Youth’s First Deer Hunt Done On The Go

By STEPHANIE BUNKER

Moapa Valley Progress

The first hunting experience for a boy is something he will never forget, and it was no different for the Leavitt boys. Braden Leavitt, 13, ran into some good luck when he filled his first antlered mule deer tag.
The rifle season opened on Friday, October 5 and the plan was to go up to area 22 the night before to get some good hunting in opening morning.

But the weather didn’t cooperate with that plan. The Leavitts heard it was raining. So instead they opted to sleep in their dry beds and leave Logandale at 3:00 am. Braden went hunting with his dad Casey, his 10 year old brother Marcus, and his uncle Spencer Bunker the seasoned hunter in the group.

When the crew arrived several hours later and unloaded the four-wheeler they did some looking around. It wasn’t long before Bunker spotted several deer on a hillside about a half mile away.

They decided to see if the road would take them closer, which it did. The group parked as close as they dared without spooking the deer. They then hiked to a spot where they could set up and get a good view of the quarry about 200 yards away.

The buck in the group began trotting up the hillside and Bunker told him to hurry and shoot the buck. That first shot missed, but a slightly larger buck came out from below the first. Bunker directed Braden’s attention to the second buck that was headed into a tree and Braden took a shot at it. The deer kept running so Braden reloaded and shot one last time. It didn’t drop.

That’s when the hunting party realized they had only one bullet left. Braden jacked that shell into the chamber and looked up to see the buck fall over. He had hit the deer through the lungs in one of his shots, giving it a few last strides before it fell.

“We hiked down the hill and walked back up the other hill to get to him,” said Braden who had never seen a freshly killed deer up close. “I was a little scared to walk up and poke him.”

The Leavitt’s first hunting experience was short lived but ended very positively; the buck had some nice cheaters coming off of the tines giving it 5 points on both sides. It measured 22 ½ inches wide and 20 inches tall.

The Leavitts were able to drive the four-wheeler right to it so they could get the deer back to the truck without a problem.

Younger brother, Marcus also got to be a part of a hunt for the first time and he is looking forward to shooting his own deer in 2 years.
“It was fun watching Braden shoot it and then seeing them take the guts out and see what the deer ate,” Marcus said.

Before leaving home Braden’s Dad Casey joked with his wife that they would be home before noon that day. Fate was on their side and they were in the truck headed South on their way home at 12:00 that afternoon.

The Leavitt family butchered the deer the next day and boiled the skull to removed excess debris. Less than a week later the European mount was hanging on their wall. They have been cooking the venison for dinner and their daughter Lindsey loved the back strap the best.