Youth Deer Hunting

Kelsey, Youth Hunter

From daddy Shawn:
"...Kelsey, strikes again with a very respectable 9 pointer during the youth deer season (she also got a 23lb turkey during the youth turkey season...but I can't find the pictures...maybe someday)...The best part though....getting to see my daughter add another one to the board. I am so thankful that she enjoys being out there with her 'old man'."

John,
Kelsey and I went out this weekend for the Missouri Youth deer season and we had a great time. This great buck was just the icing on the cake. Here is the story.....

Kelsey is 11 years old and got her first deer last year, a button buck, down here where we live. She told me she wanted to try for a "buck with horns" this year and I said we would give it our best shot.

On early Saturday morning we were sitting on the ground waiting for the deer to arrive....they did. We saw a total of 23 deer that morning, including three bucks (some we weren't sure of the sex). A small fork horn, the one pictured, and an even larger, taller, eight pointer. The bucks were looking for girlfriends, but the doe just aren't ready yet.....what an exciting time to be in the field. Unfortunately, the deer were all in a cut corn field about 250 yards away....too far to shoot, but close enough to watch. We got to see the big boys chase and check for about 15 minutes...it was quite a sight. Kelsey's fortitude was tested a few times with some close, easy shots on doe...but she said she wanted to wait...so we did.

The next morning we decided to set up near the cut corn field where all of the chasing was going on. It was drizzling and cold, but she is quite the trooper. At about 6:30am, we saw this buck chasing a doe over in the same spot where we were located the previous morning...such is deer hunting.

Kelsey was a bit disappointed, but I told her to be patient because the doe had broke off from the buck and he was all alone again. Well, about an hour later he decided to check that same corn field we were watching to see if any of the ladies were around....well there was one...just not the one he was hoping for. She made a great shot at a very close 25 yards and he went down in his tracks. I am pretty sure I was more excited than she was at the time....

She is becoming quite the accomplished hunter with two deer and one mature gobbler under her belt. Talk about pressure as her "guide". I am not sure we will be able to top this year's success, but the time together with her will be great regardless of what is in the back of the truck.

Good hunting, Shawn

We offer hunting for Mule and Whitetail Deer and for youth and every deer is a trophy. After the first buck we will encourage each youth hunter to work his way up to true trophy status.

Private land youth deer hunting allows parent and child the chance to be in the solitude of the woods with no one to set the wrong example.

A dependent child membership is one with the youth hunter age 18 and under in high school or 21 and under in college. The youth hunter must hunt under the direct control of a parent at all times on the same property at the same time. No youths are permitted to freelance at anytime.

Each state has special youth deer hunting season. We encourage all with children to participate in all youth hunts as one more chance to spend family days together.

Within MAHA we do not have trophy deer fees as we understand that trophy deer hunters are grown and not magically created. We do ask that the youth deer hunter once having harvested a racked buck then work to harvest bucks with only larger racks than what they have previously tagged and grow up to the 130 class for archery and 140 class and above for gun hunting.

In all cases, doe harvest by youth deer hunters should only be limited by what the family can consume or willingness to donate to a hunters for the hungry type program.