TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter 1: Dad Is Home

  Chapter 2: Seven-Pointer

  Chapter 3: Something for Ethan

  Chapter 4: Not a Toy

  Chapter 5: Safe Aim

  Chapter 6: Target Practice

  Chapter 7: Forgetting the Code

  Chapter 8: A Real Hunting Trip

  Chapter 9: The Cabin

  Chapter 10: First Light

  Chapter 11: All the Wrong Reasons

  About the Author

  About the Illustrator

  Glossary

  Why Do People Hunt?

  Discussion Questions

  Writing Prompts

  Other Books By Jake Maddox

  Internet Sites

  Copyright

  Back Cover

  CHAPTER 1

  DAD IS HOME

  Ethan heard the old truck coming down the street. The rumble of the truck was easy to hear. He knew exactly what that noise meant. His dad was home from his hunting trip.

  Ethan’s dad had spent the last five days in the north woods with his hunting buddies. His father took the same trip every year at the start of the deer hunting season.

  For as long as Ethan could remember, he’d been hearing stories about his dad’s hunting trips.

  Dad had a nice car that he drove to work every day. But when it came time to head off on a hunting trip, he drove his old, beat-up pickup truck. It was the one that made lots of noise.

  When Ethan heard the rumble of that truck on Sunday evening, he knew his father was almost home from the trip. There was just one thing to find out. Had Dad gotten a deer?

  Ethan tried to act cool, but his eyes went straight to the window. His mom noticed his excitement. “Sounds like your dad’s home,” she said. “Why don’t you go outside and meet him?”

  Smiling, Ethan ran for the door. He pushed the screen door open just as the old truck pulled into the driveway. As the truck moved up closer to the house, Ethan stood on his tiptoes. He tried to see into the bed of the pickup.

  Then he saw it. There it was, as plain as day. It was poking out above the edge of the truck — a buck’s antlers.

  CHAPTER 2

  SEVEN-POINTER

  As soon as the truck’s engine died, Ethan ran to the driveway. He jumped over the side of the pickup and into the back. The face of a dead deer stared straight back at him.

  “Awesome!” Ethan shouted.

  He tried to guess how much the huge deer weighed. The number of points on the deer’s antlers would tell him more about the deer. Ethan counted them quickly.

  “Three, four, five, six!” he said. “A six-pointer! Nice job, Dad!”

  Ethan’s father slammed the truck door and walked toward the bed of the truck. “Uh, I think you missed one, buddy,” he said, smiling.

  Ethan looked again. There was another point! “Seven!” he shouted. “Nice!”

  “So, what happened?” Ethan asked. “Which day did you get him? What time of day was it? Was this the only buck you guys got?”

  “Slow down, buddy,” his father said. “Let’s go inside, and I’ll tell you all about it after I get cleaned up.”

  “Good idea,” Ethan replied. “You stink.”

  They both laughed. Then Ethan’s dad headed inside the house.

  While his dad took a shower, Ethan stayed in the back of the truck. He studied the deer, trying to learn as much as he could about the hunt on his own.

  He carefully looked at the side of the animal, being careful not to touch the deer since it hadn’t been cleaned. After a few seconds, Ethan found the place where the gunshot had entered the deer’s body.

  Just behind the front leg, a little ways up the side, he thought to himself. That’s a great shot.

  Every year when he got back from a trip, Ethan’s dad had new stories. His father would repeat the funny stories he’d heard from his friends. He would talk about the cool things that had happened on the trip. Ethan loved the stories.

  As he sat in the back of the truck, Ethan thought about the stories. When his dad told the stories, Ethan could almost see a buck come in close. He could imagine how it would feel to line up and take the shot.

  Every year, Ethan’s dad would say, “When you’re old enough, you’ll be coming along on these trips.”

  The words always sent a chill down Ethan’s spine. He could feel the excitement building inside him. But it always sounded so far away. “When you’re old enough.” When would that be? When would he finally be old enough?

  Every year, Ethan hoped it would finally be the year that he was old enough. He felt himself getting closer and closer. His dad had started to teach him stuff about hunting.

  Ethan learned to hold a gun. He learned how to sight his target through the scope. He learned all the safety rules. But the most important thing his dad taught him was about the Hunter’s Code.

  “Never shoot anything just for the sport. You have to respect the animal,” his father always said. “If you don’t plan to eat it, you better not shoot it.”

  CHAPTER 3

  SOMETHING FOR ETHAN

  Ten minutes later, Ethan’s dad appeared in the doorway. “Come inside, Ethan,” he called. “I want to tell you all about the trip.”

  Ethan ran inside. “So what happened?” he asked. “I want to hear everything.”

  His dad smiled. “It was great,” he said. “Well, actually, it didn’t start off great. For the first couple of days, none of the guys got anything.”

  “Oh, man!” Ethan said. “That must have been boring.”

  “Not really,” Dad said. “We had a great time anyway.”

  “So when did you get the deer?” Ethan asked.

  “Well, finally, we went out this morning for just a couple of hours,” Dad said. “We were about to call it quits, but just as we were packing up, I heard something moving in the bushes.”

