I have an early present for you in the form of the best deer hunting story ever. It’s about Randy Brickner of Ellsworth and his 8-year-old grandson Matthew Gaard who are hunting buddies. They created a memory that will not only last their lifetimes, but the story will be passed on for family generations to come. 

They had been out a few times with Matthew hunting and Grandpa Randy mentoring and guiding him. While sitting in their blind they had had several encounters with bucks but for one reason of another they couldn’t quite close the deal. Understandably so, Matthew was little nervous and the bucks that came in never gave the young crossbow hunter the greatest of shots. Either way, the two were not deterred. Their next time out in the blind was to be the memory maker. 

They had action right away with a seven-point buck that came in but they just couldn’t get a shot. It was like previous hunts where it seemed like it just wasn’t going to happen for the hunting partners. Turns out that the buck moving on was a lucky break. A much bigger nine-pointer came along and Matthew immediately recognized that it was larger than any buck they had seen all season.   

Matthew whispered: “You better shoot Grandpa, this one is too big for me to miss.”  

Grandpa Randy countered, encouraging his grandson: “No Matthew, today is your day. You’re gonna shoot this buck.”   

That’s exactly what happened. The buck came in, Matthew took aim and let an arrow fly. The shot wasn’t great but it was good enough. Grandpa and grandson watched the buck tip over and the celebration began. 

I asked Matthew where he keeps his trophy rack. He smiled and told me that it hangs in his bedroom. That’s an obvious choice because he can keep a close eye on it and it’s the last thing he looks at every night. 

It’s a great story but there’s just a little more to add to it. Matthew got to have a sleep-over at Grandpa’s house after bagging his buck and at bedtime he became a little emotional. When asked what was wrong, Matthew gave the best answer for an 8-year-old hunter: “This is the best day of my life and I don’t want it to end.”  

……… and to all a good night.   

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