From Left, Jared and Ethan Litton with Ethan's first buck.

By Amber Riffel

Seven-year old Ethan Litton took his first buck while hunting with his father Jared Litton on Nov. 14, 2009, the Morgan County, Indiana season opener.

They used bow season as a learning experience, by seeing what was in the area, and where to be on opening day.

Jared found the perfect funnel between two big woods that was almost guaranteed to have something pass nearby. Knowing that the average hunter cannot sit much past 9 a.m., all he had to do was wait.

A Game Boy helped Ethan to extend his patience. He stayed sitting longer than the guy who ran his 10-point drop tine buck to him at 9:43 a.m.

The deer ran down the hill from the right, heading straight to father and son.  When it reached the funnel and stopped to see who jumped up, it was too late.  Ethan was already at full draw.

The deer came to rest about 40 yards later. Definitely, it was a hunt that Ethan and his dad will never forget.

A few weeks later, Ethan's dad took a mature 8-point buck, scoring in the mid 140s, similar to a buck he’d taken by bow the previous year which made the Hoosier Record Book at 144 2/8 typical.