One of those days

[cypressfarms]

Ever had one of those days when nothing really turns out as planned?

Yesterday my dad was supposed to take me and my son, John, duck hunting. We didn't go; dad made a ton of excuses; everything from the weather, to there probably wasn't any ducks, to it was too muddy. What my dad didn't realize was that my son couldn't care less if we killed a duck or not. He also couldn't care less about the weather. He's 6, and for him the "ultimate" day is to spend it with dad and Paw Paw no matter what we do. John's at that age where I'm taking over with him. He has two sisters, and he's the baby - so I don't want mom or the sisters to make a "sissy" out of him. Sorry if that sounded politically incorrect, but that's the way it is. He used to be scared to touch a fish, or a dove/duck. Now he wants to go fishing and hunting, and since I'm healthy now I'm dang sure gonna do my best.

So since we couldn't go duck hunting I came up with the idea of dove hunting behind the house. Our barn is only a couple of hundred yards from the house, and I've been seeing tons of ring neck doves at the barn - eating the corn and other feed that I've been giving calves. So I decided that we'd go sit in the barn and wait. We were all camoflauged out, in full regalia. I had my 12 gauge loaded. John is old enough to know if your "fake" hunting so we did the real deal. We had a great time together, but the highlight is when John wanted to walk out under a pecan tree close by. I said no problem, so we walked out and sat at the base of the tree. This pasture that we were in is what I call my "barn" pasture. It's about 6 acres, and I use it to feed out calves, train horses, store hay in the barn, etc. This is where we were "hunting". Within 5 minutes of us carefully hiding so we could get a shot, here come the calves. I should have realized that when the calves see me, they think "FOOD!", so I should have known what would happen.

So ofcourse the tamest calf of the bunch came up to us and decided to plant a big wet one on John. John was still in his hunting mode so he was perfectly still. I was laughing so loud I had to take my i-phone out and snap some pictures.

We didn't have any doves come even close to us, and it didn't really matter. John had a great time, and that's ALL that mattered. Sometimes things have a way of happening that make you see life real clearly. Nothing matters in my life now but my kids and wife. Making them happy is #1 priority. Thankfully, John was happy (as you can see by his face) yesterday. No we didn't go duck hunting, but we had a good time. That's what it's all about.

May all of you have as great of a new year as my son gave me yesterday! Here's a pic of the heifer (we call her "milk mouth" for obvious reasons) getting up close and personal with John:

 

[tmlonghorns]

What a great story. You are so right.....at that age he didn't really care what you two were doing, he just wanted to be with you. My little guy is 2 1/2 and I try to take him everywhere with me, even if it means sometimes that I get slowed down.
GREAT JOB!

 

[Isomade]

Sounds like it turned into one of those days you will never forget. My son is 15 months old. He thinks Da, (that's me) and tractors are the greatest things on earth. When we bought a new tractor this week a buddy seat was a must have. We rode around for half an hour tonight just because he likes it so much.

 

[upfrombottom]

Good for you and your son.

I used to take both my daughter and my son fishing and hunting. My daughter is three years older, so she and I hunted by ourselves for awhile before the boy was old enough. When she got older, she kinda got into girly things and wouldn't go with me. She is married now and has two boys and a girl. I've taken her boy's a time or two, but her husband is an avid hunter and takes the kids all the time and I don't want to interfere with that, so I wait until one of them calls and wants to go. Well, two years ago my daughter decided she wanted to go deer hunting and called and asked if I would take her, I was thrilled. She took a pritty good dear and poked fun at her husband with it. He claimed that I took her to alot better spot than he had been hunting, so she called me and asked if I would take him and she was going to go hunt his stand. She wound up taking one bigger than the first one.

My son and I hunt together all the time. He has taking two really nice dear this year, and has been poking fun at me because I haven't. He don't know it, but I get alot more enjoyment out of watching them do it than me.

I took a young man quite a few years ago that had never been. His parents weren't hunters so they never would take him. I really didn't know how to go about it, because I had started my kids out young and this guy was 23. All he knew about hunting, he had gotten from reading magazines. So I asked him if he wanted to try and hunt by himself or did he want to start out like me and my kids had started. He said like I had started, so he and I sat beside a tree together for three days and he finally took a doe. He is an avid hunter now, he no longer lives here, but comes in for holidays, and never fails to call and tell me how much he enjoyed those three days.

I can tell you from the hunting experiences that I had with my dad, that the memories do last a lifetime.

