Follow along with Spring Creek area youth Carter Foruria on his first Nevada hunt
SPRING CREEK, Nev. — As a father, I take great responsibility in providing opportunities for my kids to engage in activities that they love. My 12-year-old son loves hunting and is eager to learn and soak in new experiences. A few years ago, the state of Nevada implemented a new program for hunters called the First Come, First Served Tags. This new system generates an opportunity for all hunters to watch for tags that have been returned and, if you are lucky, you might just be able to snag one of them. That is how this hunt began. I logged in to the Nevada Department of Wildlife鈥檚 website under my son’s profile and watched for a tag, much to my surprise, a pronghorn buck tag popped up on the screen and I quickly added to the cart! What a great way to start the day! And an awesome opportunity my son would otherwise not have had the chance to capitalize on.
We picked the tag up at our local NDOW office a few days before the hunt and hit the field for some scouting. Many friends reached out to share in the excitement of Carter鈥檚 first Nevada tag and willingly shared their knowledge of where some pronghorn might be. The day before the hunt we located nine bucks, we talked over the plan for opening morning and went to bed with high anticipation for the morning hunt.
Opening morning we hiked into a ridge that overlooked the area we had seen the nine bucks the night before. We sat in the dark for about thirty minutes and watched the sun kiss the earth and the Great Basin come alive. Not long after I glassed up a few bucks and determined we had indeed found our group of bucks. They were slowly working our way! We watched the bucks for twenty minutes or so and realized that we needed to make a move, they were not going to come within range. We used the little natural cover that was there are we able to close the distance on the bucks. Carter laid down and got a good rest, I ranged the biggest buck at 300 yards. It was perfect. The shot rang off and the buck hit the dirt! We celebrated with high fives and hugs and made our way to the buck.
We walked up to the buck and took pause. Carter prayed for him, thanking God our creator and the buck for the sacrifice of life. It was a special moment. To say that I was proud would be an understatement.
This hunt, although short in duration, was filled with many “firsts.” Carter鈥檚 first hunt in Nevada, his first hunt with his new rifle and his first pronghorn. All thanks to the new First Come, First Served tags program offered by the Nevada Department of Wildlife.
Home Means Nevada.
Bonus Q&A
What was your favorite snack during the hunt?
Jearred Foruria: Doughnuts and chocolate milk for sure!
What weapon did you use?
Foruria: A Savage Ultralight in 6.5 Creedmoor
What general area did you kill your pronghorn?
Foruria: Area 10
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