I enjoy hunting, fishing and the stories which always follow a trip to the great outdoors. Recently I received an email from David Garner who is an exceptional hunter, one who has hunted in many areas of North America for a variety of big game. Dave has harvested giant whitetail deer, bears, mountain goats, big horn sheep, elk, mule deer, wild hogs, pronghorn antelope, turkey and most other game animals available in our country. He and I have shared many memories together over the years. One time while following a blood trail of a deer which I shot, Dave told me that if I ever found a deer running backwards I would kill it for sure. He based his opinion on the numerous blood trails which he had to help me unravel because I would shoot running deer and hit them too far back. So far I haven't found that backwards running deer to shoot but over the many years since that time I have greatly improved my shooting. In the recent e mail Dave told me that he had just experienced his most memorable hunt. I began reading with interest as this man has experienced many great hunts.
"Tommy", he said "You always encourage sportsmen to share their outdoor experiences by introducing youngsters and non-hunters to hunting and fishing. So recently I took two of my grand-children on a bowhunt in the Ozarks. Tanner is 6 and has been shooting his own bow since he was 3 years old. Madison is three. I took the camo-clad kids to a good area and set them up in a portable treestand, but they were only 2 feet off of the ground. Madison sat on the seat of the stand while Tanner dangled his feet off of the platform. I had instructed the children that they could not talk because they would spook the deer. I put my stand in a tree about 25 feet away from the kids. Madison discovered that if she would lean as far as she could to one side she was able to reach the leaves on a nearby sapling. She would pull a leaf off the sapling and then put the leaf on Tanner's head. When Tanner would discover the leaf on his head, he would look up at the sky wondering where the leaves were coming from. Madison would cover her mouth and giggle, then put another leaf on Tanner's head. She would do this over and over until Tanner discovered that Madison was the culprit. Like any red-blooded American boy would do, Tanner jumped off the stand and scooped up all the leaves he could carry, then piled all the leaves on Madison's head. Then they would both giggle."
David continued, "Sometime a little later I saw a deer heading toward our stands. As the deer was approaching, Tanner says softly 'Hey Dave, do you have any water? I'm getting a little thirsty'. I held my finger over my lips to tell him to be quiet. Tanners' response is 'Dave, do you see a Deer?'. By now the deer has us spotted, but has not spooked yet. I decide that I would try to shoot the deer in the neck so it will be a clean kill or a miss. As soon as I release the arrow the nervous deer jumps and is gone before the arrow gets to it. The kids got really excited as they watched the deer run away.
Then Tanner discovered that if he held his bow by the string it is in just the right place to kick with his feet. When he kicks the bow, the arrows in his quiver makes the neatest clicking sound. Our hunt was officially over. The kids and I joined hands as they excitedly told their story about the deer running off and the leaves falling from the sky and what a wonderful time they had" Dave finished his story by adding, "This was my most memorable hunt ever!"
David Garner is my uncle and he taught me a lot of what I know about hunting. He is still passing his wisdom and knowledge on to future hunters. Way to go Dave!
Reprinted With Permission: Paxton Media Group
