The Perry Youth Hunt Extravaganza held last weekend at the Perry VFW became the gathering place for youngsters ages 10 and up to share their hunting tales of the two-day youth deer hunting season. For the first time, 10 and 11-year old Michigan youngsters could hunt deer with firearms. But, not everyone knew of the recent change,
because it came after the hunting rules were published.
When 11-year-old Brooke discovered the news with her father, Earl Parish, on opening day, she agreed to tote a .20-gauge slug gun in southern Shiawassee County for the afternoon session. The crossbow she carried afield in the morning was left behind. It would be a decision that would place the gritty youngster in an elite club as a charter member: Girls under the age of 12 taking a legal buck on the first day under the new law.
Brooke pinned her hopes on a man-sized gun she had never even shot for the afternoon session and it was to be loaded with extremely potent Lightfield slugs. She trusted her dad, however, who knew it was dead on.
And, then it happened. “Daddy, a buck!” No sooner than she uttered those fateful words, the immediate onset of “buck fever” paralyzed the excitable youngster. And, then the uncontrollable shaking began. At her side, her father calmly steadied the barrel for her and quietly asked, “Are you ready, Hon…” Kapow!
Earl watched intently, as the 6-point buck scampered beyond view, not knowing positively how good the hit had been. He informed his daughter they’d have to wait a half hour before attempting to locate the prize. It was a couple of minutes before 5 pm when Brooke pulled the trigger and by 5:07 it was long enough for the impatient hunter to ask her dad if it had been a half hour yet. To her, minutes ticked off like hours.
When the time was up, the father/daughter duo began the tracking chore and quickly confirmed a perfectly placed shot through the heart. The Lightfield slug performed predictably with the full energy of the load being transferred to the vitals with no exit wound; the whitetail was found a scant 40 yards or so from the scene of impact.
Brook Parish with her First Buck
Later, the diminutive Perry Middle School sixth-grade student, wearing a camouflage hat trimmed in pink, was asked if the noise and recoil of the shot bothered her. Her reply was that she didn’t notice – a sure sign that she had been “in the moment.”
That evening, as we registered young hunters at the Perry Youth Hunt Extravaganza for the prize drawing to be held the following evening, an older gentleman indicated he was not in favor of this youth hunting business. Ironically enough, he and his wife, were waiting to greet their own granddaughter, who was on her way to the event with her own deer. It’s hard to imagine how this spoilsport would have been able to convince young Brooke that she shouldn’t have been afield with her father this momentous day – that somehow it was all wrong.
And, for those of you who continue to harbor resentment and would deny any youngster the thrill of his or her life, it’s apparent you haven’t met a young lady like Brooke.
