FML Outdoors.com

I’m pleased to welcome Jacob McIntosh as our contributing writer. Jacob has extensive hunting and fishing experience and will write about his adventures living in Northern Minnesota. I hear he has video and his family are great cooks! I’m looking forward to reading what Jacob comes up with! — FML Outdoors Editor, Scott Nelson

It’s That Time of the Year

With summer already on it last leg for the year and fall right around the corner, many outdoor enthusiasts are beginning to switch gears. Although there is still plenty of time to enjoy the warm weather, open water and all the fun that summer offers, I’ve noticed many (including myself ) starting to transition from summer mode to fall mode. Our thoughts and daydreams have gone from watching bobbers disappear beneath the water and tight-lining walleyes to falling leaves, cool temperatures, migrating waterfowl and if you’re a deer hunting fanatic like me, of course, big mature whitetail bucks chasing does up and down ridges on frosty November mornings.

My Obsession for Nature

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved nature and being outdoors. Like so many outdoorsman, I particularly love to hunt and fish. In fact, I will openly admit that I am a full-blown, 100% whitetail obsessed addict! Couple this with the deep passion for bowhunting and it really turns into a year-round pursuit. Lucky for me, my brother shares the same passion that I do!

Introduced to the outdoors by our father, we grew up in the woods and on the water and were hooked from the words “Bobbers-down!” Still, I don’t think that even my dad, or us for that matter, could have predicted the love we would have for it all and the wild obsession that it would grow into!

A Life Changing Experience

We grew up on the Mississippi River, where we constantly explored and honed our outdoor skills. We would fish every day in the summer and hunt nearly each day in the fall, all the while, gaining valuable experience and priceless memories. When we eventually moved to the woods of northern Minnesota, it was no different. One thing did change, however, we focused more on deer hunting than we ever had before. Whether it was the move, the quality hunting, the or all the fun we have — the experience has been life changing.

Many of us deer hunters can look back and recall our first deer like it was yesterday. Whether it was last season, or you think back through a lifetime of hunting memories, we all remember that special moment. We remember these times with smiles on our faces too!

Maybe you remember sitting high in a pine tree with an old Winchester model 94. Or perhaps it was your grandpa’s bolt-action .30-06. Whether you remember the snow falling or the sun shining, chances are it’s one of your fondest memories. In my case, one of my most cherished memories in the field isn’t from a big buck that I downed. I definitely have some great memories of wonderful experiences I’ll never forget, but by far one of my greatest experiences that I will cherish forever was the day my little brother bagged his first buck!

Justin’s First Buck

After tagging along for years, it was finally my little brother Justin’s long-awaited first official deer season! He was old enough to hunt himself, and we were all very excited about it. What was even more exciting was the fact that he decided a year earlier that he wanted to bag his first deer with a bow! So hundreds of trail camera pictures, hours of scouting video, and countless hours of shooting practice and preparation lead us to the early season morning of October 1st.

At 5:00 a.m. the alarm clock goes off and we jump out of bed like the-house-is-on-fire! It isn’t long and the smell of brewing coffee fills the house, as we don our camo, tighten our belts and find our favorite hat. After our hot chocolate and coffee, we grab our bows and head out. By the red glow of our headlamps we find our way from the back door of the house, through the dark-quiet woods and soon to our spot. Bows in hand — we crawl inside of a well-positioned ground blind. First my brother, as I hold his bow, then me. We’re situated on a ridge near the outside edge of a bedding area. We get settled in and ready for the morning’s hunt, with no idea of how special this day is about to become. Perhaps we settled in a little too well, since shortly after the sun rises we’re both curled up on the floor of the blind catching-up on what the alarm clock interrupted. Soon, our Z’s are once again cut short. This time — not by an alarm clock!

“Jacob…you hear that?” My brother whispers as a twig snaps and the sound of crunching leaves steadily approaches.

I told my brother, “I see a doe, a button-buck and what looks like a tall spike buck!”

