It's That Time of the Year Again!

Saturday, October 15 marked the beginning of the 2011 hunting season.  For any of you with husbands who hunt you know what that means...life as a single parent. 
Trent had actually gotten to where he wasn't hunting quite as much as he did when we first married.  Then Mason reached that age. The age where all he does is eat, sleep, breathe hunting.  For him it really doesn't matter what kind of animal he hunts.  Big or small he loves it all - no, I didn't mean for that to rhyme but it's kinda cool that it does :)
Now that Mason is so into hunting Trent has pretty much caught his second wind with the whole hunting thing and most Friday evenings and Saturday mornings/afternoons I don't see much of them...except to see Trent asleep on the couch after he gets home from hunting.

Mason killed his first deer in third grade with a rifle.  He started hunting with his bow either last year or the year before and he only killed one (well, half of one since he didn't make a good shot and Trent had to shoot it again).  So this past weekend was pretty exciting for him.  Friday evening he shot a doe and Saturday morning he shot a 5 point.  It was his biggest deer yet!
For those who are appalled I won't really apologize because we do actually eat the deer. It doesn't go to waste.  For those of you who are appalled that we eat the deer...Have you ever tried it?  It's much cleaner and healthier than beef!  We really do like it better.
Anyhow, here are some pics of his doe and buck.

This is the doe that he shot Friday evening.  It was his first bow kill all by himself!

This is his first buck killed with a bow. It is also his biggest buck- a 5 point.  We are trying to teach him to be selective with the bucks he shoots but for a 13 year old who has only killed does and a couple of spikes I guess this seemed pretty big to him. :)

The next picture is one of him with his very first deer.  It was a spike...although at the time he shot it he thought it was a doe.  When he found it he realized it was actually a spike.  He was 8 1/2 years old.  Look at how young he looks.

Now by comparison...this is the kind of bucks his daddy shoots.  Of course when he was Mason's age I'm sure he was probably excited to shoot the size deer Mason kills.

And just because I'm posting hunting pics...Here is one of Mason with the ducks he killed during last year's youth duck hunt.  He enjoys duck hunting a little better than deer hunting.  I think it's the challenge of hitting a flying target.

For the record, I don't condone needlessly killing animals (except maybe field mice that want to try to sneak into my house to get out of the cold...and poisonous snakes...or poisonous spiders).  Usually once Mason gets us a deer or two and gets a deer for one of the teacher's aides at his school I am very particular about what Mason and Trent shoot and what they plan on doing with it.

In about a week or two I'll have a freezer full of venison!