Young hunter pulls his weight

DEER HUNTING — Gabe Bancroft, 14, enjoyed the complete package of being a successful deer hunter last weekend. Taking advantage of the late muzzleloader season that opens as the whitetail rut begins to ebb, he joined his uncle Shawn O’Kert to get in position where deer had been moving.

The buck was still on the prowl, and Bancroft bagged it at close range with a .50-caliber rifle. “He came in to a grunt tube at 1:30 p.m.,” said O’Kert, who also called in a buck the previous day.

But the job wasn’t over when the shot was fired. The photo above shows Gabe putting his muscle into dragging his trophy back to the vehicle.

Will this be a lesson that leads him shoot a spike next time?

I’m betting no.