For this young Alberta hunter, age 12 couldn’t come fast enough

I am 10 years old, and I love hunting. I have been impatiently waiting to be 12 since I was four, because then I can hunt any big-game animal. This year [2024], my friend Ryder, who also loves hunting, turned 12 one week before the end of hunting season. When my dad heard about Ryder’s birthday, he promised him that if he bought a tag, we would take him hunting. On the fourth last day of the season, at 8 a.m. on a crisp, snowy morning, the three of us geared up and started hiking through the coulees. As we crested a hill, we gazed at the vast view of the Old Man River clothed in white, and frozen ponds glistening in the sun.

All of the sudden, we spotted a buck bedded 90 yards below us. In the midst of sneakily setting up to shoot the deer, I detected a colossal buck headed right for us on the trail of a doe. So, we readied ourselves to shoot it instead. Because the deer was so close, the hill blocked our view of him for a while, then there he was, 30 yards to our right. Since this was unexpected, Ryder wasn’t prepared and we spooked the prized buck, causing him to start running along with the other deer that had been bedded.

Quickly, my dad grabbed his deer call and blew on it, and the deer stopped. Ryder took aim, shot, and hit the deer inches from the heart. The bullet did not immediately kill the deer, so Ryder shot again, and because he spined it, it dropped in its tracks. We were ecstatic that he had shot his first giant buck, which was extremely exciting. I was glad to be part of the experience, although it was not the only hunt I was a part of that week.

Slade (left) with his cousin ColtonThe other experience was with my cousin, Colton, who also turned 12 that week. Unexpectedly, Colton and his dad, my dad’s brother Ivan, arrived to hunt with us. Like the day before, we slid on our white coveralls and confidently started to hike the hilly coulees in the same area, because there were lots of deer there. At about 7 a.m., it was cold, dark and foggy.

We hiked a bunch of coulees, snuck to the top of one rounded hill, peeked over and glimpsed lots of deer. Secretly, we watched groups of deer slowly drifting about. Then we spotted a buck, but Colton missed it at 300 yards, which is a hard shot. We kept on hiking, and since I was sick and had no energy, I took a break while they hiked on. After I rested, I quickly walked to where they were sitting because they were checking out a deer.

Sneakily, we circled around, then Dad and I sat down while Ivan and Colton cunningly snuck to a place where they could take a shot. Kaboom! Colton missed. The deer ran. For a second it paused, then walked through the deep gully towards land we were not allowed to hunt on. So, we had to shoot it before it crossed the property line. Uncle Ivan and Colton walked along a ridge until another opportunity presented itself.

Bang! The buck walked five steps and collapsed. Excitedly, I ran down to where Colton and Uncle Ivan were sitting together. Because Colton and I just couldn’t wait, we vigorously ran down to Colton’s first whitetail buck. We admired it while we waited for our dads, who were going to help us with it. Shooting two first bucks with my hunting buddies is almost as good as being 12 and shooting them myself!

As it turns out, Slade won’t have to wait for his 12th birthday to hunt big game. As of May, Alberta changed the minimum age to 10.