6 Year Old's 1st Long Range Deer

[Kevin Cram]

My six year old son Kaleb has been hunting with me since he was 3. I've had him 2 miles back in some pretty rough and cold country over the last few years. He would tag along and go wood chuck hunting during the spring and summer and this past summer he really started showing an interest to learn to shoot long range. With some practice on wood chucks at long range I felt pretty confident my 6 year old son could pull the trigger on a PA whitetail at long range. On Thursday evening he arrived in camp to hunt Friday and Saturday. On Friday morning LRH member JUDD and I spotted some bucks and my uncle took a really nice 21" wide 5 x 3. Kaleb tried to get on 2 other bucks but the deer just wouldn't cooperate. On Saturday morning a 3 x 3 came up out of the bottom and bedded down. We got my MCR 6.5 - .284 all set up and got Kaleb ready for the shot. The deer decided to stand up but there was a limb running across the deer that I feared might be in the way. I explained to Kaleb where exactly he needed to hold the dot and hoped he understood. After 5 min. of rifle adjusting by Kaleb he said he was ready. The shot rang out and I'll be damned if the bullet didn't hit the one limb in the way. The deer didn't get excited at all, he actually just turned around and laid back down. After some more instructions on where to hold Kaleb was ready for shot #2. It was tough as there wasn't much of an opening to get a bullet in. Kaleb settled in the gun and said he was ready, at the crack of the gun the deer jumped up and started going down hill. The shot looked a little low and back. The deer would go about 10 feet and lay down, then get up and go another 10 feet and lay down but unfortunately not where we could get another shot. Kaleb, JUDD and I headed off the mountain to make sure he was down for good. After 1 1/2 hours of sliding and crawling through snow covered laurel and steep mountainside we reached the draw where the deer was last seen. We snuck up the draw and as we reached the bench where he was supposed to be, there he laid dead. My son Kaleb Hunter Cram, 6 years old, took his first deer, a 3 x 3 at 470 Yards. I don't know who was more excited. I had JUDD take Kaleb back to the truck and get him dried off and warmed up while I drug the deer off the mountain. They met me at the bottom where Kaleb couldn't wait to see his buck again. Kaleb keeps telling me how he wants it mounted in his bedroom so it looks at him while he's in bed. I guess I've got some work for my taxidermist again. Man what a hunt !!!

[mikebob]

that's awsome, i remember my sons first. my daughters first will be next season.

[jmden]

That is great! Congratulations! Good going you guys.

[bigngreen]

Right on!!! Sure is a great feeling to be there and help you kids do things that are that memorable in their lives, can't wait to share my daughters first hunt!!! He'll be helping the old man hunt soon enough

[JUDD]

Congrats buddy on that deer!

This was a hunt I wil remember forever.

[trebark]

Nice.

[Len Backus]

That's really cute!