Pay it forward…
Those words often ring in my head when I’m fortunate enough to share pieces of knowledge passed on to me over the years. When I first took up bowhunting, Milo showed me a kind of generosity and willingness to educate that I had never before experienced. One afternoon following one of the most profound lessons I’ve ever been taught when it comes to archery (check your sight level), I asked Milo what I could do to repay him. I felt indebted that a man I met on the internet, thought enough of some young punk to freely share the depth of knowledge he openly gave me. His answer: “Pay it forward.” In the years since then, I’ve been very fortunate to have had the opportunities to do just that. This forum is an extension of that and all of you who contribute here on a daily basis, are living this mantra. Although I was able to live up to his request, I always felt like there was another level and when I became a father, I realized what that next level would be. Teaching and molding another human, one whom you created, is a blessing. It is also a teacher in its own right. Being a father has taught me more about myself in 3 years, than I learned in the previous 30! One such lesson has been the true reward of “pay it forward”. The events that transpired last night gave me a peek at what lies ahead for me as a father and educator to my beautiful baby girl. Paying it forward is more than passing on knowledge. It’s passing on experiences and memories that will last a lifetime. Last night, we did just that.
This summer we started laying the ground work for last night’s hunt. I purchased a cheap ground blind and set it up in a cluster of trees in the backyard. Then I placed a feeder in the woods 30 yards from the “tent” as my daughter calls it, and started pouring the golden acorns to our local deer herd. Per usual, we would see deer morning and afternoon enjoying the free food. When time permitted, we would slip in to the tent and spend time practicing being quiet. She did great every time we saw deer and I felt like she was ready to experience a real hunt when the season rolled around. Due to scheduling conflicts and the fact that I’d only been in the woods 4 hours before last night, we were running out of time to get her first hunt in before the weather turned. Thankfully, last night turned out to be the perfect evening weather wise, and all three of us were home with no plans. Time to go hunting!
We arrived at my oldest hunting spot a little after 4PM. I’ve been chasing deer in the woods behind my parent’s house since I got my first bow in 1999. I killed my first deer back there the following fall, then my first buck the fall after that. Tracie killed her first deer there as well, and every deer on my wall came from there. So it was only fitting that my daughter go on her first hunt here as well. On a night of firsts, we had to get our first round of face paint…
And it was only fitting that she get to paint daddy’s face too…
Of course we had to have some smoke…
And some EverCalm on our boots, but you have to smell it first!
It’s a bit of a long walk, so dad did the grunt work. We stopped to point out a squirrel to mommy…
Daddy has a bum shoulder, so I needed a break. I let the girls take the lead and they practiced their stalking skills. There is some learning left to do there; for both of them!
Once we settled in to the blind, it was time for snacks and the iPad. After 90 minutes of games, movies, and looking at pictures, Kaydence was getting a little antsy and my patience was starting to wear thin. I was considering going back to the house when I heard the telltale signs of a deer walking through the freshly fallen leaves. I quickly glanced out the window on my side of the blind and saw a doe fawn working down the holler towards us. After pointing her out to K, I spotted another doe fawn in tow. At this point, I decided there was no letting this moment escape me and that if I was given a clean shot, I was taking it. Both deer worked down to the corn 40 yards from the blind, with one giving me a clear, slightly quartering shot. I drew, settled in to my anchor, checked my bubble, found my pin, picked a hair and started to squeeze when I was surprised by the release. I held my pin until I saw the pink Nockturnal disappear behind her shoulder. We listened intently for her to fall, then it was time to celebrate!
Make sure to turn up the volume to hear her commentary!
[video=youtube;R1OjLBfJ3CA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1OjLBfJ3CA[/video]
Those words often ring in my head when I’m fortunate enough to share pieces of knowledge passed on to me over the years. When I first took up bowhunting, Milo showed me a kind of generosity and willingness to educate that I had never before experienced. One afternoon following one of the most profound lessons I’ve ever been taught when it comes to archery (check your sight level), I asked Milo what I could do to repay him. I felt indebted that a man I met on the internet, thought enough of some young punk to freely share the depth of knowledge he openly gave me. His answer: “Pay it forward.” In the years since then, I’ve been very fortunate to have had the opportunities to do just that. This forum is an extension of that and all of you who contribute here on a daily basis, are living this mantra. Although I was able to live up to his request, I always felt like there was another level and when I became a father, I realized what that next level would be. Teaching and molding another human, one whom you created, is a blessing. It is also a teacher in its own right. Being a father has taught me more about myself in 3 years, than I learned in the previous 30! One such lesson has been the true reward of “pay it forward”. The events that transpired last night gave me a peek at what lies ahead for me as a father and educator to my beautiful baby girl. Paying it forward is more than passing on knowledge. It’s passing on experiences and memories that will last a lifetime. Last night, we did just that.
This summer we started laying the ground work for last night’s hunt. I purchased a cheap ground blind and set it up in a cluster of trees in the backyard. Then I placed a feeder in the woods 30 yards from the “tent” as my daughter calls it, and started pouring the golden acorns to our local deer herd. Per usual, we would see deer morning and afternoon enjoying the free food. When time permitted, we would slip in to the tent and spend time practicing being quiet. She did great every time we saw deer and I felt like she was ready to experience a real hunt when the season rolled around. Due to scheduling conflicts and the fact that I’d only been in the woods 4 hours before last night, we were running out of time to get her first hunt in before the weather turned. Thankfully, last night turned out to be the perfect evening weather wise, and all three of us were home with no plans. Time to go hunting!
We arrived at my oldest hunting spot a little after 4PM. I’ve been chasing deer in the woods behind my parent’s house since I got my first bow in 1999. I killed my first deer back there the following fall, then my first buck the fall after that. Tracie killed her first deer there as well, and every deer on my wall came from there. So it was only fitting that my daughter go on her first hunt here as well. On a night of firsts, we had to get our first round of face paint…
And it was only fitting that she get to paint daddy’s face too…
Of course we had to have some smoke…
And some EverCalm on our boots, but you have to smell it first!
It’s a bit of a long walk, so dad did the grunt work. We stopped to point out a squirrel to mommy…
Daddy has a bum shoulder, so I needed a break. I let the girls take the lead and they practiced their stalking skills. There is some learning left to do there; for both of them!
Once we settled in to the blind, it was time for snacks and the iPad. After 90 minutes of games, movies, and looking at pictures, Kaydence was getting a little antsy and my patience was starting to wear thin. I was considering going back to the house when I heard the telltale signs of a deer walking through the freshly fallen leaves. I quickly glanced out the window on my side of the blind and saw a doe fawn working down the holler towards us. After pointing her out to K, I spotted another doe fawn in tow. At this point, I decided there was no letting this moment escape me and that if I was given a clean shot, I was taking it. Both deer worked down to the corn 40 yards from the blind, with one giving me a clear, slightly quartering shot. I drew, settled in to my anchor, checked my bubble, found my pin, picked a hair and started to squeeze when I was surprised by the release. I held my pin until I saw the pink Nockturnal disappear behind her shoulder. We listened intently for her to fall, then it was time to celebrate!
Make sure to turn up the volume to hear her commentary!
[video=youtube;R1OjLBfJ3CA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1OjLBfJ3CA[/video]
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