The Little boy and his seven point buck

Kenny Ray and his first deer

Kenny Ray and I were joined this past weekend by his grandpa Richard Boninsegna {Tari's father},
and her brother Tony Boninsegna and his two boys Hunter and Dillion for the youth deer gun season.
On Saturday morning we all divide up for the morning hunt, Tony and Dillion to the tree stand below the cabin , and Richard and Hunter to the tree house, and Kenny Ray and I out the point. Kenny Ray and I got settled in some down trees in a bench, a flat area out on the point about ten after seven a.m.
At twenty after seven a.m. three deer ran past us at about fifty yards and quarting away, I nudged Kenny Ray and son look deer watch they might turn and come this way as they have a trail right out in front of us.However they did not they dropped of the edge of the point. Just as I settling back down and getting comfortable for what might be a long morning I caught some movement to my left about twenty yards to my left , I turned my head slowly and picked out a deer moving slowly threw the thicket and angling toward us a perfect broadside shot. I tapped Kenny Ray on the shoulder and whispered "a buck son, to my left" he slowly turned his body and brought up his gun and whispered I see him dad. I was slowly leaning back to give him a good shot , he finally pulled the trigger and those few seconds seem like an hour. I turned my head back to the deer and seen him turn and of half trot away in the same direction that he came in. I thought maybe he had missed again but I thought know you seen him hold steady. I said son let us sit here about ten or fifteen minutes and we will go track him. I looked at my watch twenty five after seven a.m. I waited what I thought was fifteen minutes and looked at my watch again twenty seven minutes after seven a.m. I could  not stand it any longer.
Come on son lets have a look,  I went over to where  I first seen the deer and where Kenny Ray shot at it, no blood just a small chunk of deer hair. I said son I think you just gave him a hair cut, no dad he said I know I hit that deer. So we followed the the trail behind him about ten yards and Kenny Ray said look some blood I went to him and son you did hit him , we followed a small blood trail about twenty yards and the trail stopped, and again doubt and disappointment set in my mind and I know his. I went out another ten yards looking for sign and nothing. I said son we may not find this deer, he was so disappointed, i swung out another ten yards in a semi circle looking for any possible sign and just as I was about to give up , I looked up the hill and there layed Kenny Ray's first deer, about fifty yards away from where he had shot him. I said son there is your deer he asked what as if he did not hear me, I again said son there is your deer just up above me. I reached the deer first and as Kenny Ray approached he said 'dad I got my deer,dad I got my deer" he was so happy , smiling and hugging me me I thought he was going to cry he was happy. I said son we have got to field dress him and drag him up the hill save some of that energy. Once we got the deer loaded into the truck we had to check him in Hirns gas station there in town and they took his picture with his first deer a seven point buck and posted on the bulletin board. I said son I never made the bulletin board but you did and smile got even bigger. As we started back to the cabin, Kenny Ray said dad let's go show Uncle Ken and dad will you take me to the cemetery and let me show grandpa. So we stoped and showed dad and then Uncle Ken. Where Uncle Ken congratulated him and asked Kenny Ray for a roast. Kenny Ray told him just as soon as the butcher finished he would get his roast.
    When we arrived back at the cabin, his grandpa Richard, Uncle Tony and the boys were there at the cabin taking a break and they came out to see his deer. they congratulated him on his first deer and he told them the story of you he got it. He then asked his grandpa Richard to take a photo of him with the deer on his shoulders. Tony and I picked up the deer and set it on his shoulders and his grandpa took
the above photo. Kenny Ray said he wanted a photo like that because I had my first deer on my shoulders in a photo. Kenny Ray then called his mother and his grandma Brewer , and cousin Lester and told his story to them. After the story telling was over we took the deer to the butcher, who had it finished in time for supper where I grilled fresh deer steaks for supper.
I found myself several times during this day thanking God not just for the animal but for my son and the family that I got to share this very special day in my sons life, and I hope that somehow my dad got to share it also. Every man wants his son to be better than himself, mine already is, thank you Lord.