“It was a really, really pretty deer.” After three years of trying, this young Louisiana hunter has finally harvested his first buck.
11-year-old New Iberia hunter Graham Edwards cannot get over it. January 17, he says, will forever live on as “just an amazing feeling” – the feeling of finally harvesting his first deer.
“It’s amazing after all the time I’ve been trying,” the budding outdoorsman tells The Daily Iberian. “That kind of lets some pressure off,” he continues. And it all means that much more to Graham given the kill came alongside his ‘granddad,’ Keith Price, a prominent New Iberia sportsman.
Price, Graham’s maternal grandfather, says his grandson downed the spike buck with one swift pull of the trigger – like a seasoned pro.
“Well, I was just proud at that moment,” Price beams to the trade. “He’s been hunting three years. He’s seen a few but he never could get a shot. It was nice to see everything come together.”
While the kill comes as Graham’s first buck, it is far from his first harvest. The 6th grader has become “quite the marksman,” his granddad brags. The proof? Young Edwards has three feral hogs under his belt – the first coming at the ripe age of 7. That harvest came with Granddad Price, too.
Yet it took these three years to bag his first buck. And both Graham and Granddad Price, 62, couldn’t be more thrilled.
“Oh, yeah, it means a lot more to see your grandson kill one,” Price lauds.
Young Buck Bags His First Young Buck
According to the 11-year-old Belle Place Middle student, he and his grandfather were sitting in a raised blind roughly 6 ft. off the ground. The land, a lease in the Iberville Parish near Sherburne Wildlife Management Area, would prove fruitful.
Price says the pair “enjoyed life” as they always do within the blind. Rising before the sun, the hunters were eager to see what the day held.
“It was pretty cold that weekend so it was nice to be sitting in a box blind. Actually, things were pretty quiet. But it doesn’t take long for things to change,” Price continues to Daily Iberian. “You don’t see anything one second and the next second one pops out of the ground…”
Which is exactly how it happened. Before long, a young buck – with but tell-tale spikes for antlers – came out behind their blind.
“He saw it first,” Price says of grandson Graham. “He tapped my shoulder and pointed in the opposite direction. The deer came out behind me.”
Graham adds that “there wasn’t much time to act. I turned around and saw it. I told him (Price). He put the rifle up. The deer stopped and I knew I probably would get it…”
Confidence is key! Shouldering his Ruger American Compact Bolt-Action .308-caliber Winchester, Graham took aim, then softly squeezed the trigger.
With this, the young buck hit his first young buck in the shoulder area at about 75 yards.
“Then we gave the high-fives”
“I mean, I knew it probably wasn’t going to run very far but I didn’t want to jinx myself,” Graham spills. “I was pretty excited. Yes, there were some high-fives!”
“He made a good shot on the deer so undoubtedly he must have done it right,” Price brags. “It must have trotted off 5, 10 yards to the edge of the woods. That’s when we saw it fall. That’s when we gave the high-fives,” he adds. And of course, many photos were taken – all to be cherished.
Ten minutes later, the pair made the walk to their harvest – celebrating all the while.
“It was a really, really pretty deer, a pretty good one, a nicer deer than my first one. Of course, we were zinging the pics (pictures). He finally closed the deal,” Price continues.
His grandson’s buck comes in the perfect age, when the two will have much more time to hunt together. Price just recently announced his retirement as owner of Blue’s Archery at Cajun Guns & Tackle. The memories made over Graham’s first buck will, surely, fuel many more hunts to come.
