I wasn't sure at first if my daughter was going be a hunter. I was ok if that's what she decided, hunting animal's isn't for everyone. After a family camping/hunting trip this year I think she felt left out. It was almost two weeks into the Montana general season when she decided she was going to do it.
Step 1 Online hunter's safety crash course to get her certified.
Step 2 Getting her behind a rifle bigger then a 22 or my AR 15. No worries there the girl has always been a natural and very deadly shot.
Step 3 Finding her a buck, any buck.
First 2 days were spent chasing a little 4 point mule deer on block management land. He was dumb with love but his does were not and kept us at about 600 to 800 yards.
Day 3 I took her to some state land where her brother killed a little whitetail the week before. Does we're abundant and the rut was on. First thing in the morning we saw two beautiful whitetail bucks, a massive 8 point (eastern count) and a nice 10 point. Only problem is they were on the wrong side of the fence. The 10 point eventually ran up through the thick vegetation of the state land. By the time I saw him and got her to see him he was safe again on the wrong side of the fence. We spent the rest of the morning sitting and waiting in the wind and the cold, looking at deer we couldn't shoot. I decide I better get her warmed up. We went up over the crest of the hill where the wind was less, got her warmed up a little and some food in her. She decided she wasn't ready to give up yet. We went back and toughed it out for another couple of hours. Just when she was ready to give up I saw a doe come busting out of the thick stuff. She holed up in a patch of brush right on the edge of the fence. A few minutes later I saw another deer moving out of the bottom thick stuff. I manage to identify him as a little buck. We got my daughter laying down resting over my pack. She managed to find him in the scope. He wouldn't hold still until he got to the doe. I ranged him at 409 yards and told her where to hold on the old Nikon BDC reticle. At the shot I heard the bullet strike meat. I watched him stagger about 30 yards and pile up.
She went through every emotion possible in the next few minutes. After I got her calmed down and assured her she had made a clean kill and that her deer had not suffered needlessly she was ready to go see her first deer.
We went from not having hunter's safety or shooting a deer rifle to a 409 yard kill shot in one week. There's no way I could be more proud.
Stats
Mom's left handed X Bolt micro hunter in 7mm-08. Mom's shooting shoulder has been replaced twice so a muzzle brake has been installed.
Scope is an old Nikon Monarch 5-20x44 with BDC reticle.
Star line brass
Win LRP
Varget
140gr Nosler Ballistic tip
Muzzle vel. 2737fps
Shot went through the back of the right shoulder and exited just in front of the left shoulder.