  Ethan leaned forward in his chair, listening carefully to every word.

  His father went on, “Just then, out walked the buck. He was about 40 yards away from me. After a couple of minutes, I had a clear view. I took the shot. The single shot hit the deer and it fell.”

  “Sounds like a good shot, Dad,” Ethan said.

  “Yeah, it was, if I do say so myself,” Dad said. “It was fast. That’s a good thing, too,” he added, “because you don’t want the deer to feel pain.”

  “Right,” Ethan said. “I know. That would be mean.”

  “That’s right,” Dad said. “You’ll make a great hunter.”

  Ethan waited for the rest of the story — the line that he heard every year. He didn’t move. He was waiting for his father to say, “When you are old enough.”

  But this time, the words were different.

  “I got a little something for you when I was up there,” Ethan’s father said. “I hope you like it.”

  He reached behind the couch and pulled out a long, thin box.

  Ethan grabbed it. He popped the box open and gasped. It was a brand-new, high-powered air gun.

  CHAPTER 4

  NOT A TOY

  Ethan slowly pulled the air gun from the box. As he held it, he admired its long, lean shape. He felt the cool, smooth black metal and smiled widely.

  “Unbelievable,” he said. “This is awesome! Thanks, Dad!”

  “I’m glad you like it,” Dad said. “But before you can use it, you need to understand the power that it has.”

  “What do you mean?” Ethan asked. “It’s not a real hunting gun. It can’t be that dangerous.”

  “You’re wrong about that,” Dad replied, frowning. “It isn’t powerful enough to use on a hunting trip. But it could really hurt someone. This gun packs a lot of power. The pellets that come out could seriously hurt someone. So you need to treat this gun like a real gun.”

  “Okay,” Ethan said.

  “This is not like the BB guns that you had as a kid,” Dad said. “If you got hit with one of those, it wasn’t a big deal. This type of gun could send a pellet through the skin. It could really hurt someone.”

  “Okay, I got it, Dad,” Ethan said. “I promise I’ll be careful.”

  “I signed you up for a firearm safety class,” Dad said. “Once you get done with that, I’ll teach you everything I know. This is going to be really fun. You just need to remember that this gun is not a toy.”

  Ethan nodded. “I’ll remember. Don’t worry, Dad,” he promised.

  CHAPTER 5

  SAFE AIM

  The firearm safety classes started after school the very next afternoon. Ethan was pretty excited to go to the first class. Along with a dozen other kids, Ethan got to learn how to safely aim and shoot a gun.

  They learned a lot about hunting. They also learned a lot about taking care of guns, how to load a gun and clean it, and safety tips for being in the woods. Ethan thought it was a pretty fun class.

  The class lasted for a few hours every day for a week. Finally, Ethan earned his Firearm Safety certificate.

  After Ethan had earned his certificate, it was time to start learning from his dad.

  Ethan’s family lived a few miles out of town. Their backyard was a big forest. It was a great place to play. It was also a good place to practice shooting.

  After school one day, Ethan and his dad headed out into the woods. It was getting dark, but there was still enough light coming through the treetops that they could see clearly.

  Ethan’s father brought along some old cans to use as targets. He carefully showed Ethan how to load the pellets i nto his gun. Then he showed him how to line up the target through the gun’s scope.

  Ethan peered through the scope. He aimed carefully at the root beer can that was his target. He pointed the gun at one of the Os in “root.” Slowly, carefully, Ethan pulled the trigger.

  Pffft! The gun fired. The gun’s noise wasn’t sharp and loud like the sound of a gunshot. Still, the power of the gun made Ethan jerk back.

  Ethan lowered the gun and flicked the safety back on so that he wouldn’t accidentally fire the gun again.

  He looked at the root beer can, which was about 25 yards away.

  The can was still standing up. It hadn’t moved an inch.

  Dad laughed. “Try it again, son,” he said.

  Ethan made another shot. But again, the can didn’t move.

  Dad frowned. “I wonder if there’s something wrong with the sight on the gun,” he said. “Can I take a look?”

  Ethan handed him the gun. “Go ahead,” Ethan said.

  His father looked closely at the gun. “See, if it isn’t set up right, you could be aiming at something that you’re not looking at,” he explained to Ethan. “That would cause a bad shot for sure.”

  Dad aimed the gun at the root beer can and pulled the trigger. PFFT! With a burst of noise, the can flew off the post it had been sitting on.

  Ethan frowned. “I guess it works,” he said quietly.

  Dad looked at the gun and shook his head. “Well,” he said, “everything seems to be set up right. Try it again.”

  Ethan fired the gun 20 or 30 more times that night. He never hit one of his targets. Not even once.

  “It can be very difficult to hold steady at the target as you get ready to fire,” Ethan’s father said as they walked back toward the house. “Even the smallest movement can cause you to miss a small target like a can. Tomorrow night, we’ll try something bigger. Don’t worry, you’ll get it.”

  Ethan nodded. But he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to hit his target. If he couldn’t hit a dumb metal can, how could he ever hit a deer?

