Wesley and his family arrived in Goldthwaite last Wednesday, the 30th, in time for an afternoon hunt. Wesley hadn’t gotten a deer this season and he was primed for success on this one. His Cousin, Sean had nailed a spike during this years youth season.

We headed out, Wesley and his Dad, Paul, went to Ma-Maw’s blind and I chose a hide where two, well used deer trails crossed. Three deer came to the feeder shortly after Wesley and Paul had settled down, but he couldn’t get a shot because the biggest doe kept bobbing her head feeding, so he waited impatiently.

Not long after I had settled into my hide I saw movement crossing one of the trails. It was a cat, a big cat, quartering toward me. My first thought was, Why am I sitting here curled into a big cedar tree when what may be a mountain lion coming toward me? Then I saw the cat’s short tail. Picking out an opening in the thick brush, I centered my cross hairs on where I hoped the cat would cross. He did. I fired and it dropped like a rock.

Stepping out of my hide, I took two steps and heard, craak, from the direction of Ma-Maw’s blind. Sounded like a .223, Wesley had shot and I hoped he had scored. He told me, “Poppy, the deer kept bobbing its head, but when you shot, it raised its head and held it up for several seconds. My Dad told me to take her and I fired, a perfect head shot and down she went!”

Here are both of us with our kills. Notice that Wesley, with the big smile, has followed a family tradition and daubed some of the deer’s blood under his eyes.
A good ending to two good hunts!