off with a knife . My son learned to field dress her and did the entire job himself. We hauled her out about 300 yards to the truck and got her home where my son skinned her and learned how to hang a deer .The best thing about this doe was it was my sons sighting , his shooting , and he got to do everything in between. and he made the RIGHT choices and hunted ethically and responsibly and in the end we will have some nice venison in the freezer.
Why was this little doe perfect ? Today was my sons last hunt of the 2013 season as he is with us every second weekend , it started great with lots of wind, rain and a later daybreak around 8 am .My son is a good shot and target shoots regularly and was alert and ready to hunt this morning. Just as we were getting into the area I like to hunt, he pipes up "I think that's one" . The Doe was silhouetted on the top of a small ridge about 100 m above the road in a newer slash . My son not wanting to take a shot that he did not know the backdrop on decided to hop out of the truck and make his way up the road to the start of the ridgeline and hunt into the wind towards her . I stayed in the truck watching my son hunt the hillside and keeping an eye on his deer at the same time . As he was stalking up to her he got behind a stump and lost visual of her , She was not quite so new and had him locked in her radar the whole time ,when he stepped out to peek from behind the stump she threw up the white flag and bolted. We each Meh'ed at her but she was not having it .She slowed but not long enough for him to get a good shot . We thought she was gone for good , I walked up the hill side with the spotting scope and was preparing the "well better luck next year speech" . When I got up to the top my son wanted to give it another go and we decided the best course of action would be for him to creep up to the next higher ridge line and hunt both the draw and the next hillside towards a line of trees where I figured she would eventually end up. I told him that she probably did not go far and was holed up in one of the little draws he would be going across . He hunted our plan to a T and was coming back out to where I had stopped and remained pretty much motionless and silent for a good 15 minutes or so . Suddenly about 60 feet from me the little doe stands up from behind a log , My son is about 100 yards away and walking towards us . She sees him but not me. She starts towards me, takes a step and then starts looking back and forth between me and my son. My gun is at the truck and I am way over the 18 year old antlerless season limit. He closes to within about 50 yards, the doe is in full checkmate and I am safely out of his line of fire . Despite my excitement my son is cool and collected the doe is looking at him and he is perfectly frozen and I have pretty much lost volume control and am "whispering" at a dull roar thinking he cant see her behind a stump lol . he waits until she is looking at me and cocks his tikka t3.When she looks back at him he is again like a stone statue .By now my arms are flailing and I am just about screaming BEHIND THE STUMP THERE SHE IS ... at least thats how it felt . When she looks back to me he delivers a perfect spine shoulder shot that drops her like a sack of potatoes , she is still kicking but anchored in the spot she fell . We approached cautiously I put a hand on her and told her it was ok she would not be wasted and finished her off with a knife . My son learned to field dress her and did the entire job himself. We hauled her out about 300 yards to the truck and got her home where my son skinned her and learned how to hang a deer .The best thing about this doe was it was my sons sighting , his shooting , and he got to do everything in between. and he made the RIGHT choices and hunted ethically and responsibly and in the end we will have some nice venison in the freezer.
Last edited:
