FIRST HUNTS: HARLAN
Age 13
The most memorable part of this trip was shooting my first antelope. This was my third year hunting, but my first year hitting home on something other than a squirrel.
A very large part of hunting is the preparation. Packing, scouting, sighting in the rifles, and finding good areas to camp and hunt are just a few of the many preparations to pull the trigger, and harvest the animal.
The day that I got my animal all started when I woke up to the bright sun shining through the curtains, and my baby sister screaming at everyone to wake up. After a light breakfast all eight of us (four hunters, and four siblings) loaded into our 8-person SUV to start the day off. Although we saw many antelope throughout the day, finding the ones on huntable land was complicated (to say the least). As the day wore on the hunt became more complex. What if other hunters stole our spots? What if my loud siblings scared the animals away?
After a long day, the time came to head back to camp, but my brother (Jep) and I insisted on my dad taking us to shoot (what I thought) was the easiest, and dumbest critter with our .22 rifles. Too late was I to realize that gophers stay in their burrows at night to hide from predators. Not once that night did we even see a gopher, and sure enough, my dad had brought our larger rifles to hunt antelope.
After scouting for another half hour, we came to a spot where we had seen lots of animal signs, and there they were, below the ridge right in the middle of the valley. I went to the back of the truck, grabbed a gun, and slowly crept over the ridge. Not wanting to accidentally take two animals with one shot, I put my crosshairs on a doe to the left of the herd, then taking account of the hill incline and the range, I slowly squeezed the trigger. BANG! The shot was off down the hill, and into the animal.
After this series of events,my dad pulled the truck down the hill and into the valley, to make for a more convenient spot to field dress the animal.
I am glad that I got to go hunting. If I had to do it again, I would bring an extra water bottle.
I am excited for next year.