I would like to begin by explaining a "normal" hunting day with my 7-year-old son. We usually try to be in the stand by 6:30am. By 8:30am he is usually cold and ready to go. So a"normal" day hunting is about 2 hours. Fast forward to November 28, 2016. We get to the stand around the same time. We both get our IWOM parka systems put on. As the morning went on we continued to see doe after doe but no bucks. To my amazement every time I had asked him if he was cold he said "no". I made it until about 2:30pm myself before starting to fall asleep standing up. I woke up and looked over at him and he said: "are you tired dad?" "Just a little buddy". He said, "It's ok dad you can sleep and I'll watch for the deer". So I knew he was in it for the long haul. If he would've even mentioned he was ready to go at that point we would have packed up and been back at the truck before he even knew what happened. So the afternoon seems to drag on until 4 o'clock. I saw a buck start to cross one of our shooting paths. Earlier in the day, I had made my mind up if anything were to cross on the upper side I would probably have to be the shooter since he was setting on the lower side of the tree stand. But after seeing the buck I decided otherwise. I turned around and picked him up IWOM, GUN AND ALL and moved him to the front of the stand. I asked him "can you see that opening?" "Yeah is it coming?" "Not yet buddy we just need to wait" As the time went by, which seemed like an hour, he kept asking "is it coming yet?" I told him "it has two more trees to go". At this point, he's holding his H&R .223 that his pap bought him free hand. I have my left hand on the forearm and he has it shoulder and is looking through the scope. Then he asks "dad are you shaking?" I replied "yeah maybe a little," he said, "it's ok dad so am I". At this point, the buck just starts to step out into the next path. I said how about I run the hammer and the trigger and you tell me when to shoot. He replied, "that's a good idea dad". So then I ask him "can you see the horns?" He moves the gun slightly to the left and says "yes". I said, "do you know where to shoot it?" He said, "In the heart". So as it steps out into the path I told him just tell me when. It steps out and he said "FIRE!" I pulled the trigger and "BANG" it fell like a sack of potatoes. "Buddy you got it!" "Did I really?" Now not scoping it myself I had no idea how big or little it was so I asked him "how many points did you see?" He counts with his right hand "one, two" then with his left "one, two" "four dad... I saw four". So we break open his gun and lay it aside. He unzips his IWOM and allows it to drop to the floor of the stand. I do the same. I pick up my gun and climb down the ladder and help him do the same. We start to walk the 60-70 yards that he shot and as we get closer I see it's a 6 point. "Buddy it's a six-point" he replies "really?" As we get closer I realize it's an 8 point "buddy it's an 8 point!" "Whoa!" He exclaims.
Now I know as well as anyone, there's NO way he would have been in that stand at 4 o'clock in the afternoon if it hadn't been for the IWOM keeping him content. And that's the only reason why he's going to have an 8 point hanging on his bedroom wall.
Thanks for making such a great product and even more than a GREAT memory that none of us will ever forget!!!
James & Carter Lohr Pennsylvania