Passing on the Tradition: World Champion Archer, Jeff Hopkins and Son, Scott, Have a Memorable Hunt
I’ve been hunting since I was a little boy. I started going with my Grandpop many years ago. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of hunting whitetail deer across the country, and I’ve killed many really nice deer.
That passion for hunting extends to other areas. In 1993, I got involved in 3-D competitive tournament archery and have won 54 national titles, including nine World Championships and 10 Shooter of the Year titles, all of which were in the Professional Men’s Division. In other words, shooting a bow and hunting whitetails have been big parts of my life for a long time.
Near home — Maryland’s Eastern Shore — I hunt properties with lots of hunting pressure on neighboring farms. So to grow quality deer, you need good food, water and cover. There’s plenty of food in agriculture areas, and the Eastern Shore is a haven for wildlife because of the abundant water and tributaries. But because of high hunting pressure, I need quality food-plot products on my properties to attract deer from other food sources. After years of testing products, my favorite food-plot choices are those from the Whitetail Institute of North America.
I hunt deer by getting between a food source and bedding area, hoping to intercept deer. Otherwise, I hunt near food areas. That was my plan when I took my 8-year-old son, Scott, out of school 30 minutes early one Monday afternoon.
He didn’t have a clue why his father was getting him out of school early.
When we reached the truck, I told him we were going hunting, and he was really excited. I’ve helped him work with his .243, and it has been great to see him start to shoot with confidence. He had shot a doe two weeks earlier, so we knew he was proficient with his rifle. On that beautiful Monday afternoon, we didn’t have any grand plans or expectations. We just hoped that Scott could shoot another doe. If a nice buck came by, great!
It’s a 20-minute ride to our hunting location, which provided a great opportunity to be with my son. I saw the excited anticipation in his eyes.
The look your child gives you when you’re about to share something special is worth more than all the trophies in the world. And on that day, Scott and I were just happy to be together, heading to our box-blind treestand.
We hunted together out of the stand, which overlooks an Imperial Whitetail Clover plot. We sat there for 40 minutes, talking and having good father-and-son time. We enjoyed the ducks and geese flying over our heads, and also watched a few does step out soon after we got settled. As the sun started to hit the woodline, Scott noticed it first — a herd of deer coming through some unharvested beans. There were five does and a monster buck with a 150-inch rack high off his head. As the deer got within 150 yards, they started to angle to the right. Scott and I were very excited.
Although we had practiced shooting, I believed 80 to 100 yards was the maximum range for Scott to effectively shoot a deer. With my range-finders, I figured the big buck was 150 yards at the closest point, so I believed it was too far for Scott to shoot. He would have been greatly disappointed if had he missed. Remember, he is only eight.
As the deer disappeared into the woods to our left, our hearts sank momentarily. We thought it had been a good opportunity missed. About that time, Scott said, “Dad, look out here, coming across the field.” It was another buck on the same path but more in line with our tree stand. Scott spotted the buck at 180 to 200 yards away. The deer came right toward us, just perfectly. The entire time, I whispered to Scott that I thought the deer was coming right at us, so he needed to squeeze the trigger. We went through the proper shooting technique of taking a deep breath, relaxing, placing the cross-hairs behind the buck’s shoulder and squeezing the trigger. I kept repeating these steps again and again. As I said that, I noticed Scott was shaking. In fact, so was I. As the buck stepped closer, he shifted his pace to — I’m guessing — catch up with the other deer. I told Scott I would whistle to the deer and hopefully get it to stop. I said that when the deer stopped, Scott should put the cross-hairs on the buck’s shoulder and make a good shot. The deer was 40 yards away when I whistled. The big bruiser stopped, and my 8-year-old son put the smack down on him. The deer jumped as if he had been hit well and then disappeared into the woods. We got down after about 15 minutes. We probably should have waited a bit longer, but we couldn’t take it anymore. We looked in the woods where we last saw the buck, searching for blood. Scott jumped up and down when we located the blood trail. He continued that excitement as he followed the blood-trail highway for 30 yards, and then he yelled that he’d found the buck. It was a special moment, for sure. We were high-fiving, hugging and admiring the beauty of the deer. For a hunter, it’s a moment a father looks forward to — an amazing experience that made me reflect on when I was the son with my father. Now I’m able to share the same experience with Scott. Words can’t describe the chill you get as you watch the big, wide eyes of your child look at a majestic buck.
Scott had no problems getting out of bed on time for school the next day. He practically had the picture of the buck glued to his hand. He hopped in the car, and when Mom dropped him off out front, one of the teachers opened the car door for him. Scott popped out and said, “See my deer!” He didn’t say, “Good morning!” Instead, it was, “See my deer!”
I heard his entire school day was like that. He held court at his desk first thing, as all the other children in class came to look at the picture. He was very proud.