Just A Dream Coues Hunt
By Darren Choate
A father and son share a deer hunt and build an unbreakable bond.
Like many, I was introduced to hunting by my father. When I was a youngster he and I set off on many hunting adventures. We hunted the early season with bows and arrows, the fall with rifles and muzzleloaders, and we chased predators during the winter months. Not all of our hunts were successful, but all of our hunts were fun. The great times my father and I had while hunting helped us create a strong bond between father and son, and we became friends. Now that I am a father, I have shared my hunts with my two sons, and they have shared theirs with me.
Last year, my now 14 year-old son, Colton, and I set off on his Coues deer hunt in southern Arizona. On the five hour drive to our hunting location, we discussed the next day’s activities, specifically the hike to a glassing vantage point. “How far is the hike?” Colton asked. “Almost a mile and up a hill like that,” I replied, as I pointed out the window toward a steep, cactus-covered, desert mountain. A little shocked, Colton responded with another question. “Really?” he said. “Yes, really,” I said. “What, you can’t make it?” I joked.
This was going to be Colton’s first Coues deer hunt, and he was excited. As a young boy he had spent time with me scouting and hunting the same area where we were hunting on this trip. Like any youngster, he had vague memories of people, places and hunts that he and I had shared several years earlier. As we neared our destination, the onslaught of questions continued: Do you remember that snake you almost stepped on? Is Matt going to be on the hunt with us? Where did you shoot your last buck in this unit? I enjoyed the game of 20 questions, and answered the questions as best as I could, although his memory was better than mine (age has taken its toll on mine).
On the first morning of the hunt, Colton spotted the first group of deer on the same hillside that I initially spotted the buck I harvested a few years ago. Later in the day, I took him to the exact spot where I had fired from to harvest the 90-inch Coues buck. That only led to more questions, which included, “Didn’t you miss a buck earlier in the hunt?” “Yes, I did,” was my reply. In fact, the spot I had missed the smaller buck was on the same ridge where we sat earlier that morning. All of Colton’s questions allowed me to share my experiences with him. I was hopeful that he could glean some information from our conversations and form a base of knowledge to draw from as he progresses in his hunting career.
Making a Connection
On this hunt, we stayed in a motel, which meant a half-hour in the truck, each way, to and from the area we were hunting. On the first trip from the motel to the ocotillo-covered foothills that we were hunting, a familiar song came on the radio. I had heard the song, but was unable, at the time, to name the song and artist. I listen to a wide variety of music, but usually it centers on the country genre. When I asked, Colton informed me that the song was titled Just A Dream, and was performed by the rapper, Nelly. “It’s a catchy tune,” I admitted.
From that point on, it seemed that every time we climbed in to the truck and headed down the road, Just A Dream was on the radio. We heard it in the evening on the short trip to dinner, again the second morning of the hunt, and a third time the same morning after we changed the radio station. The song, Just A Dream had become our theme song for the hunt, like it or not.
Creating Lasting Memories
Because of other commitments (work and school); we had only three days to hunt. On the last day of the hunt, as we made the final drive to our hunting grounds, Colton and I agreed that if we heard Just A Dream that morning, it would be an omen of a successful hunt to come. It took awhile, but finally, it happened; Just A Dream came on, and I turned up the volume as loud as it would go. By that time in the hunt, I had learned all of the words, and was holding my own as a pop-artist in the making.
That morning we were joined by my friend, Matt Brady, and his son Mason. About mid-morning, Matt glassed up a little buck below us on the hill. Colton and I made a plan, and moved down the hill for a shot at the buck. At 216 yards, Colton made a perfect shot on the forked-horn buck. After the shot, I posed a question. “Do you know where we are at?” I asked. Colton looked at me with a blank stare. “You shot from the exact spot where I missed that buck a few years ago,” I said. Now, on occasion, I still get razzed that he made a shot that I hadn’t.
Colton had made a great shot on his first deer, and I was as proud as any father could have been. Our enthusiasm was shared with a high-five and a hug. Shortly Matt and Mason joined us on the hill in celebration. This hunt was truly special; a first harvest shared among friends, and between fathers and sons. The hunt had truly been Just A Dream.
The Dream Continues
With five hours to pass on the way home, Colton and I passed the time in conversation, and of course re-lived the accounts of the hunt. Although he and I have always shared the passion for hunting, this hunt in particular strengthened our relationship. It seemed strange to think that a series of sound waves heard through the speakers of our truck could have provided a catalyst for a bond to be formed, but, unbelievable or not, it had. Days after the hunt, I made a CD that I keep in my truck; it has several songs that are favorites of mine, but track 26 is Just A Dream. Whether I am alone, with family or friends, or with Colton, when I hear it, it conjures up memories of the hunt, and an unbreakable bond between father and son.
The author and his son share a hunt and create lasting memories.
