11/30/2005 - The steep, muddy terrain made for poor footing as Derrick Large and mentor Dean Mueller hiked a half-mile off the trail. Noting blaze orange to the north and east, they finally picked a ridge top along the west edge of Springbrook State Park. They were out of range of the nearby hunters, but were left with good shooting in one direction, perhaps as deer left the park for the nearby field late in the day.
Except the deer detoured in from that direction. The doe and two fawns fast-walked along the muddy slope as Large brought the 12-gauge shotgun up to his shoulder. One of the smaller deer offered the best shot. The first one brought it down. A subsequent shot finished it...and the 13-year-old West Des Moines youth had his deer. "It feels pretty good. (My) first one," smiled Large. "They described what it would be like out here. It helped a lot."
'They' were the officers and biologists who had taken Large and 24 other novice hunters through the ropes for the previous day during Springbrook's instructional deer hunt. With a whitetail population in need of thinning, and a list of prospective hunters and mentors, the park/education center was a natural location. Only antlerless deer could be taken. "We give them a quality outdoor experience and allow them to explore the sport of deer hunting," explained coordinator A. Jay Winter of the Department of Natural Resources. "We bring them into the classroom. We take them outdoors, to the shooting range and outdoor courses. Then send them out into the woods."
The mentors are the key. Most were fathers there with a son or daughter. There was also a grandpa, an uncle and a family friend or two. Last year, a first-time hunting mom was on board. In some cases, the mentor was a volunteer who had not met his 'charge' until Friday. Some novices themselves, some veteran hunters; each mentor sat through the Friday evening/Saturday morning sessions and stayed at the side of the youth hunter throughout the weekend. A $100 registration fee and valid deer tag were required for each hunter, many of which were sponsored by outdoor groups. Hunters, mentors and most instructors bunked and ate at the DNR's Education Center.
Some, like Large, had only to wait an hour or two. Others like Brent Smith headed back out Sunday. The 13-year-old, quickly nicknamed 'Schmooze' because of his mile-wide smile and sense of humor, had muzzleloader woes. Midday Sunday, though, his powder flashed. "He popped out from the ravine and I watched him come in to about 40 yards," recalled Smith, from Pella. "He worked into a clear spot...and I shot him when he came through." With multiple 'coaches,' Smith field dressed his deer and looked back. "It's a really nice place. There's tons of wildlife. It's nice and quiet. You get a lot of professional help...very friendly," he said.
For 16 of the kids, it meant going home with their first whitetail, or donating it to the HUSH program. But this was a time when you didn't really have to fire a shot. "The success is measured in the quality of the experience," assessed Winter. "Everyone is going away happy." Plans are already underway for next year's Springbrook session, with an eye out for an eastern Iowa hunt, too.
Third Time's a Charm
I might be slow, but I catch on eventually. Most hunters and deer follow the axiom that deer usually walk into or across the wind, not with it. Yet, twice this bow season, I had my back to the breeze as a nice eight-point buck interrupted his afternoon nap to come out to the pond below me for a drink...with the west wind tickling his tail. Each time I heard him, he was less than 15 yards away. The safety strap and tree trunk kept me from making the 180-degree turn in time.
Figuring we hadn't read the same book, I played it his way a few days ago and set up facing west. Right on schedule, 40 minutes before sunset, he began picking his way out of the multiflora choked ravine. With thirty seconds notice, I had the bow drawn as he approached the opening I had trimmed away, 15 yards below. The buck took four or five bounds after the hit...wobbled for a minute on the dam...and dropped. Even the drag out was going to be easy!
So much for going by the book.
Click Here To Return To The Previous Page
