Thread: A hunt with my boy

I took my boy and the dog into a favourite spot of mine in the weekend. It's a bit of a mission to get to as the access is via an overgrown hunters track. It follows a ridge down into a nice valley with heaps of grassy clearings.
Driving in I noticed a few tracks on the Forestry track but they must have been from spotlighters as there was no one parked up there.
The walk in was a bit of a shock for Oliver. He wasn't used to walking on such rough tracks with a pack. On the bright side, it didn't seem like anyone had been in there for a while and about 2/3rds of the way down we spooked a deer.
Once we got down into the valley there was an abundance of nettle and Toitoi to contend with. Oliver copped a few stings and was probably regretting coming on this trip with me.
Eventually we got to our camp spot and dropped our gear and went for a quick look further downstream. Saw plenty of sign but no more animals.
That night we got a bit of rain and had a bit of a sleep in until it eased up. We didnt leave camp till about 9 , but it was nice and drizzly. Perfect for finding Deer out on the clearings.
Sure enough they were. The very first clearing I fucked up on the first one and didnt have Jed in close enough. He wandered out onto the clearing, oblivious to the deer that I saw bounding away. Bugger.
The next one I decided to leave Oliver and Jed behind while I went off to look at the top part of the clearing. While I was gone, he heard a rustling in the bushes and turned to see a stag looking at him. It bolted. I saw nothing..

We checked out a few more clearings and as we closed in on one I heard the sound of hooves thundering away.
Things weren't going well.
By the end of the day Jed was starting to do as he was told and Oliver was making a bit less noise.
As we stepped onto the final clearing a deer bounded off to our right. Fuck not again.
I look across the other side and saw a funny shape off to the side through a gap in the trees. I had a look through the scope and could see it was a Hind. I quickly lined it up and fired. She ran off but I was confident of a good hit.
When I went over to where I thought she would be I could find nothing. Only a bit of hair. No blood. Damn.
This is when Jed earned his biscuits. After a few minutes of "Where's the Deer Jed" I followed him to find the Hind stone dead. I had hit it a bit far back and it had probably run 50 metres or so. It was not where I thought she would be and I'm not sure I would have found it if it hadn't been for him.


We butchered the Deer and headed back to camp. We got back at about 8:15 so it was a long day for the young fulla. He was pretty stoked though.
Next day he was still buzzing. I wasnt so much as I knew that I had a big uphill slog ahead of us.
It was hard yakka getting back up the hill and Oliver reckoned it was his hardest walk to date. I think he is beginning to understand now the challenges and rewards that hunting brings.
The perseverance and skill of hunting, the effort in carrying out the meat and the satisfaction you get at the end of it all.
Eventually we got back to the truck and headed for home.
All in all a very successful weekend and hopefully many more with my young mate.

Well done Oliver! And a pat for Jed. Dad did ok to.

An proper introduction to hunting not just a deer in a paddock...Good stuff

Good job Dad, and well done Oliver! Its posts like this that give me hope for our hunting legacy, thank you Chur Bay

good on ya dad...good on ya lad and good on ya Jed...enjoy your venison,you surely have earned it...

Nice going, the spot you are in sounds familiar, it's in the Whirinaki ? If I am right, could be our old meat hunting spot from the 70 s
You sure earn your meat there if it's the spot I think it is.

Pm me bro and I'll tell you if you're right

Great stuff for the lad and great memories for both of you! Can’t wait for my boy to start coming out with me. Not long now.
Just need a spot like that!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have started to do the same with my son now. Its so rewarding teaching him everything I know. Its also great to see that some boys find out that they are tougher than they thought. That what seems immensely hard at the time can be overcome and achieved. Hunting really teaches a whole lot about life, risk assessment, perseverance, reaching personal goals. Hunting, is a great life skills course.

100 percent agree.
He's 10 now and can keep up with me. Just need to work on him getting quieter.
I've got some tops mission planned for this summer to hopefully get him his first Deer.

Originally Posted by Plodalong

I have started to do the same with my son now. Its so rewarding teaching him everything I know. Its also great to see that some boys find out that they are tougher than they thought. That what seems immensely hard at the time can be overcome and achieved. Hunting really teaches a whole lot about life, risk assessment, perseverance, reaching personal goals. Hunting, is a great life skills course.

And it's not just the boys...my 14 yr old daughter puts me to shame and doesn't need dad anymore. It's an absolute pleasure taking her hunting and she's the one showing me up nowadays.

Nice one

Great stuff and well earned!

I have been taking a friends son hunting. What really got him keen was teaching him how to cook venison steak properly. He took a back steak with him to a friends parents bach - a few boys + one boys parents and turned out a top notch steak job, impressed everyone

Well done team,look after Jed.He finds the top prize you are all after.Good effort Oliver and dad.