Took my 12 year-old grandson Noah hunting this morning. Cold and frosty and about 25 degrees. Had set up a feeder just for him a couple months ago in hopes of him shooting his first buck. It's a gravity feeder with a circle of 10 hog panels around it. Been getting pics of at least 2 legal bucks that would be off limits to any adult, but since I own the place and have been feeding them for years I thought sacrificing one for him was fine.

We put out a whole sack of corn yesterday outside the pen in a straight line so maybe he wouldn't have to shoot through the wire panels. The feeder is about 150 yards from the stand. First buck jumps in the pen at 7:30 a.m. but wasn't legal. He leaves after about 15 minutes, so we wait. I tell him to just be patient, we've got plenty of bucks that are nicer.

Now it gets interesting. Five bucks show up at 8:30 a.m. and hit the corn on the ground. Two were 17 inches wide or better. Got his rifle out the window and tried to get on one of them. As luck would have it, they were all in a wad. As soon as he would get trained on one that had moved outside the group, another would walk in front or behind. All this time, I'm coaching him on what to do and I know he's nervous. Finally this buck walks away and stops at 140 yards. I told him now is the time, while I'm looking through my binos at the buck. He says he's steady on him and fires the 6mm. The buck's whole body ripples, and the whole herd heads to the woods in a full run. I tell Noah to go get the Gator and come back. We find 2 tiny specks of blood in the woods. After about a 100 yard tracking job, there he lay in a gully. Don't know who was more excited, him or me!

He was a 17 1/2 inch 8-pointer.

Congrats! Nothing better than hunting with kids especially on their first.

Awesome right there! Congrats to the young man! Its something the both of you will never forget

That is awesome. I love reading stories about first bucks.

Very Nice, good job.

Great story and great job getting him out there. Congrats to you both on a nice buck

That's whats it's all about! Great Job.

Congrats! Hope you have many stories just like this.

allot better than my first, congrats to the young man

Awesome

great story!

Good deer and story.

Congrats to the both of you

Awesome

Congrats to the grandson!

Thanks everybody! I was so proud, drilled him right through the heart!

Congratulations to both of you ,you have made a memory that won't be forgotten

Congrats on a great first buck!

Teachin' him right!

The best thing about this is long after I'm gone, he'll remember this day!

Congrats on his first buck.

Great job and great story! This is the ultimate management plan. If we manage to get our kids and grandkids as passionate about hunting and the outdoors as we are that is what it's all about!

what county are you in ???