 

[piedmontese]

i have 5 boys ages 22,20,19,17 and 16.we have had alot of good times but i also missed too many good times because i thought i had to work.nine years ago we had a beautiful little girl,which i thought would b nice for the wife but man is she ever my little buddy.not a tomboy by any means which suits me just fine.i try to always take the time to do all the little things with her as this is our last child and i want to have no regrets.kids are awesome and can make a real bad day good with just a little smile.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Heck I am the one that gets excited now when my baby 30 years old calls and starts planning a hunt.
I still rather him get one than me until he starts bragging. Then the old man puts on the A game and still out shoots him. This will not last much longer as I am finding this a more difficult task each passing year.
Couple years ago got a new set of progessive bifocals, dove came smoking by( had a very large jet rammed up his butt) took bead with my old 16 double and touched off the mod barrel followed by the full. Son hollered across the pasture Dad why did you shoot twice. I replied there was two doves when I looked down the barrel so I shot them both, at this point he was rolling on the ground laughing. I threw those progressive bifocals away, went back and got a new pair with the lines in them like they are supposed to be.

 

[Anonymous]

I love getting my kids out fishing or hunting. I didn't start hunting until about 10 years ago, so I want to make sure my kids know what its all about. Not just shooting things dead. Getting away, enjoying the outdoors in all its splendor. The sad part is that so many don't get the chance, or don't understand. Just yesterday I was joking around with an old friend from high school, saying what a boring person I was because I don't go out on New Years Eve. Her response was " your not boring, I am. At least you kill things". She doesn't get it, and probably never will. I'm the odd one because I raise my own animals and hunt. To me, the odd ones are the people that don't or won't.
Great stories, keep em coming!

 

[3waycross]

The first time I ever took my two older boys duck hunting we shot a blind on what we called island lake. The lake itself is only about an acre and the island blind is right in the middle. Well I had shot close to a limit and I didn't want them all over the lake so I told the boys I am gonna take the boat and go pick them up.
They had been a pain in the --- all morning running around and scaring the ducks so when I left them in the blind they werent sure I was coming back for them.

As I was rowing away I heard the little one say I don't think he gonna come back for us cuz we've been bad. Then I hear the older one tell him. It's OK he'll be back if he leaves us momma will kill him. I laughed so hard I almost fell out of the boat. If I can ever find it I will post the picture I took of those two in that pit blind. It's one of my favorite memories of all time.

 

[bigbull338]

your wrong you had a great day with your little boy even though things didnt go as planed.an you just cant beat that.2 days ago my neice had my great nephew outsise playing with his aunt.so i slipped out an went to the tractor.an when my great nephew seen me get on the tractor,he was grunting an lunging out of his mommas arms to grt on the tractor.so i fired it up put it in gear an sat him in my lapp.an he loved riding around an playing with the loader.i treasure those moments with my neices an nephews.

 

[dieselbeef]

my boy is 4..jus dont git no better

 

[cypressfarms]

Caustic,

I have to be careful with my dad. He will be turning 70 in 3 months, but he's still the best shot I've ever seen - not shooting clay pigeons, but the real things. We my brothers and I ( I was the baby by 6 years) would go hunting with dad he would let us "unload" our guns, and then calmly drop any birds left over. I never understood it. That man can shoot his Remington 870 pump faster and more accurate than I can shoot my 1100 auto. All three of us brothers became good shots, because the worst feeling is missing everything to have dad drop them after you emptied your gun. Humbling experience, but he would always tell us pointers, like "that was a wood duck son, he's flying 90 to nothing and you only get one chance - you lead him and shoot early, not like the fat mallard that's 50 feet away".

My dad is still a sportsman first. You never shoot ducks on the water (you scare them up first and shoot on the wing), and if you wound a bird you kill it quickly. Oh yeah, there is no such thing as a "lost" bird. You keep looking until it's found. I think most "green" people would be amazed how "ethical" hunters are. We are not just people who "kill" animals. I really only hunt ducks and doves because I like the sport and I'm not fond of sitting in a deer stand for four hours to see nothing. Rarely do you go duck hunting and see nothing; you may not get a good shot, but chances are you'll see something - ofcourse I do live on the Mississippi flyway.

Sorry for the long wind; like most everyone else I have some really good memories of hunting with my dad. I intend to do the same with my son. I nearly fell out when my dad told my 6 year old that when he got bigger he would give him a 22 rifle that belonged to my great grandfather. I'd been eying that gun for years, but now I think it would be just great for John.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Caustic,

I have to be careful with my dad. He will be turning 70 in 3 months, but he's still the best shot I've ever seen - not shooting clay pigeons, but the real things. We my brothers and I ( I was the baby by 6 years) would go hunting with dad he would let us "unload" our guns, and then calmly drop any birds left over. I never understood it. That man can shoot his Remington 870 pump faster and more accurate than I can shoot my 1100 auto. All three of us brothers became good shots, because the worst feeling is missing everything to have dad drop them after you emptied your gun. Humbling experience, but he would always tell us pointers, like "that was a wood duck son, he's flying 90 to nothing and you only get one chance - you lead him and shoot early, not like the fat mallard that's 50 feet away".

