Junior hunters: Matt Misetich, late season deer
By Chuck Misetich, very proud father

We would like to thank the Arizona Game and Fish Department for providing affordable big game tags for nonresident youth hunters.

My 13-year-old son, Matt, is very active in the Boy Scout program and loves the outdoors. He was fortunate enough to draw an 18B youth deer tag last fall, his first big game hunting opportunity.

We spent four great days in the field together over his Thanksgiving break from school. He got to sharpen his camping and outdoor skills from our tent camp in some brisk 20- to 25-degree overnight temperatures. Unfortunately, we did not feast on the grilled venison tenderloins that we had envisioned for Thanksgiving dinner. A November campfire provided us an opportunity to reflect on some of the things that we were truly thankful for, not the least of which was the backup pot of Thanksgiving dinner that mom had prepped and sent with us.

We saw deer on three of the four days we hunted, and as fate would have it, our big opportunity came in the last hour of our last day. With the sun setting, we spotted a dozen deer coming out to feed about three quarters of a mile away. We knew we would have to move quickly, but quietly, in fairly open country to get within shooting range. I could see at least one buck, and that was all we needed to grab our gear and hustle to try to intercept them.

We were able to complete a very exciting stalk with the wind in our favor and get within 160 yards of the deer before sundown. With minutes of light left, Matt took a prone rest on my backpack and waited. As I glassed, a doe stepped into a body-length opening between two cedar trees and stared intently in our direction. After what seemed like an eternity, she sauntered on and the buck stepped out broadside. I could hear Matt click the safety off, just then, a second doe stepped in front of the 20-inch 3×3 buck. They looked towards us for another eternity. As the light faded, the buck walked off into cover while the rest of the does slowly single filed through the small opening. Our hunt had ended. I was so glad that Matt showed the composure of a seasoned hunter by not taking the risky shot.

On the walk back to the truck we recounted the exciting events of the stalk and discussed the pain of disappointment. Sensing my silence on the drive back to camp, Matt asked me if I was happy. I assured him that my disappointment should not be mistaken for unhappiness. The four days of camping and hunting with him was the cake, and harvesting a buck was just icing. We hauled out two garbage bags of litter from our camp and hunting area the next morning to leave it nicer for the next guy. We look forward to another opportunity.

Chuck

If you have a “Junior hunter’s” story you would like to share, please email a picture, story, name and city with subject title “Junior Hunters” to:
HuntingHighlights@azgfd.gov