Great news! I've mentioned the Eglin Air Force Base military reservation on here before and the outdoor recreational opportunities it provides. Among other things they have a drawing every year for a youth hunt (one of several such hunts they do) This year I submitted an application for my oldest grandson, James, and this morning I got a phone call from Jackson Guard (the division that overseas conservation and recreation on the reservation) notifying me that he'd been selected.
I chaperoned the grandson of a fiance on one such hunt about 15 years ago and it was great. They take the youths onto an area of the reservation that's normally closed to civilians and place them on a stand for a two day hunt. The success ratio is around 75% - 80% for making at leastb1 kill. The kids (ages between 10 and 15) are allowed up to 2 deer (1 of which can be antlerless) if I remember correctly. Also they're allowed an unlimited number of feral hog and coyote.
Of course there's no guarantee of a kill but it's always a fun time. Now to work out the details with my daughter about whether she'll let him camp with me near the hunt muster.
I chaperoned the grandson of a fiance on one such hunt about 15 years ago and it was great. They take the youths onto an area of the reservation that's normally closed to civilians and place them on a stand for a two day hunt. The success ratio is around 75% - 80% for making at leastb1 kill. The kids (ages between 10 and 15) are allowed up to 2 deer (1 of which can be antlerless) if I remember correctly. Also they're allowed an unlimited number of feral hog and coyote.
Of course there's no guarantee of a kill but it's always a fun time. Now to work out the details with my daughter about whether she'll let him camp with me near the hunt muster.
Fantastic hunt none-the-less! The first day James did shoot a huge buck. His first shot ever at a live deer and he knocked it for a loop! (barely 15 minutes after shooting light!) It went down hard and lay there behind some thick brush. Meanwhile he spotted a coyote that had been trailing the buck! Unfortunately two things went bad then: 1) the coyote spotted James at the same time and took off before he got a shot, and 2) when we went down to check the deer, it came back too and took off like it had suffered no more than a bee sting! James was shooting 165 grain 30-06! He got off two more shots at it as it ran off but missed those. The guide and some of the assistants tracked it with dogs for 3/4 mile before they lost it. They suspect he hit a little high and just stunned it (near the spine without being close enough to break it)
