More excited for bow season than ever before...

and it has nothing to do with deer that I may shoot...

Riley will be hunting with me this year and that has opened up a whole new world and is making me feel like a kid again.

I introduced all my kids to the outdoors at an early age and bow killed a deer with each of them when they were 4.  I never attempted to push it on them and they wanted to go. Madi was so cute... She went with me a few times... Thought it was cool but did not really seem to take to it. Dawson went with me quite often... He at first seemed like he could take it or leave it but as time went on he seemed to get more into the adventure and especially the camp type hunts where we have time to cook and eat what we shoot or catch at the end of a successful trip.

Dawson still loves to go with me although he has never expressed much of an interest in shooting anything himself. He loves to just hang with Dad and has become my most reliable camera guy. That a bonus for me and we have a great time together.

I could tell things were going to be different with Riley. This kid wants in on whatever Dad is doing. We hunt, fish, process, and cook our game and fish together all the time. She seems seriously upset when she can't go. She has been begging to go and we decided that she was ready for the safety course this year.

I was mostly worried about the field portion of the test because I thought she may have a lapse in judgement and have her head somewhere else and fail. I was wrong she crushed that part but struggled with the written portion.

I think I was more devastated than she was. I felt bad for her and she was worried she had let me down. We scrambled to find another course and practiced even harder. I am so proud of the effort she put in and could tell she really wanted it! She again crushed the outdoor portion and then passed the written portion and became a licensed Maryland Hunter!

Riley and I have been practicing hard and scouting out our spots. She is a quick learner and a deadly shot with a bow and her Excalibur Matrix Cub! Things sure have changed since when I was a kid because I couldn't use a regular bow until I was 13 as I could not pull the legal weight. The crossbow has shortened the time for her to be in the woods by 5 years before my first hunt.

Another thing that has changed is the method of hunting and the amount of scouting that Daddy does... My Dad, Grandfather, and Uncles were my hunting crew when I was a kid. We had a blast but there was really no effort put in ahead of time... We just went hunting. I am crazy about scouting and trailcams so I feel like Riley is already a little Jaded when it comes to the bucks on the camera... Telling me today that the one small 8 point might not be big enough...

Uhhh, listen here kid... Lets discuss that if he steps out on Friday eve!

because #firstdeer