Best deer season ever Bill Cooper for 12-11-24 The Missouri rifle season deer harvest reports indicated that numbers of deer killed this season were down considerably. Too, I heard lots of deer hunters talking about having difficulty getting a deer, or even seeing a deer in some cases. Despite all the gloom and doom about the 2024 Missouri rifle season, I enjoyed my best deer season ever. It all began when I attended the Upper Meramec Longspurs National Wild Turkey Federation auction and banquet held at Recklein Auditorium in Cuba, Missouri. NWTF Chapter president Shane Staples invited me to the event. Then Lanny Staples asked me to sit at his sponsored table. The honor would cost me $100, with the chance to win a nice deer rifle. Once I arrived at the amazing event, I was afforded the opportunity to purchase additional raffle tickets. I had a previous engagement, so I couldn’t stay at the banquet long. I left my fist full of raffle tickets with Lanny. When I saw him at church later in the week, he informed me that I had won a Savage youth model 350 Legends rifle. My planning for deer season began. I gifted the rifle to my 9-year-old grandson, Jaryd Cooper. Jaryd is a tiny little guy. I secretly hoped he might deer hunt with me come fall, but the decision would be solely his. Jaryd and his dad, Jayson, went out back on their place for Jaryd to fire his new rifle. After the first shot, Jaryd informed his dad that he would be waiting a year to deer hunt. I told Jaryd that was a good decision and that I would look forward to the 2025 deer season with him. The Missouri youth deer season arrived, and my 13-year-old grandson, Ronnie Cooper Austin, came over from St. Charles to spend the weekend and hunt. Fortunately I’d had a long time friend in Gasconade County get in touch with me and offer to allow me to deer hunt his farm. I erected a blind and placed a trail camera in the perfect place on the back side of the farm. Photos of bucks and does alike poured into my phone from the camera on the first night. I shared them with Ronnie. Neither of us cold wait for youth season to arrive. I purchased Ronnie a deer tag and he arrived with all of us his deer hunting gear. We were as excited as two little ones at Christmas. We went through all the gear, Camo and other goodies to get ready for the next morning. Sharing the exciting moment together created memories that we will long cherish. I woke Ronnie well before daylight on opening morning. We gathered our gear, coffee and hot chocolate and headed to our hunting spot. We chattered endlessly as we made the usual predictions about the big buck he was going to shoot. It didn’t take us long to settle into the blind and await daylight. I loaded Ronnie’s Marlin .30-30 and our anticipation grew a bit more. Thirty minutes after daylight an eight point buck came down a fence line 90 yards away, but on the neighbor’s side of the fence. The buck kept its nose to the ground as it trotted down the fence line, obviously tracking a hot doe. Then we spotted the doe, which had slipped by us. I crossed my fingers hoping that the deer duo would come onto our side of the fence. Alas, it never happened. However, we did enjoy a grand show as the buck chased the doe all over the neighbor’s pasture field. At 10 a.m. we called it a morning and went for breakfast, all the while talking about the buck we had seen. We returned to the blind at 3 p.m. Two hours until dark didn’t seem like a long wait to me. I’d done it many times. However, sitting still for two hours is a major task for a 13-year-old. Ronnie wiggled and shifted in his seat every other second, and chattered non-stop. I loved every minute of it. At 4:20 we had not seen single deer. Ronnie asked if we could leave. I explained that it was the magic hour and deer would show up soon. At 4:45 I caught movement in the field to our hard right. A doe had entered the field to feed. I could see other deer in a brushy field across the pasture field. I helped Ronnie get squared around in his seat, move his shooting sticks and get set up for the shot. His hands shook. I coached him through his shooting routine of taking a deep breath, releasing it showy, and all the while slowly squeezing the trigger. When the .30-30 boomed, the deer hit the ground. ‘ “I got it paw-paw!” Ronnie yelled. We hustled out to Ronnie’s deer. We knelt by it admiring what turned out to be a button buck. We shared the moment as if it were the thirty pointer. Pure memories. Ronnie rolled up sleeves and prepared to help me field dress his buck. The entire process was a shared learning experience. Within minutes we loaded his kill in the bed of my pickup and headed home. I always wish I could reminder every comment he makes under such circumstances. He chattered. I listened and laughed. Priceless. The regular rifle season rolled around and I spent opening day on another friends farm in Phelps County. I took a doe and chose to pass an 8-point buck. I simply wanted to leave it for the landowners four boys. As of this writing, I’ve taken 2 does and a small buck. One I donated to the Meramec Baptist Association for the upcoming Men and Boys Wild Game Dinner in January. Two others are in the freezer. Every time I make deer sliders, I think back to the most successful deer season I’ve ever had. Photo cutline: Deer sliders serve as a reminder for the author of the best rile deer season he has enjoyed in 50 yeasts of deer hunting.