RAE: (Whispering) There's another one.
Buck, buck, buck, buck.
GRANT: (Whispering) Where?
Where?
RAE: (Whispering) Buck.
It just passed out, pass the Crabapple thing.
GRANT: (Whispering) I don't see it...
RAE: (Whispering) Does coming out towards ...
GRANT: (Whispering) Stay on the buck, stay on the buck.
I'm on it.
RAE: (Whispering) I can't find it.
GRANT: (Whispering) No, he's coming, he's coming.
RAE: (Whispering) Okay.
GRANT: (Whispering) Up here and stop.
RAE: (Whispering) Okay.
GRANT: First week of November and another buck falls at The Proving Grounds.
GRANT: You are the girl.
Give me a hug, baby girl.
Ooooo, you did good.
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GRANT: My wife, Tracy, and I are very dedicated to raising our children to enjoying Creation,
knowing who the Creator is, and being productive and honest citizens.
GRANT: (Inaudible) Perfect Raleigh.
GRANT: Usually your first two shots will be a little further apart because the barrel
goes from being cold to hot and that that changes how it adjusts.
RALEIGH: Shooting.
GRANT: It don't take much time.
When she's ready to go, she's ready to go.
TRACY: That's shooting.
GRANT: That is an outstanding group Raleigh.
Outstanding.
You are, you you shot a group smaller than a dime.
RALEIGH: Umm, hmm.
GRANT: Take your time.
Great shot.
GRANT: Most of these important lessons can't be found in a textbook and we've opted to
use outdoor activities, and primarily hunting, as a way to reinforce these lessons.
GRANT: By the time youth season rolled around, both our girls had shot a lot of rounds from
the bench and hunting positions.
They knew their weapon, they were confident in their shooting skills, and ready to have
some fun.
GRANT: If you're taking some new shooters, or youth shooters out to practice, make sure
you've got the appropriate safety equipment and what I call comfort equipment.
I used a Lead Sled to take all the recoil out of the rifle.
That way they can concentrate on shooting and having fun, and not worrying about the
kick of a deer rifle.
GRANT: Some folks worry about going out and checking cameras right during season, but
that's not a worry for us here at The Proving Grounds.
GRANT: You've heard me talk many times about MRI, most recent information.
So we ran our trail cameras before youth season to see if we could get a pattern.
BRIAN: Today, AJ and I are out, we're gonna check the Reconyx, do a little scoutin', see
which Redneck the girls need to be in come Saturday morning.
And we're really gonna be paying close attention to our scent control today since the rut's
getting close.
GRANT: We try to schedule checking our cameras in mid-day, where deer probably won't be active
where the cameras are located, and we wear LaCrosse hip boots to really eliminate most
of the scent we would put in that area.
We're like a Ninja, just sliding in to get that data.
GRANT: After we'd pulled the cards and checked the pictures, we had a pretty good feeling
Raleigh or Rae would have a chance of encountering a buck here at The Proving Grounds.
GRANT: A north wind is perfect to hunt out of a Redneck Blind we have on the south side
of our largest food plot and feeding field that we call Crabapple.
GRANT: I limit the hunting pressure on Crabapple field and save it for when my children or
my father have a chance to hunt.
GRANT: As the sun broke and got over the horizon, it was a beautiful morning with the leaves
at about peak color here in the Ozarks.
GRANT: About mid-morning, two does and two fawns fed across the field.
Raleigh had an antlerless tag, but she was determined to wait for a buck on opening day.
GRANT: That buck never appeared but Raleigh wasn't upset, knowing she had more time to
hunt.
GRANT: During the night, the wind shifted to be out of south and Raleigh and I went
to a ridge top food plot called Boom Back.
GRANT: About mid-morning, we both noticed two deer at the very far edge of the field
on a logging road that leads to the field.
GRANT: We identified them as a doe and fawn and I certainly gave Raleigh the go ahead
to take the doe if she wanted.
She was gonna wait for an antlered buck during the early part of the season.
And it wasn't long 'til I spotted antlers coming down that same logging road.
GRANT: It was a good looking two year old buck, but Raleigh made the choice to pass
because it wasn't any larger than the buck she harvested last year.
GRANT: As often happens this time of year, the doe went in the woods and left the fawn
in the field feeding.
The young fawn fed within five yards of us and didn't know we were anywhere in the world;
crunching acorns and eating the Broadside food plot mix.
GRANT: Seeing fawns by their self in food plots during the first of November is a great
sign that the chase phase of the rut has started.
GRANT: Oftentimes, does will abandon their fawns for 24 to 36 hours as they're tended
by the buck and pair up later.
So this time of year, if you start noticing multiple fawns in open areas or food sources
without mature does with them, it's time to maybe think about hunting travel corridors
that where bucks are gonna be passing through as they're seeking does as the chase phase
has started.
GRANT: That afternoon, my 11 year old daughter, Rae, had the opportunity to hunt.
Once again, a strong south wind was forecast, so Rae and I went to a Redneck Blind that's
right between Tracy's Field and Blue Hole.
GRANT: As we were just starting to switch positions and get Rae oriented towards that
field, a buck ran into the field and pushed the doe up in the woods while the fawn, once
again, stayed in the field.
GRANT: (Whispering) See how she keeps looking back?
RAE: (Whispering) Yeah.
GRANT: (Whispering) There's a good shot, could you make that shot?
RAE: (Whispering) Yeah.
GRANT: (Whispering) Okay.
Are you solid?
Are you stable?
RAE: (Whispering) Yeah.
