Hh2122
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I was encouraged by a long-time member to share our story. Here goes…
My 10-year old son drew a NM Unit 10 deer tag this year. I believe it was his 3rd choice listed when he applied. Knowing absolutely nothing about the deer hunting landscape in NM Unit 10 (we live in ID), we learned quickly that it would be tough hunting at best. Low deer densities and the deer would not be rutting or really even close to it. We talked to several people who had been in the area who said they hadnt seen any bucks and even finding does was a challenge.
That said, instead of following the advice from a few friends to turn the tag back in and buy a better tag somewhere else, I approached it as a chance to spend 5 days alone in the mountains with my son, and getting a buck would just be the cherry on top.
The hunt was incredibly successful, but not in the way most would probably define success- by the size of the antlers. In fact, he didnt harvest a buck, he didnt even get to shoot at one. Unfortunately, we only saw a few bucks and they never presented an ethical shot. How was the hunt still a success you might ask?
Here is why:
- My little guy packed his own backpack the whole time.
- He woke up smiling and ready to hunt every morning at 5:30am.
- We slept in a lightweight backpacking tent in single-digit temperatures multiple nights and he stayed warm.
- He hiked several miles each day in rough country with lots of cactuses and brush.
- He spotted several deer and together we saw lots of deer and elk
- We spent entire days far from camp up on the mountains between 8000-9000ft elevation.
- He started all of the campfires
- He sent all the inreach messages and had to learn to use the gps to find camp
- We snuck within 50 yards of multiple bedded bull elk (see attached videos)
But perhaps most importantly, he never complained once. In the end, he learned a lot and proved a lot- especially about what it takes to be a good hunter. To me, that is far more successful than him shooting something.
I have hunted nearly all of my life and one thing I have learned is that the hunts I remember the most dont involve me harvesting an animal. The ones that got away seem to haunt my memory far more than the ones on my wall.
I hope this hunt will be no different for me or for him. Thanks for reading…
My 10-year old son drew a NM Unit 10 deer tag this year. I believe it was his 3rd choice listed when he applied. Knowing absolutely nothing about the deer hunting landscape in NM Unit 10 (we live in ID), we learned quickly that it would be tough hunting at best. Low deer densities and the deer would not be rutting or really even close to it. We talked to several people who had been in the area who said they hadnt seen any bucks and even finding does was a challenge.
That said, instead of following the advice from a few friends to turn the tag back in and buy a better tag somewhere else, I approached it as a chance to spend 5 days alone in the mountains with my son, and getting a buck would just be the cherry on top.
The hunt was incredibly successful, but not in the way most would probably define success- by the size of the antlers. In fact, he didnt harvest a buck, he didnt even get to shoot at one. Unfortunately, we only saw a few bucks and they never presented an ethical shot. How was the hunt still a success you might ask?
Here is why:
- My little guy packed his own backpack the whole time.
- He woke up smiling and ready to hunt every morning at 5:30am.
- We slept in a lightweight backpacking tent in single-digit temperatures multiple nights and he stayed warm.
- He hiked several miles each day in rough country with lots of cactuses and brush.
- He spotted several deer and together we saw lots of deer and elk
- We spent entire days far from camp up on the mountains between 8000-9000ft elevation.
- He started all of the campfires
- He sent all the inreach messages and had to learn to use the gps to find camp
- We snuck within 50 yards of multiple bedded bull elk (see attached videos)
But perhaps most importantly, he never complained once. In the end, he learned a lot and proved a lot- especially about what it takes to be a good hunter. To me, that is far more successful than him shooting something.
I have hunted nearly all of my life and one thing I have learned is that the hunts I remember the most dont involve me harvesting an animal. The ones that got away seem to haunt my memory far more than the ones on my wall.
I hope this hunt will be no different for me or for him. Thanks for reading…
