king' s outdoor world - Index

king' s outdoor world - Hunting Illustrated April/May 2008 - Index

others, I fi gured it was in the bush covered in snow. It
would have to wait. Well, the nephew was off of school
for Easter break, so Alexis and I took him out shed hunting.
As I said earlier, he is eighteen years old and, as with most
eighteen-year olds, his favorite words are, “Yeah, yeah,
I know.” Don’t get me wrong, he is a fi ne young man
and very respectful. We are both very proud of him. But,
hence, his nickname is affectionately, “18.” The three of
us had walked for a few hours with not much success. I
had picked up two little fork-horned mule deer sheds and
one older medium muley shed with neither Lexy nor 18
fi nding anything. I told them that we were in the area
where I had found the nice whitetail and to keep their eyes
open. I showed 18 exactly where I had found it. Then
I worked my way into the bush and almost immediately
found an older, heavy whitetail shed. I called both my
partners over to have a look as it was pretty cool how it
was covered in the brush and grass. As 18 got to within
twenty feet of me, I saw him bend down and lift an antler
above his head. Yes, it was the match to my whitetail
and had a fi ve to six-inch drop tine! Success! We had
high fi ves all the way around and nothing but smiles on
our faces. Like any good nephew would, he gave me the
antler to match up the set. His aunt laughingly said, “He
didn’t have a choice!” This was only the second shed hunt
that he had ever been on and both were with me. He has
been successful each time and has been bitten hard by the
bug that will hopefully keep eating at his brain for years
to come. I am looking forward to watching 18 harvest his
fi rst deer this spring. He came along on a couple of good
hunts last fall and was a heck of a good bush pusher and
tracker - not to mention his strong back that becomes quite
handy when it is time to help haul them out.
Through my years of shed hunting, I have made
many new friends and learned so much. I’ve learned not
just about deer and how and where they shed, but the
environment that they live in. I’ve also learned quite a
bit about myself, my wife, my friends and my family. I
believe that I am a better person spiritually, mentally and
physically for it.
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