USA: A Bitter Sweet Hunt

[AustinL]

Well this has been a much different year than years past. Last January my dad got diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. He has been on treatment over the summer and I have put a lot of time and effort into getting a few spots set up that would be more conducive for him to hunt on our fisher county place.

Things seemed to be going pretty well up until September and he has declined quite a bit to include just getting out of a two week Hospital stay. We were all up at there house for thanksgiving and while he couldn’t come me and my son stopped off at the ranch for two days of hunting.

The conditions have been horrible, we had a group of Aoudad with a pretty good ram that have been semi regular and that is my son’s main target this weekend. So far they have been a no show.

Saturday morning I hunted our creek stand and was completely blanked not even pigs, that evening with the wind switching out of the north and howling me and my son elected to sit together in the west tower. I was going to help him glass the far canyons for aoudad and if we turned them up we were going to make a play.

It was super slow and the wind was howling, you could tell that north wind cooling down quickly. I just so happened to check the cell camera at our east stand and there were a couple of does, and then the next picture there he was, I knew this was a deer I wanted to kill (yes I said kill). I have not shot a deer in three years (7 years since I last shot one on this ranch) my son does most of that now. There was something about this deer, or maybe a combination of the deer and the situation that just triggered something. I made a plan I was going to slip out of the blind and try and stalk into rifle range before they moved out or light faded. I managed to do just that and settled in prone with my rifle over my pack and waited for him to step into the one small clearing I had. It seemed to take forever but finally he stepped out, the crosshairs settled into his shoulder and the shot broke. Mere moments later he lay nestled up under a mesquite tree not 50 yards from the shot.

I sure hate that my dad was not here for this hunt he has been my hunting partner since the first time he took me. We have had some awesome experiences and amazing adventures over the years. Sure hope I can get him out just one more time even if we just sit in the truck.

Thanks for the ramble now on to the picture

 

[MontanaPat]

Congratulations on the nice buck, I really, really hope you and your dad are able to get out this season and sit in a stand together, even if just to watch the sunset. Prayers for your Dad and the whole family.

 

[lkydvl]

My father passed when I was around 7. Never had the chance to do much with him as he was fighting cancer for years. My uncles and extended family from Illinois hunted pheasants every Fall. I was taken along on those hunts carrying my BB gun. Being part of that family tradition still brings me joy.
Cherish those memories and if possible one last "stand with Dad".

 

[coreydb]

God bless your dad.....he raised you well

 

[Jbrsol]

Tough break with your dad, but that buck is a trophy! Hope the memories bring a smile to his face.

 

[Nyati]

Well done, congrats !

 

[eyedok]

Fisher County TX? We have a place between Rotan and Hamlin, have seen some giants killed up there this year, congrats on a nice deer, lost my dad to COVID, tough times your going thru

 

[AustinL]

Yes sir Fisher County Tx, I am just north of Rotan on the double mountain fork of the brazos. I think the whitetail are better out your way but we have a mix of whitetail, mule deer and some aoudad

 

[AZDAVE]

Congratulations on a nice deer.

prayers for your dad, I hope you are able to share a stand with him this year.