This Is the Buck

“Yep.” I reply with a smile on my face. I slowly sit up and carefully peer out the side window of the blind to find three deer making their way right toward us. I told my brother I saw a doe, a button buck and what looked to be a tall-spiked buck. I watched as my brother’s eyes grew to the size of softballs, as he tried to spring to his seat. With at least three sets of eyes on us, I laughed as I was forced to hold my little brother down when the deer looked straight at the blind. After what felt like an eternity of this back and forth comedy, I finally get my brother to his seat and in a more appropriate shooting position. He took one look at the very tall spike and decided that was the buck for him!

“I want him!” He whispered with excitement. I explained that it was his tag and his choice. I told him that we still have a lot of season left and there’s a good chance you’ll get a crack at a bigger buck and even see this one again.

“I want him! I want him!” He continued. All the while during our discussion the deer are slowly moving out of range. By the time the decision is made and Justin gets into position, the buck turns and begins to walk away! Thinking that he just blew his chance and the buck was walking out of our lives forever, Jacob lets out a sigh of frustration. A sigh most hunters are all too familiar with!

At that point I grabbed my grunt tube and began to talk to the buck. Curiously, he only responded to very aggressive calling. The obnoxious sequence of grunts and bleats that ensued would be enough to have me committed by any hunter’s standards, but apparently it got his attention. The buck quickly turned and came walking right back like we were pulling him on a string. Our hearts began to race wildly as we made out the grayish-brown body and brightly polished headgear, moving through the brush on its way back in. This was it! He was going to get his chance!

I kept reminding my brother to take deep breaths, stay calm, and focus. Taking a second look, the buck pauses. He was about fifteen yards out and standing broadside, slowly moving to the side of the blind where Justin would get a perfect shot. I told my brother to slowly and quietly draw his bow.

“I can’t see him…I can’t see him” Justin whispered nervously at full draw.

“You will.” I assured him, knowing the buck was only steps away. Soon the deer stepped into view and my heart raced with anticipation. I was really rooting for my brother. I know first-hand how challenging bowhunting is and here he was — just twelve years old! I hoped for both our sakes that all the hard work was about to pay off and he would be rewarded. I had full confidence in him.

A Perfect Shot!

During the moment where my brother is at full draw and I can see the deer over his shoulder, our hearts feel like they’re going to beat right out of our chests! It feels like teetering on the cusp of the tallest drop on a roller coaster. Then, THWACK! Justin lets the arrow fly. We watched with intensity and amazement as the arrow disappeared behind the bucks shoulder. A perfect shot! The deer kicked and took off, going down 25-yards away.

The flood of emotion that followed is indescribable. We immediately erupted in celebration, hugging, high-fiving and rolling around the blind in laughter. I was so happy and proud of my little brother. I was so excited to share that experience together. Once we gave the deer proper time — you never saw two hunters scramble out of a blind so fast! We took time to appreciate the animal and take-in the moment. We gave thanks and respect to the deer and soon raced home to tell our parents.

It was truly something special for all of us, and I know we’ll cherish the experience forever. I grabbed one antler and my brother the other, as we dragged my brother’s first buck down the ridge, back home and into our memories forever.

What Matters Most

Shared experiences like this are hard NOT to look forward to. This is the time of year when we prepare and get to do it all over again! It’s also easier to understand where our love for the outdoors comes from. With so much emphasis today on the size of a buck’s rack, I prefer to remember this hunt. The buck my brother bagged that day was no monster, but the success of a hunt is measured in more ways than antler inches.

We may not be able to pin-point one moment where we become outdoor nuts, or a single day, place or time where we became completely enthralled and obsessed. It’s the culmination of great experiences in the outdoors — doing what we love with the ones we love.

October mornings like this is why we act like kids on Christmas, checking trail cameras or getting excited over the preparation. These are the sparks that ignite what becomes a roaring blaze of passion and pursuit.

I’m pretty sure he was hooked before, but if he wasn’t — I can guarantee my brother became a bowhunting addict immediately!

We’ve been extremely fortunate to grow up and share amazing experiences together. All of them special, but this one ranks with the best of them at the top of my list. For us it was a deer hunt shared by two young hunters, but it could be a summer at the cabin, a canoe or fishing trip, bird watching or whatever outdoor activity you enjoy. This IS what it’s all about! It’s the reason we do what we do and why we love it so much. Somewhere along the line it may have been a first of sorts, but it certainly won’t be the last, and I’m very thankful for that!