Tikka
Long Time Member
- Messages
- 5,278
My daughter was able to connect on her first big game animal this past Saturday... What a awesome experience for her and myself...
I took advantage of the Utah mentor program for this hunt... She has passed the online hunter safety course, we just need to find time to get her in to do the shooting/written test in order for her to get her blue card...
Anyhow onto the hunt... We spotted her and a young buck first thing Saturday morning... We made a game plan using a fence line as cover... It worked perfectly only problem was (dad left his rangefinder in the truck) I figured them at about 300 to 350yds... I told her where to hold on the doe and that we needed to wait for the buck to clear her, which was not easy considering he was young and she was willing...
Finally after about 5 minute the buck clears and she is broadside, I tell my daughter whenever your ready let it go... Boom she shoots and nothing they didn't even move, the antelope have no idea that we're even there... I tell her to chamber another round (in my head I'm thinking maybe there further than I originally thought) and to hold second mildot on the top of her back... Boom... nothing again and I cant even see dust fly up behind or in front of the doe... I know my daughter has a little buck fever going on but man I cant imagine it was that bad...
They still have no idea we're here so I tell my son to go back to the truck and get my rangefinder... The entire time he's making it back to the truck I'm talking to my daughter calming her down and watching a young buck court his lady friend... After about 10 minutes my son gets back with the rangefinder, I grab it take a reading and its 249yds. man was I off... She had been blowing way over her back... It was very deceiving having them out in a flat alfalfa field with not much to reference...
Now we're back in business... With the range set in stone I tell my daughter to put the cross hairs right on the does shoulder and squeeze the trigger when she's ready... Keep in mind this young buck is still all over this doe and it takes about another 5min. for him to clear her... Boom instant report of a solid hit, the doe tries to run with both front legs broke she only makes it about 10yds and she's done... The young buck is at this point still trying to mount her after she had expired... He didn't even run off until we were about 15yds. away from where the doe was laying...
What an awesome experience for the three of us... And a great trophy in my mind, I think my daughter is hooked and I'm very excited about that...
I took advantage of the Utah mentor program for this hunt... She has passed the online hunter safety course, we just need to find time to get her in to do the shooting/written test in order for her to get her blue card...
Anyhow onto the hunt... We spotted her and a young buck first thing Saturday morning... We made a game plan using a fence line as cover... It worked perfectly only problem was (dad left his rangefinder in the truck) I figured them at about 300 to 350yds... I told her where to hold on the doe and that we needed to wait for the buck to clear her, which was not easy considering he was young and she was willing...
Finally after about 5 minute the buck clears and she is broadside, I tell my daughter whenever your ready let it go... Boom she shoots and nothing they didn't even move, the antelope have no idea that we're even there... I tell her to chamber another round (in my head I'm thinking maybe there further than I originally thought) and to hold second mildot on the top of her back... Boom... nothing again and I cant even see dust fly up behind or in front of the doe... I know my daughter has a little buck fever going on but man I cant imagine it was that bad...
They still have no idea we're here so I tell my son to go back to the truck and get my rangefinder... The entire time he's making it back to the truck I'm talking to my daughter calming her down and watching a young buck court his lady friend... After about 10 minutes my son gets back with the rangefinder, I grab it take a reading and its 249yds. man was I off... She had been blowing way over her back... It was very deceiving having them out in a flat alfalfa field with not much to reference...
Now we're back in business... With the range set in stone I tell my daughter to put the cross hairs right on the does shoulder and squeeze the trigger when she's ready... Keep in mind this young buck is still all over this doe and it takes about another 5min. for him to clear her... Boom instant report of a solid hit, the doe tries to run with both front legs broke she only makes it about 10yds and she's done... The young buck is at this point still trying to mount her after she had expired... He didn't even run off until we were about 15yds. away from where the doe was laying...
What an awesome experience for the three of us... And a great trophy in my mind, I think my daughter is hooked and I'm very excited about that...
