Without a doubt, this post reminds me of a bear hunt I took friends and their son on this last spring.. the boy, Karstin, had his license for a total of 2 months, the bear hunt would be his first big game hunt ever, I put him on what I figured was my best bait site, and my other buddy whom I was actually setting the bait up for, wanted the Young man to have first crack at that spot as well... whats he kill within 1.5 hours? a Idaho state book bear. 19 6/16ths.. 6.6 footer.. haha his dad says he ruined now.. If I take someone hunting they dont have to just shoot the managment bucks, bulls or bears.. kill what shows up period. God will make more of em.
no doubt in my mind alittle one would have the green light. I would think that would be even more special, especially seeing their eyes light up and grin ear to ear. I can't wait to give my kids the opportunity or my nephew who hunts with me now once in awhile. Thats what it is all about, making someone else feel happy and excited because that in return makes us feel great!
Likewise, I know a couple guys who are tools like that. If I'm taking a hunter into the woods, any animal they can possibly kill is an animal I'll gladly watch them shoot. If I didn't want them in the woods with the opportunity to kill a trophy, I'd have never taken them in the first place. It seems quite selfish for anyone want an animal for themselves. I'm sharing the success and the joy of killing an animal with that hunter I've taken into the woods with me, be it a child OR and ADULT that is new to the hunting world. I worked my tail off to get my dad shots towards the last few years that he hunted, only to have him never drop the hammer a single time. Ended up he just didn't have it in him anymore to kill them, he just enjoyed walking around the woods and sitting and watching them. He finally fessed up that he never had the desire to hunt anymore when I was tagged out and called him to see is he'd got his license a few years ago. He'd only hunted because he'd never wanted me to have to hunt alone..... And all the time, I'd been running around the gun-week trying to get him an opportunity and he's just sitting there watching them go by..... So when I bowhunted alone for all those years, he never realized I LIKE hunting alone. When I went to Colorado ALONE last year, he knew it though..... :D
I am answering without reading everyone's answers to give my gut reaction. I'm telling that girl to shoot. To be a part of something that special is a rare thing and worth way more than antlers on the wall. I've been fortunate enough to film two young hunters whose father's are friends of mine taking their first turkey and it was very difficult for me to keep from choking up watching those reactions from behind the camera. Helping a young person take the buck of a lifetime is a moment that I would cherish and I know they would always remember me being a part of it.
I'd have her take the shot. I still get to remember the shot and the celebration even if it wasn't mine. Way better than regretting being selfish and finding out that deer was hit by a car or was poached
My own kid? It's a no brainer. I'd rather him/her shoot it than me anyday. A friend's kid? I'm gonna be honest. I don't know. Call me shallow/selfish or whatever you'd like, but it would depend on what I thougt of that particular kid and their attitude, profiency, etc.. Knowing me, most likely I would encourage them to take the shot, but I'd be hoping for a clean miss in my mind. Ok, so I'm an A-hole. How's that for candor?
Let the kid take the shot, and then brag about what a great guide you are. I've put other people on more deer than I have myself.
My dad sacraficed many sits..both gun and bow...as I was growing up. There was never any question to him who was going to be shooting. After his stroke in the spring of '09 he is unable to hunt by himself (last year is the first year he has EVER missed). Well I look to return the favor this year during our gun season. He will have the gun in his hand and I will be behind the camera until he puts one down. There will be no talk of is it a shooter, to him anything will be a trophy.
Some good comments..., and I definitely appreciate the candor! Waid, you hafta shoot a smaller one this year.........Not! LOL... Best of luck to you and your father, Scott. Prayers coming from me to your corner!
I like this answer. You bet they are gonna be told to shoot, and I'll be smiling the whole time. But deep down, I may be a little disappointed.
man you wouldnt get a chance to say anything with my kids they trained to go my 2 year old already mimics me drawing my bow and what is the coolest is that she does it everytime we see a deer on tv on the hunting channel.my baby girl is facisinated by my arrows and my 10 year old is dead set on hunting thid year if a big monster comes thru he'll drag him out and tag him cause how awesome is that for a 10 year old boy to do? especially with a bow!
Long read but both life lessons....My grandfather is the single greatest man to draw a breath in my eyes and I owe him everything. I grew up in a East Georgia hunting club ran by my pop. They simply went to any stand, did not matter and shot deer if they saw them. Only thing not shot was small fawns. They wanted meat, and never mentioned antlers. There was a local buck that had been seen many times by a few members of the club and the neighbors as well. He was big with a rack growing backwards off his main beam. My pop had not see this deer, and to this day I am unsure if he believed some of the guys, you know how hunters stretch the truth. No one talked score back then, so the deer was simply this ( ) big. One morning as we sat in a box blind my 10 year old self became anxious and was ready to get down. The sun was just popping over the ridge (recent clearcut) and right in our eyes. 1, no...2, no...3 does run over the top and then it happened. He steps out at 80 yards or so and the sun lights him up, backwards beam and all...he is majestic. I wait for the shot and nothing, I had my 44 ruger up, but never looked through the scope. He finally ran off, and I asked pop why he did not shoot. He did not even answer, he just smiled real big and said he was waiting on me to kill him...he never reached for the gun. It is hard to say, but thinking back that was probably a 160" deer, 30" better than the county record and a serious slug for Ga, but even bigger back in those days. He never talks about that deer, unless he tells it like this, I remember the time when that big ol buck ran up on Michael and me with all his does, the sun made him glow and WE could not get a shot. Kind of laid the fabric of what I am as a hunter... Fast forward, same club 18 years later...boom, boom, boom. What they heck. Get back to camp after dark and meet my buddy Jake. he ask who shot, my pop says Lamar (one of his younger brothers). He is in the stand with his grandson, first hunt ever at that. Well long story short, about a 100" 10 was killed, very good deer for the club and the little guy (15) at the time never got to shoot. The story says he could not see the deer so lamar had to shoot...I scoffed as they were in a double ladder over looking some very open planted pines. Horn envy, as this was probably the biggest buck my uncle had ever seen, and he simply could not risk letting it go. None of the shots hit close, but one hit the femoral so the job was done, would have much rather heard that young man put 3 holes in a deer from excitement as opposed to a grown man.. I strongly agree, that I amswer YES 100% to my own little one who is 2 right now and the one in the over as well, and any kid that I take. If I even had to hesitate 1 bit then that person would not be in the stand with me. I think most would say yes just because it's true, but also the audience we have. That uncle of mine would answer the same, 100% the kid shoots, but i saw different when the rubber met the road. That is not directed at anyone, just an expierence I had. Jack, I thank you for that answer and I REALLY respect it...
I don't even let my kid reel in his own fish. If it looks like a biggun, I wrestle the rod from his hands and take the glory for my own. I didn't read all the replies. Did ANYONE say they'd tell their rug rat not to shoot?
There is zero chance I would ever tell somebody to not shoot a deer in this situation. Honestly, I could see myself telling my daughter to pass on an immature deer rather than a 190 class buck of a lifetime. That buck could be the flood gate to a lifelong obsession of hunting. Regardless, I wouldn't want "whoever this scenario entails" to look back one day and realize I told them to not shoot a buck of a lifetime.
