My Son Jake's First Deer Hunt

Well the big day finally came for Jacob. We left this morning to head to Ohio for his first deer hunt! He was so excited the night before he couldn't sleep. I got home from work and he was still up jabber jawing about the trip! I was almost as excited as he was after listening to him talk that night.

Jake Looks Like "Jimmers" From Escanaba In Da Moonlight

He Is Ready To Hit The Stand!

We then got on the road by 10am and headed south. Now a trip south out of Michigan wouldn't be complete without a stop at Cabela's! We bought Jake a new set of camo pants since he has grown so much since our Ohio turkey hunt last spring. I picked up a few bullets for the muzzleloader and a new Mad Bomber hat. Next stop, Ohio!

We made it to my father in laws house around 3:15pm and I knew we should have already been on stand, but what can ya do, you can only drive so fast. We immediately began to dress head to toe in camo and our required orange garments. Michael decided it was too cold for a quick evening hunt, so he decided to stay inside. After a few quick pictures we were off to the 2 man tree stand!

The Field We Hunted Over, A Nearby Woodlot Is In The Distance

Jake was asking me all kinds of questions and for the most part they were important questions that had to do with deer hunting! I knew that this was going to be a really cold evening and the wind was doing us no favors. It was around 25 degrees and the wind was blowing about 20 mph! It was COLD! Jake was a real trooper! He didn't complain about anything, I think he was warm with excitement! Although his cheeks were pretty rosy! He did tell me his hands were getting cold and tingly, then he said they were getting stiff.

Jake Is Chillin' and Killin'

The view we had of the field was definitely different than what we are used to in Michigan. Open fields are great for seeing a long way, but unfortunatly we didn't see any deer. That didn't deter Jake's enthusiasm though. He was energized and looking the whole time. He was telling me which areas he thought would be the good places to look for deer movement. He was actually right on with what I felt would be a good area also.

Checking His Aim Just In Case He Sees A Big Buck

Another View Of The Field

After almost two hours I knew he was getting pretty cold so I asked him if he wanted to head in, he told me as soon as the sun set he would be ready. Now for a nine year old that is hard core! As time slipped away I knew it was time for him to get in and warm up, so I told him we need to head in, he didn't waste any time climbing down off the stand.

My Little Huntin' Buddy

A Great View To End The Day

For his first deer hunt ever, he was more than pumped up, and was not disappointed in the least that he didn't see a deer. Hhen I asked him if he was upset that we didn't see anything he told me, "no that is part of deer hunting dad!"