GRANT: (Whispering) Perfect.
GRANT: The fawn stayed in the field, as we've discussed earlier, and often occurs this time
of year.
The fawn will take a bite out of the food plot and look up toward the woods, telling
me that the doe and that buck weren't far away.
GRANT: I told Rae to stay focused on that area and I felt very confident we'd see that
buck again.
GRANT: Finally, the fawn left the field, but I remained confident that sometime before
dark, we'd see a buck cruising that area.
I really like using the DeadShot FieldPod, especially for taking younger kids hunting
'cause they don't have to hold the gun up, on the ready all the time, and be tired and
shaky before a shot presents itself.
GRANT: A little bit before dark, a fawn I assume is the same one, reentered Tracy's
Field.
RAE: (Whispering) Another one.
GRANT: And not long after, a mature doe followed behind.
RAE: (Whispering) Oh that is a weird deer.
No it's not.
There's another one.
Buck, buck, buck, buck.
GRANT: (Whispering) Where?
Where?
RAE: (Whispering) Buck.
It just passed out, pass the Crabapple thing.
GRANT: (Whispering) I don't see it.
RAE: (Whispering) They're running each way.
GRANT: (Whispering) Oh yeah.
RAE: (Whispering) The doe's coming out towards me.
GRANT: (Whispering) Stay on the buck, stay on the buck.
Come on.
RAE: (Whispering) I can't find it.
GRANT: (Whispering) No, he's coming.
He's coming.
RAE: (Whispering) Okay.
GRANT: (Whispering) Come up here and stop.
RAE: (Whispering) Okay.
(Inaudible)
GRANT: (Whispering) Come up here and stop, it's okay.
RAE: (Whispering) Okay.
GRANT: (Whispering) Now, swing to the other side of Crabapple (inaudible).
RAE: (Whispering) I can't get it.
GRANT: (Whispering) Okay.
He's open, there he is right there.
There he is.
RAE: (Whispering) I can't.
GRANT: (Whispering) When he stops, shoot him.
RAE: (Whispering) I can't get -- oh there he is.
I got him, I got him.
GRANT: (Whispering) Shoot him.
RAE: (Whispering) You ready?
Three, two.
GRANT: You nailed him, Rae.
You nailed him.
I got it on film.
GRANT: Yes.
GRANT: You nailed him.
You nailed him.
GRANT: I got it?
I got him?
GRANT: Shoot him again, shoot him again, Rae.
GRANT: I don't...
Put me in, move me in.
GRANT: (Whispering) You're good.
RAE: (Whispering) Okay.
Anywhere?
GRANT: Whenever you're ready.
RAE: Okay.
GRANT: Hit him right in the neck, Rae.
Hit him, hit him.
RAE: I tried to get...
GRANT: You hit him.
You hit him.
RAE: I got him?
Okay.
GRANT: Yeah, yeah.
He's going down.
RAE: Okay.
(Inaudible) Shoot him again?
GRANT: Shoot him.
If you can hit him, shoot him, Rae.
RAE: I think I might have got him.
He's down.
GRANT: You killed him, Rae.
RAE: Okay.
Multiple shots, but I think I'm good.
GRANT: I had all, you are the girl.
Give me a hug, baby girl.
Oooo, you did good.
RAE: Can I take these thingies off me?
GRANT: Yeah, you can take your hearing protection off.
You're the girl, Rae.
RAE: Do you think he would've went down with the first one?
GRANT: Yep.
He was definitely went, you made a good shot right here in the first one...
RAE: Uh-huh.
GRANT: ...just you're wise not to let him suffer.
RAE: Okay.
I don't like animals suffering.
GRANT: I don't either, but he didn't, he didn't know what hit him, Rae.
You hit him so hard.
Let me...
RAE: Okay.
GRANT: You want to tell mommy?
RAE: Yeah.
TRACY: Hello?
RAE: Hey, I got a buck.
TRACY: You did?
RAE: Yep.
TRACY: All right!
GRANT: Soon as those calls were made, we scurried out of the blind, while the light was fading,
so Rae could get her hands on that buck.
RAE: Eight pointer.
GRANT: Eight pointer?
Yeah, there you go.
RAE: Okay and then, so it finally landed over here.
So this is my first shot; that's my second shot; and in the bottom is my four, third
shot.
So, yep.
GRANT: And I'm trying to find a doe, and you said buck, buck, and I'm really searching
to find a buck in the camera and you just took over from there.
RAE: Yep.
And then he started running and so then I had to wait until he stopped for just a bit,
and then I shot him.
GRANT: Yep and you made a great shot.
I could see the bullet impact on the first shot.
I knew it was great, but daddy didn't want to drag that long ways, so I had you shoot
again.
GRANT: Enjoying all the mystery and the pure pleasure of hunting is where I hope all hunters
can be, no matter how many bucks they've tagged in their careers.
GRANT: That's your fourth deer.
RAE: Hmm...
GRANT: And biggest buck to date.
RAE: Yep.
GRANT: Just like Rae and I, I hope you have some moments to go hunting this week and enjoy
Creation, and more importantly, find some time to be quiet and listen to what the Creator
is saying to you.
Thanks for watching GrowingDeer.tv.
GRANT: This year, in addition to waving the flag, make sure you take time to thank a veteran,
set them down, look 'em in the eyes, and tell them what a blessing they've been to our nation.
UNKNOWN: Got her eyes closed.
RAE: Well, I kinda (inaudible) one of those interrogation rooms.
Yeah, um, I was really excited about it.
(Laughing) I don't know what else to say.