For millennium families and extended families (or clans, so to speak), “The Hunt” is something that is celebrated . . . the anticipation, the actual hunt and the stories that can be told and re-told for many years.
The Ziercher family farm in northern Missouri practices include timber stand improvement (TSI), native prairie conversion, cash rent tillable ground, a CP31 program and Quality Deer Management (QDM). However, the farm waives its QDM restrictions for first youth kills.
Missouri Youth Season is the first weekend in November and there were five youths on the hunt: two are 4th generation modern deer hunters and three are fifth generation. Of the five, three harvested deer, all bucks.
- Kameron, who already has several bucks on the wall in the 140-150 class, did not shoot and neither did Jordon, who also has a nice wall hanger. Both were saving their doe tags for later in the season, and since only one tag can be filled during early youth season, they were holding out for shooter bucks.
- Layla, nine years old, was a half hour into the first morning with Grandpa Steve when she got her third deer in three years. The 4 1/2 year old eight pointer stepped out at 150 yards from the shooting house in a creek bottom field that is in CP31.
- Seven year old Brayden, accompanied by Grandpa Bill and his father, Scott, was ready to go with his tag; this year was his first time in the field. Brayden harvested his first deer, a 3.5 year old eight pointer, as the evening shadows were growing long on his first day out. Brayden was basically in the same spot where Layla got her buck.
- Preston, who is also seven, harvested his first deer, a 1.5 year old six pointer. His dad was in a bow stand, but Grandpa Bill and Layla were with Preston in a pop-up blind amidst a cut bean field. The blind is set up in a strip of beans left standing about 15 x 60 feet. The buck responded to a grunt call and came straight at a decoy buck 50 yards out and hung out for couple minutes before he presented a broadside shot.
These young hunters started shooting a shortened Red Rider BB-gun around age four. At age five or six, they shoot a Henry youth lever action .22 with a 3 x 9 scope with a one inch tube and 40MM aperture set up just like a deer rifle. Then, by age six, they are totally comfortable shooting a .243, which all three deer were harvested with this year.
Owning and managing land leads to the opportunity of making memories such as these. If you’re interested in purchasing your next property, contact United Country Trophy Properties and Auction today at (636)527-5263 or toll free at (855)573-5263.
Bill Ziercher, Land Specialist in MO & IL, is the grandfather of these three successful hunters and one of the top producing agents for United Country Trophy Properties and Auction.
(314)412-3966
bziercher@trophypa.com