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Post by darrellh on Nov 7, 2015 8:21:02 GMT -5
Great job KT, congrats! I love that big smile!
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KRal
.375 Atomic
Posts: 1,029
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Post by KRal on Nov 7, 2015 9:48:11 GMT -5
That's awesome. Congrats!
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Post by kings6 on Nov 9, 2015 0:11:30 GMT -5
Now that I am back in town I better fill in the rest of KT's hunt story. All three of my kids took my hunter education class when they were in grade school. All wanted to hunt, including KT and both the boys took their first elk during a youth hunt in the northern coast range. Sis had a chance to go on a youth elk hunt in eastern Oregon but she just could not stand the idea of missing school! Who's daughter IS she? Anyway, over the years she went deer and elk hunting and she even drew a bear tag but the hunting spirits never smiled on her. Fast forward to now about 2 months ago she and my 13 month old grandson came to live with us while daddy is in Afghanistan once again.
As soon as KT arrived she wanted to know if it was too late to get a deer tag so we hustled down and she bought her license and western Oregon buck tag. Just days after the season started she interviewed and was offered a job as an RN at the Salem Hospital and he orientation was during the last 5 days of hunting season. Knowing how bad she wanted to hunt, I contacted a farmer friend who has 600 acres about 20 minutes from town and he offered to show me his farm and let sis and I hunt there. I told him I would not carry a gun if he would let her hunt but he insisted I at least pack a pistol since he and the neighbors had been loosing livestock to a cougar he has seen but not got a shot at. I agreed to at least carry a revolver if I could find one in the safe.
On the next to last day of the season sis sent me a message and said if she got off early could we go hunting? I learned long ago as a parent that if at all possible to say yes rather than no to a request like that so I said sure, hustle home and I will have stuff loaded in the truck and hunting clothes for her to wear. She made it home about 3:30, switched clothes real quick, gave Scout a hug and off we went. Doug had left a 4 wheeler for us to ride across the new grass seed fields but with last nights rain I decided to take the long way around the field and park about 1/2 mile from where we wanted to hunt. WE get the scooter parked, grabbed our gear and headed down the logging road to the first spot where I wanted to rattle since the rut had just started kicking into gear that week. After no luck at the first two spots we headed to the top of the hill where it is like an oak savannah with lots of short grass and scattered oak trees with a nice bedding area just to the south. I had just crawled into a little group of trees and had fished the rattling antlers out when I looked up and KT was standing about 10' away looking down the hill to the east. I quietly asked her what she was looking at and she calmly whispered she was looking at that deer down there. I fished the old 8x40s out and slowly walked up to where she was standing and I could just see the head and top of the back of a deer. He had been heading to our last rattling spot and saw us creeping along the edge so he stopped to try and figure out what we were.
I kept sliding towards KT and finally I could make out that it was a legal buck wiht a fork on each side and I whispered this to sis. Unfortunately, we were caught out in the open with no chance of sliding over to a tree for a rest and I knew sis would not be comfortable with an off hand shot like that so I had to do some quick thinking. I have heard of guys shooting over their buddies shoulders as a rest and while it seemed kind of crazy I also knew that with my daughters life as the wife of an Air Force pilot, this could very well be one of the few chances I would ever get to see here get a deer. I slipped a few steps forward and whispered to her to rest the forearm of her rifle right on my shoulder but not shoot until I gave her the word. She carefully set the rifle up on my shoulder and I made sure the forearm was resting on me and not the barrel. Next I slowly reached up and over the top of the rifle and took the insert of my right hearing aid out of my ear then stuck my finger in its place! THEN I told here to take her shot when she was ready. After about 5 seconds the little 7mm-08 barked and I saw the buck hump up and give a little jump then ahead over a little rise. I told sis to remove the empty shell and cycle another into the chamber then watched her put it back on safe before we started down to where the buck had been standing.
When we got to where I thought the deer had been I had KT stand right there while I started slowly looking for blood and sign along the way the deer had went. I went about 20 yards up onto the crest of the hill and looking down over the other side I saw the deer stretched out. She had hit him from about 110 yards right where we had talked about on the drive out and the shot took out a rib on each side and both lungs. The little "tenderonni" ran about 40 yards and fell deader than the proverbial doornail. When I looked back as sis and told her she better come see her deer she though I was pulling her leg. When she walked up next to me and I pointed down the slope to the buck I do not think have ever seen a smile that big on her face before. AS we walked up to her deer she kept saying that she can not believe she actually got a buck! Next she had to get a picture and send it to her husband at Baghram Air Base in Afghanistan followed by messages to both her brothers, her mother and her grandma! Talk about one excited young lady. Being a nurse who has assisted on many surgeries she was especially fascinated by the cleaning process and she could not believe the size of the organs.
By now it was getting dark and we had to use the flashlight just to make it back through the woods and across the field to the 4 wheeler which we both got on and rode back to where the buck was. By now it was pitch dark and like many farmer implements the little farm workhorse had seen better days which meant none of its lights worked so once we tied the deer on the front rack and I wedged my knee between his rack as it hung down by my leg we made our way back by way of KT holding my Surefire light over my shoulder so I could see the trail.
By the time we got back to the road, dropped the deer so we could run the 4 wheeler back down the road half a mile to where the truck was parked then drive the truck back to the deer and get him loaded in the back it was blacker than the Ace of spades and after 6:00 at night. Once we made the drive home she helped me get it hooked onto the single tree and tied to the bucket of the Kubota and hauled into the shop so I could start the skinning and processing. She was freezing by then so I sent her in to warm up and put the little man to bed while I savored every minute of the next couple of hours skinning, cleaning, trimming and reliving an experience that I am so blessed to have had with my daughter.
And THAT is my story and I am sticking to it! Thanks for letting me share and all I can say is dads, take advantage of every chance you get to spend with your kids, no matter how old they are. Yo never know when one of those life long memory opportunities may come your way.
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Post by dougader on Nov 9, 2015 9:59:22 GMT -5
Great hunting adventure for you and KT, Robb! But I didn't see a smiley emoticon after this statement:
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Post by bulasteve on Nov 9, 2015 12:30:21 GMT -5
"If I could find one in the safe(revolver) ! Wha..! Guess you could buy some pepper spray or borrow the wife's biggest wooden spoon. LOL !
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Post by sixshot on Nov 9, 2015 12:37:09 GMT -5
Robb, knowing you I know you raised all of them right but that smile tells the whole story without saying a word! A young woman making her dad proud once again. I can only imagine how many of our "guys" in Afganistain have seen that photo & smiled! I'll bet it took forever to find a six gun in your safe!!! KT is my new hero!
Dick
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James
.30 Stingray
Posts: 411
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Post by James on Nov 9, 2015 13:03:12 GMT -5
a nice deer for a lovely young lady....
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Post by kings6 on Nov 9, 2015 13:44:17 GMT -5
You know, the only revolver I could find in that mess was some stubby barreled S&W 24 that some group called Morton or Horton was involved with and that Glenn pawned off on me along with a funky little piece of leather with some guys name on the back called "Doodoo or Doc" Bologna but the little gun fit and there was a few scummy green coated old 44 Special loads on the floor of the closet so that is what I carried! =
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Post by zeus on Nov 9, 2015 23:53:30 GMT -5
Mail it back Great story bud! That's awesome.
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Post by kings6 on Nov 10, 2015 0:09:34 GMT -5
You know it is yours if you ever want it back!
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