The past few years I’ve gotten away from fishing tournaments and saved my time off for fishing and hunting adventures with family and friends. Enter nephew Matt age eleven. Matt and I spent a fair amount of time together this year fishing spring crappies, sunfish and walleyes as well. Watching him develop his skills as an angler and outdoors enthusiast has been the highlight of 2009 for me, but little did I know that the best was yet to come. Being that I have no children of my own, through Matt, I have a better understanding of how those of you feel when your child enjoys the outdoors and is a willing participant in the activities that we have enjoyed and loved since our own childhood. His enthusiasm is nothing short of contagious.
Matt has always wanted to bow hunt even at the age of eight when he got his first bow and arrow kit as a Christmas gift from Santa. He now has a compound bow that he shoots very competently and anytime I would call him this past summer to go fishing he was in the back yard shooting at his deer target practicing for that first opportunity. Earlier this fall he already spent some time in the stand bow hunting around his father’s farm with limited sightings of deer and no shots so I suggested that he come with me to deer camp over the MN Education Association (MEA) weekend where he could bow hunt in the mornings and evenings and we would grouse hunt during mid-day hours. Now I am not a bow hunter don’t even own a bow and haven’t shot one in years, so I figured that maybe the time sitting in the stand with Matt would give me the chance to scout for the firearms season.
The weekend started out windy and rainy but the first morning and evening we saw a doe and fawn and even a small spike buck on two different occasions, but nothing that was in range or presented a clear shot. Matt was excited about the prospect of shooting his first deer after several sightings each time we were out. On Saturday mid-day we went grouse hunting with my cousin Jeff and my British Yellow Lab Maddie. While walking an old logging road, to get to the area we had in mind to hunt, Maddie got birdie and flushed a grouse into an alder bush and subsequently flushed it again back across the trail where Matt shot twice with his 12 ga Browning and downed the bird. Matt’s first grouse on the fly, awesome! I shot one more that afternoon and then it was back to camp to clean up for the evening bow hunt.
Everything seemed just right for the evening hunt and I was hoping that Matt’s luck would not run out before nightfall. After getting to the stand, I realized that I didn’t bring any gloves but I did remember my video camera. The stand that we were using was comprised of an adequate but smaller permanent stand (to small for two people) and a portable stand that we placed slightly above the permanent stand facing the opposite direction. With this arrangement I figured that we would be able to see in all directions and I being in the portable would be out of Matt’s way if an opportunity presented itself. An hour after we reached the stand we watched a nice 6 point buck feed on the food plot trail that we had planted the spring before. The buck fed at 43 yards from our position but never offered a shot. We watched him walk away and Matt whispered to me that this was the largest deer that he had ever seen while in the stand. He said that he didn’t think he would have been able to draw his bow as his heart was racing so fast. I was videoing the deer and after he left my hands were cold so I placed my hands and the camera into my pockets, big mistake.
Just a few minutes after putting the video camera away a small buck with the start of little forks on the tops of his antlers walked directly across the food plot trail from the stand and proceeded on his way a mere 8 yards from us. I had no chance or opportunity to retrieve the camera so all I could do was watch and see what was going to happen. The buck slowly moved away from the stand unaware of our presence and at 18 yards Matt made a grunt sound with his mouth to stop the deer (how does an eleven year old instinctively know how to do this?) and when he did I watched an arrow penetrate the animal as it was quartering away from our position. The buck bolted through the woods and we both watched in amazement as the fletching of the arrow was still visible from its side. We waited in silence waiting to here if the deer would fall over and crash in the woods, but we only heard a few noises as the deer bounded away. Matt said “It’s a little far back” talking about the placement of his shot, but I reassured him that the arrow had found its mark and was quartering into the deer at the correct angle to hit its vitals. It was then that I realized that both stands were shaking and I have to admit my adrenaline was definitely flowing just maybe not as much as Matt’s. We waited for what seemed like an eternity but only 20 minutes had past. We then snuck our way back to the truck to meet up with my cousin Howie and get his assistance in retrieving the deer.
It’s been 45 minutes since the shot and it is now dark so we put on our headlamps and went to look for the blood trail and Matt’s first deer. After finding the blood trail and loosing the blood trail and finding it again we found the broad head end of the arrow on the ground with two-thirds of the shaft, the arrow had broken off inside the deer. The other third of the arrow with the fletching must still be in the deer’s side. Howie instructed Matt to smell the arrow where it had broken off and near the broad head end and to examine the blood on the arrow as well. Howie tells Matt that a lot of information can be obtained by observing the arrow and the smell of the blood on the arrow. This arrow told us the broad head end had a clean blood smell with some small bubbles on the shaft indicating the arrow probably went the through the lung. The opposite end smelled like guts, which makes sense as we could see where the arrow entered the animal a little behind the rib cage. After an hour of searching we realized that no one had a compass and although this is our property and the neighbors (who gave us permission to hunt during the bow season) we were a little turned around. After listening for the traffic on the nearest highway and seeing car headlights on the adjacent dirt road we new which direction to go to get back to the trucks. It never fails to amaze me how easy it is to get turned around, even in your own woods, especially when you are tracking a wounded deer and constantly looking at the ground. I reminded Matt that none of us should have gone into the woods without a compass. After getting to the trucks we decided that it would be best to not push the deer and come back in the morning to pick up where we left off. Now in hind site we should have gone back to camp, ate dinner, and then after a couple of hours started the search.
Sunday morning could not have come any sooner for any of us, but especially Matt. Matt later admitted that he didn’t sleep very well and was up at 2am to check his watch and see if it was time to go retrieve his first deer. The search party consisted of Matt, cousins Howie and Dave, and myself. It was almost surreal walking through the woods in the daylight, examining the stand from a distance and then walking down a trail to get to the point where we had left off the night before. As we walked I wondered if we would find his deer or just a blood trail that vanished, but luck was on our side and as Howie and Dave led the way Dave could see the deer ahead of us and immediately told Matt to take the lead and look ahead on the trail. Matt literally flew to the downed deer, his first a whitetail buck. The deer appeared to have died peacefully as his rear legs were tucked under his body and his front legs stretched out in front of him as though he had just lay down to take a nap. I don’t think that anyone there was less excited than Matt, but I’ll let the few pictures tell that story. Without a doubt this was the most gratifying deer hunt that I have ever been involved with and a memory that will last both my lifetime and Matt’s. The only regret that I have is putting the video camera away moments before the buck appeared and the fatal shot left Matt’ bow string.
looks like you have a hunting partner hooked for life 
I am taking good care of the 30-06 
Remember ??? 
Thanks for sharing Matt’s first bow hunt with us! See PM! 
with dad not rifle hunting, but also a good year because Matt enjoy’s deer hunting as well. 