My dad is still a sportsman first. You never shoot ducks on the water (you scare them up first and shoot on the wing), and if you wound a bird you kill it quickly. Oh yeah, there is no such thing as a "lost" bird. You keep looking until it's found. I think most "green" people would be amazed how "ethical" hunters are. We are not just people who "kill" animals. I really only hunt ducks and doves because I like the sport and I'm not fond of sitting in a deer stand for four hours to see nothing. Rarely do you go duck hunting and see nothing; you may not get a good shot, but chances are you'll see something - ofcourse I do live on the Mississippi flyway.

Sorry for the long wind; like most everyone else I have some really good memories of hunting with my dad. I intend to do the same with my son. I nearly fell out when my dad told my 6 year old that when he got bigger he would give him a 22 rifle that belonged to my great grandfather. I'd been eying that gun for years, but now I think it would be just great for John.

I know what you mean about that generation drawing a fine bead, I used to shoot competition trap and never did out shoot my dad in the field. I remember as a boy Dad would hand me his old L.C. Smith and two shells, you had better draw a fine bead if you wanted anything.
I have Dad's Model 97, I have killed too many deer to count with that old gun, also have his Model 11 that is stamped UMC. Both of those shotguns are over a hundred years old and still function flawlessly. I have decided to pass them to my two grandsons, I am going to pass my Brownings on to my boys.

 

[Calman]

Anytime one of the family members call to go hunting,it is boosted to top priorty wheither it be grandchildren,daughters sons,or soninlaws and daughterinlaws.I've hunted with all of them at one time or other.I would not want them to miss out on the joy's like the hunts I had with my Dad.
He's been gone for several years now but I still think of the hunting time with him everytime I go hunting and it still brings a smile to this old man's face.

Cal

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Unlike most of you - I was born & raised in the city. Never even knew anyone that hunted. So, all my hunting experiences are with my husband - which are truly wonderful. Now, we have nephews & grand nephews from R.I. come out every year. Our house turns into a hunting camp for 6 days. We have a small house, and we had 13 people here this Thanksgiving - wall to wall air mattresses. The "other" females do all the shopping & cooking - I hunt with the guys :banana: :banana: I do cook all the breakfasts - after a morning of hunting - but, I don't have to do any of the clean up :banana:

 

[dieselbeef]

u do the gutting and skinnin too?

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

u do the gutting and skinnin too?

I do all my own field dressing. Hubby skins & I cut up & package. Hubby is still trying to get one better than mine - years ago - but my best is an 11 point - has 13" tines. Never had it scored.

 

[cypressfarms]

u do the gutting and skinnin too?

I do all my own field dressing. Hubby skins & I cut up & package. Hubby is still trying to get one better than mine - years ago - but my best is an 11 point - has 13" tines. Never had it scored.

Now that is a real woman! You sure your not a redneck or a coonass Jeanne?

Just thinking about this thread made me call my dad and thank him for all those hunts with me (I can only imagine how many shots he missed with a young squirmy kid makind noise), and hopeful future hunts! He had the perfect reply: Thank me by doing the same for your son. No way I could have said it better.

 

[fit2btied]

...Just thinking about this thread made me call my dad and thank him for all those hunts with me (I can only imagine how many shots he missed with a young squirmy kid makind noise)...

I can remember my grandpa taking my nephew, my brother, and me squirrel hunting. We'd throw a little rock or such off through the trees and he'd whisper, "Shhhhh, shhhhh, don't move." The joke was on us though. He and we would freeze in our tracks (as well as a 10, 11, and 12 yr-old could) for 20 or 30 minutes, waitin' for that squirrel to move again! Sure wish we could go with him one more time, now that we are 54, 55, and 56, but only slightly more mature!

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

u do the gutting and skinnin too?

I do all my own field dressing. Hubby skins & I cut up & package. Hubby is still trying to get one better than mine - years ago - but my best is an 11 point - has 13" tines. Never had it scored.

Now that is a real woman! You sure your not a redneck or a coonass Jeanne?
Just thinking about this thread made me call my dad and thank him for all those hunts with me (I can only imagine how many shots he missed with a young squirmy kid makind noise), and hopeful future hunts! He had the perfect reply: Thank me by doing the same for your son. No way I could have said it better.

Thank you - yes REDNECK and I'd take that as a compliment!!! I am just the opposite to a "dolly domestic" - even at my ripe old age, I'm more of a TomBoy. Got more men friends than lady friends. :banana:
And, yes, take that little one hunting & don't forget fishing!! We still fish in a wooden canoe.