The next generation is so important to the future of what we all love — and young Tom, under the guidance of his dad Nathan (@naths_fish_bowhunt_seafaris), is exactly what we love to see. Read the story of Tom's first wild mountain goat with a compound bow.
After a 6km hike exploring new ground, the sun had just hit 8am when we spotted a small mob of billies feeding their way up a hill. I had a feeling everything was about to line up perfectly for Tom's very first arrow shot at a wild mountain goat.
Using the wind to our advantage, we put a plan together to cut them off, hoping they'd feed toward us. We closed the gap to about 100 metres, dropped our packs, and made a beeline to 50 metres. The wind held steady in our faces, and the goats kept feeding in our direction. Step by step, I guided Tom in — inch by inch — until we were tucked in at just 30 metres, hunkered down with the goats coming straight into range.
They drifted closer, eventually within 15 metres. I positioned Tom between two trees, had him nock an arrow, and hold his bow upright in front of his face to blend in. Then I felt it — a slight breeze tickling the back of my neck. I knew we had maybe 30 seconds before the goats caught our wind.
The biggest billy came in closest, but I whispered to Tom not to shoot yet. I wanted him to start with a smaller one. Suddenly, the goats winded us — two bolted, but the third paused at just 15 metres, peeking over a log, unsure of what was happening.
"Draw, draw," I whispered. "Top pin, right on the airbags," I told him.
Tom steadied himself, lined up his shot, and released. The arrow hit perfectly — a clean lung shot. The goat ran just 40 paces before going down.
Overcome with adrenaline, Tom broke down in tears — tears of joy, relief, and pride. Every hour of training, every bit of frustration and perseverance had led to this moment.
I couldn't be prouder of Tom and his achievement. At just eight years old, he's taken his first bow-harvested animal — a memory neither of us will ever forget. And this is only the beginning of his bowhunting journey.
