I knew the day would be coming and I been trying to get myself ready for when it happened. Well yesterday it happened. We were sitting on the porch of the camp and my daughter came sit in my lap and gave me a hug and broke the news to me. Even though I had built myself up for this, I was totally devistated. But no matter how much I begged her I could not change her mind. It got so bad that she even told me to suck it up and act like a grown man. It was almost like it didn’t bother her one bit. Girls can be cruel. Finally I just had to come to the reality that no matter what I did would change the outcome. So after I moved her to the side and picked up my heart off the floor she just stomped on, I agreed to let her hunt by herself for the first time. It’ll break your heart to put your little girl in her own deer stand and have to drive off and leave her when you have been beside her on every hunt she ever went on. I felt totally useless. Ladies and gentleman, they grow up fast.

You are doing a good thing.

That’s tough Marsh.

Hope she kills a bigun

Never had a problem with either of my girls wanting to go hunting.
But I did just the opposite with my nephews. I put them on stand alone when I thought they was ready.

Be strong

The time comes for all of us with children. My youngest son started sitting by himself this year and soon after killed his biggest buck ever. I guess I was just holding him back.

fine story right there ...

How old is your daughter? Just wondering as mine just started hunting a little this year and if she sticks with it I’m going to have to make that decision one day. I know that’s a decision based more on maturity and experience rather than age.

Just be happy she still wants to go hunting with you. I can't beg mine enough to go anymore, maybe she change her mind as she gets older. She is just 12 but is being pretty tough to deal with sometimes, I hope she grows out of it soon.

She’s 14. She’s been hunting with me since she could go. She stated carrying a gun at 7. Never could get her to shoot a deer. She had her. I did made up that she wasn’t shooting a deer till a big buck walked out. Well that happened at age 11. She shot a 9pt and dropped it in its tracks at 176yds with “her” AR15. Last year she decided she wanted to kill a big doe. One afternoon 4 does walked out in a plot and I just sat back. She picked out which one was the biggest, got her gun up and made a perfect shot at 80yds. We got our and she went right to where she shot it and then to where it went in the woods. She had marked everything. She found the blood right away and found her deer about 40yds in the trees. She did everything on her own. Except drag the deer out the woods. Daddy still has to do that. I knew on that hunt that she was ready to move to the next step but she had to make the decision and yesterday was the day. I guess I did my job. The good Lord will watch over her and protect her. It wasn’t near as bad for my son. He was hunting by himself at 11yrs old. But he was born with a gun in his hand and was with me all the time. He has killed 6 deer in his hunting career so far. All bucks but none as big as his sisters. And she lets him know that all the time. He’s had a couple opportunities and like me he found ways to screw em up. It’s costs lots of money,blood, sweat and tears to keep this place in Alabama. It’s worth every bit of it when we get our kids out in these woods.

Yep it's tuff! I let my oldest sit by himself at 13 (4 years ago) and he killed a Monster 6, and now he don't wanna sit with me know more. I remember not too long ago he would always hold my hand to and from stand 😩 Now as i sit here and type this my youngest is sitting in a stand by himself (15) and so is my oldest. Maybe one of us will get a dang Buck Deer 😀👍

Whew. For a minute there, I thought you were about to say she wanted to attend University of Alabama.

Nope. She’s 100% LSU

Dang Marsh I am gonna be going through the same thing next year, mine turns 16 this summer and goes hunting with me every time I go which is a lot, she told me that I still could walk her to the shooting house next year, but I can promise leaving her there and walking away is gonna be hard

Same thing happened to me when my daughter turned 14, felt like I lost my hunting buddy. Then at 18 she came back and won’t hunt without me sitting with her. All is good in the world again!

My son is 27 and outgrowed dad many yrs ago but we make a point to sit together one time a yr. That's the best hunt of the yr for me

My son hunted with me for the first time in 3 years today.

Next thing you know she will want to carry Billy Bob from down the road hunting...................

I experienced that this year with Eli and he’s 14. It’s tough for sure I’ve stayed within a few hundred yards of him and he has killed 3 deer solo which is entirely different set of emotions.