Taking Matti Hunting

Taking a doe late in the season can be tough for a veteran. For some reason it seems that does become scarce as the season draws to a close. But on this hunt it wouldn’t be me trying to fill my tag. The hunter is my 9 year-old daughter, Matti.

Matti has been hunting with me since she could walk and there are many times that our hunts were cut short because of her age. It can be tough for a hunter regardless of age to sit patiently in sometimes uncomfortable conditions when the animals simply didn’t show up. But that is part of what hunting is about, being patient.

Carrying her .243 Savage, Matti and I climbed the ladder to our elevated box blind. It was 45 minutes before daylight, still black dark. The windows of the blind closed tightly. But not enough to keep the stiff north wind from whistling through the gaps. It was cold and I had little confidence that we would see any deer at all. But Matti had insisted that I take her, so I did.

We huddled up close together to stay warm and waited for the sky to brighten and the temperature to rise. “Daddy, I’m cold. Can I sit on your lap?” Matti whispered. I was cold too and her words brought a smile to my face as I put her in my lap. She placed her head on my shoulder and snuggled up to me. I forgot the cold and the hunt and began to think back to all the great times we had shared together outdoors in her 9 years. Then she fell asleep.

I began to remember when she was only a few weeks old and how I would hold her in my arms. She would drift off to sleep and I would hear her softly breathing. Obviously, without a care in the world. On this particular morning, I again held my little girl as she slept.

Usually, I am like a bird dog on point when hunting. Always hoping the unexpected keeps me alert. But today was different. It wouldn’t have mattered what kind of deer showed up, I wasn’t going to ruin her nap or my emotions that were present.

Finally, a doe appeared less than 50 yards away and I woke up my young hunter. “I wasn’t sleeping,” she said. “I was just thinking about how fun this was.” I whispered for her to get the rifle and prepare for her shot.

We felt the bite from the cold wind as soon as I opened the window. Matti took aim and I waited for her to slide the safety forward to the fire position. It was taking much longer than I expected and finally the doe walked off. “Daddy, something is wrong with me,” she said in a worried voice. She was shaking badly and said she was not sure of her aim. “I think I got buck fever,” she said.

I took the rifle and leaned it in the corner of our stand and closed the window. Matti crawled back on my lap and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “You’re not mad are you?” she questioned. All I could do was smile and give her a warm hug. She knew my answer.

Hunting with your children can be an emotional time. The peace, quite and warmth of being together is what makes for everlasting memories. On this special morning we didn’t even pull the trigger. But we had one of the best hunts a Daddy could ever have.