Boston’s First Deer Hunt

Sunday, October 13th, 2019

Before Sunday, October 13th, Boston had never shot a rifle. Nervous and timid about shooting, Boston, put his fear aside and started to practice shooting a .22 at the target off in the distance. Boston’s dad, Dustin talked about the success of his son’s hunt and contributed it to the comradery and instruction of the guides and mentors. “The hunt was set up and ran very well. All the guides and staff were great. Safety was a high priority for all. But also showing the kiddos how doing things the right way is part of the fun. A lot of good stories were told and a lot were made.”

Dustin, a hunter himself, has made it a priority to get his kids outdoors. “My kiddos are as active as they come. My daughter plays high level competitive softball, Rec volleyball, and basketball. My son plays baseball, football and basketball. With all of these irons in the fire it is hard to sometimes find time to get out to the tree stand or deer blind.” He had taken both his daughter and son out hunting with him up until last summer when Dustin learned that he had congestive heart failure and had to have heart surgery. Because Dustin was unable to hunt himself, he made a goal to be part of his kids first deer hunt.

The weekend before Dustin had surgery, he was able to make a great memory with his daughter, Kate when she harvested her first deer, but Boston had yet to have a successful hunt with his dad.

Josh McLaughlin had the privilege of guiding Boston and his dad Sunday evening. Josh grew up hunting with his dad and shared years of hunting with him. “I grew up with my dad telling me every year that it was more enjoyable for him to see me have a successful hunt, than for him to ever take a shot. I never really understood it until this hunt. Boston and I had only known each other for a few hours, but the feeling that I got after watching him squeeze off that shot after almost an hour of watching that doe work slowly into range was one of the best feelings that I have had as a hunter.” said McLaughlin.

This was the first hunt Josh lead with the Outdoor Mentors group. McLaughlin was first hesitant about mentoring a father-son deer hunt. “I was unsure what the dynamic would be while hunting with a father and son that I hadn’t met before and at a hunt I didn’t arrange. I walked away feeling very proud of Boston for overcoming so many of his own fears and felt honored to be a part of his first hunt.” McLaughlin continued on to say that “I thought I would feel like I was encroaching on a family and their first hunt, but that feeling quickly left after meeting both Dustin and Boston. Dustin was very open to having someone there to help Boston overcome some anxiety.” Once in the blind, Josh spent some time getting to know Boston and Dustin and talked him through the hunt. Within minutes, the fear of shooting a rifle went away and Boston was dialed in on his hunt.

After a couple of hours sitting in the blind, a doe made it’s way into the field Boston was hunting. “The deer had to make their way across the field about 200 yards. When one finally got into range (154 yards). I told Boston to take the shot when he felt comfortable. The gun was moving around a lot. But then he took a deep breath and locked it in. He squeezed the trigger and dropped it.” said Dustin. As many of us all know, deer hunting requires discipline in taking an ethical shot. Josh said, “I couldn’t believe how well he did. My rifle stock had sweat dripping off of it. He watched her through the scope for a good 20 minutes waiting for a safe, broadside shot. The amount of composure and restraint that he showed while waiting for the doe to present an ethical shot was admirable. I have seen several ‘seasoned’ hunters take mediocre shots long before Boston did.” Stepping up to volunteer your time and expertise as a mentor can be intimidating and overlooked due to lack of time and confidence we have. But in the matter of hours, this hunt had immense impact on 3 different lives. Boston walked away with his first deer. Josh and Dustin were both able to witness and be part of a well deserved harvest and have become friends through the process. The two plan on doing some shooting in the future together.

“That was one of the coolest hunts I have ever been on. Lots of emotions and I was as proud of Boston as I would be of my own kid. Getting to see such a great father/son relationship was a super rewarding experience for me. I can’t wait to do it again.” said McLaughlin. Dustin summarized his son’s first hunt by saying his favorite moment was “Shooting the deer. He was pretty proud. He has told the story many times already. My son came away with more confidence then he had before and a good story to go with it.”