  CHAPTER 6

  TARGET PRACTICE

  The next night, instead of using cans for target practice, Ethan’s dad set up a huge piece of wood. He marked the middle with a bright green sticker.

  Ethan aimed for the center, but his first shot barely hit the target. But he’d still hit it! He couldn’t believe it.

  “I hit it!” he yelled happily.

  His dad smiled. “Good job,” he said.

  Ethan’s next shot was closer to the center of the target, but it was still far from hitting it. But he didn’t give up.

  He just kept trying. And the more he shot, the closer he got to the center.

  The next night, Dad cut the piece of plywood down to make it smaller. He made it even smaller the night after that. And soon, Ethan could hit a root beer can from 30 yards away.

  By the time the next hunting season came, the combination of Ethan’s gun safety class and his father’s tutoring had made him better at using the gun. He felt really good about his skills.

  One day in early November, Ethan was eating breakfast. His dad walked into the kitchen.

  “You can shoot after school without me,” he told Ethan, “as long as you shoot in the woods behind our house. And you have to make sure to follow all the safety rules. If you keep improving the way you have been, you may be ready for a real deer hunt this year.”

  Ethan was thrilled. He’d been waiting all his life for a real deer hunt. He knew what that meant. A real hunt, a real gun, a real target.

  Finally, he’d be one of the guys. He’d be treated like a grownup. It would be amazing.

  That afternoon after school, Ethan headed out in the woods behind the house. He made sure the area was safe. He loaded his gun.

  He shot carefully at his target, an old soup can. By now, his aim was nearly perfect.

  After a few shots, Ethan paused to recheck his gun. He picked it back up again, held it straight, and aimed at another can.

  The woods were completely silent. All that Ethan could hear was the movement of a few small creatures crunching through the leaves as they ran around on the ground.

  Suddenly, Ethan saw a small squirrel scurrying around near his target. Ethan lowered his gun.

  I wonder if I could hit that squirrel, he thought. He smiled. I bet I could. I’m going to try it!

  Ethan raised the gun back up. He lowered his aim toward the ground. He looked at the squirrel through the gun’s scope.

  Slowly and carefully, Ethan pulled the trigger.

  CHAPTER 7

  FORGETTING THE CODE

  Pfffft!

  The gun fired. The shot was perfect.

  The impact of the pellet made the squirrel fall over. Ethan took a deep breath. He couldn’t believe it.

  Ethan screamed happily. “Woo!” he yelled. He did a little dance. “Sweet!” he shouted to no one. “I did it! I hit a real target!”

  Ethan knew that his father would be amazed at what he had done. He ran over and picked up the dead squirrel.

  He carefully carried it out of the woods. Then he laid it down at the edge of his family’s back yard.

  He felt great. He wanted to see what else he could hit. For the rest of the afternoon, Ethan hunted squirrels and rabbits in the woods, all by himself.

  After a couple of hours, he had collected five dead animals. There were three gray squirrels and two rabbits.

  He gathered them up and brought them up closer to the house. He laid them down in the grass, side by side. He couldn’t wait for his father to get home. His dad would be so proud.

  He headed inside and watched some TV. Soon, he heard his father’s car pull into the driveway.

  Ethan ran out to the front porch. His father stepped out of the car and began walking toward the house.

  “Dad, I have something awesome to show you,” Ethan called. “It’s in the back yard.”

  He led his dad around the house. They walked to the edge of the yard. Ethan pointed at the dead animals on the ground.

  Ethan’s father dropped his briefcase. He stared at Ethan. “What happened here?” he asked.

  Ethan frowned. Why isn’t he excited? he wondered. His father’s face was not at all what he’d expected.

  “I shot them all,” Ethan said, still trying to be proud. “I got them all on the first shot, too. Well, almost all of them,” he added.

  “Aw, Ethan,” his father said, shaking his head sadly. “You forgot the code.” He crouched down near the dead animals and looked at them closely. He moved one of them with his shoe. There was no sign of life.

  Suddenly, Ethan had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. The code. His dad was talking about the Hunter’s Code. The promise that said he would never shoot an animal just for sport.

  Finally, Ethan realized what he had done. He had killed five animals that he wasn’t going to eat. He had broken the Hunter’s Code.

  “I’m sorry,” Ethan said. “I forgot. I was just excited about being able to hit a moving target.”

  Dad shook his head and started walking away. He stopped and turned. He said, “Maybe you’re not ready to be a hunter.” Then he headed into the house.

  CHAPTER 8

  A REAL HUNTING TRIP

  Later that night, there was a knock on Ethan’s bedroom door. Dad walked in. “I think I need to take your gun away for a while,” he said. “I’m sorry, son, but you need to learn just how serious this is.”

  “I know it’s serious,” Ethan said.

  “I don’t think you do,” his dad said. “Those were living animals. They didn’t deserve to have their lives taken away for no reason.”

  Ethan’s chin sank down to his chest. His eyes stared at the floor. He knew that his father was right. He also knew there was nothing he could say to make it any better.

  * * *

  For the next few days, Ethan tried not to think about hunting. All he could do was hope his father would give him another chance.

 

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