A deer harvest story

Candice and Liam Davis pose with Liam's first deer harvest taken during the Youth Deer Season on Nov. 2.

His eyes were as big as saucers as he sat frozen, staring at the doe almost 50 yards straight in front of him.

I waited for him to fire. He sat staring.

"Do you have it in the crosshairs where it's supposed to be?" I whispered as quietly as I could.

"Yeah," he whispered back, without breaking his gaze from his view through the scope.

I waited and looked back at the deer. I braced myself for the "boom" that would break the silence any moment. But there was no sound. I glanced back over at my ten year-old. He was as still as I'd ever seen him. I was sure the deer was going to turn and walk away any moment, but Liam still sat there, not moving a muscle. He peered through the scope, motionless. They were both frozen in the moment.

"Do you want to take the deer?"

"Yes," he whispered back.

Maybe he was just taking it all in. I worried he might be concerned about the kick to his shoulder from the rifle. I placed my left hand around his left shoulder and wrapped my right arm around his back to brace his upper right arm.

"When you're ready, take a deep breath," I whispered. "When you exhale, slowly squeeze the trigger, just like you practiced."

"Ok," he whispered, still focused on the view in the scope.

Then it happened.

Despite the practice and the intent of the hunt, there was still an element of surprise. It was loud. It was emotional. It was his first deer harvest. Like many life events, there is sadness as well as joy involved in the hunt and the harvest. I was proud to see my son's respect for the animal.

It was a serious responsibility and he was fully aware of that. We talked about knowing where our food comes from and how, by harvesting the deer, he was supplying food for our family. Even though he was just 10 years old, he contributed to the control of the deer population. That's where the accomplishment brought a smile, and then a silent, yet exuberant, victory dance -- right there in the deer blind. He puffed up with pride as he realized his accomplishment. He wanted to know every step of processing his deer and he didn't shy away from any of it.

This was his moment, his milestone, his victory. As his mother, I reveled in the experience of watching him tackle the task. I marveled at how lucky I was to be there with him and I wondered at how easy the instruction flowed from me to him in those moments before he pulled the trigger. It was the same instruction I received from my dad when he would take me to shoot, prepare to hunt and sit in the woods with him. Even though I'd never harvested my own deer, I'd spent enough time in the woods over the years to know how to instruct my son. I remember my dad telling me, "Take in a deep breath and then slowly squeeze the trigger as you exhale."

I also remember listening to my dad tell his hunting stories each time we sat down to a meal of venison. Our family listened to the details of a hunt time and time again while enjoying his harvests. Now, Liam will puff up with pride every time we serve his harvest. He's already telling his story to everyone who will listen.

"I had it sighted in the scope and it just stood there," he recounted the events to a friend on the phone last night. The same enthusiasm I once heard from another generation resonated in his voice.

Listening to him on the phone, I realized I'd transferred a multi-generational message automatically to my son. As I whispered to him in the deer blind on Saturday, I was once again that ten year-old girl, sighting in the target under the instruction of my dad. A family tradition lives on.

Missouri's first 2013 Youth Deer Hunting Season was Nov. 2-3. Regular Firearms Deer Season begins Nov. 16 and ends Nov. 26. Another Youth Deer Hunting Season is scheduled in Missouri on Jan. 4-5, 2014. More information on deer hunting in Missouri can be found at http://tinyurl.com/7lwu6ms.