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WADENA, Minn. - For the Richter brothers, the morning of Nov. 3 couldn't come fast enough.
"It was fun to see what we would get or if we would get anything," Robert said.
Robert (13) and Thomas (11) Richter went deer hunting for the first time on Nov. 3, the opening day of the season. They are the sons of Bonnie and Mark Richter, who milk 80 cows near Wadena, Minn.
Hunting has always been an interest for Thomas, who is a sixth grader.
"Since I was 7 or 8 I have wanted to hunt," he said.
His parents also noticed his attraction to the hobby.
"Tom has always been the one to like fishing and hunting ever since he got his first BB gun. He would shoot rabbits and squirrels, skin them and clean them, and then bring them into to me. I would fix them and the three boys would eat them," Bonnie said.
Both Robert and Thomas took a gun class in August to prepare for their fall deer hunting fun.
Mark helped the two prepare for their first outing the week before. They made their deer stand out of straw bales and stacked them on a hayrack. They pulled the rack out to their hunting spot at the edge of their property.
When Saturday morning came, Mark did chores while Bonnie took Robert and Thomas out for their first hunt. Then in the afternoon, Mark took the boys out to hunt for a few hours. Bonnie took over as chaperone again for their third excursion during the evening while Mark and their youngest son, Daniel (8), did chores.
"I was very excited. I was just hoping they would get something," Bonnie said.
Each of the brothers has a hunting goal for the future.
"I want to get a big one, a 12-pointer," Robert said.
Thomas has a similar thought.
"Get a big one and mount it on the wall or something like that," he said about his goal.
Their best opportunity during their first year almost presented itself Sunday night when they spotted a doe walking through the neighbors' woods.
"I was getting excited, but it was on our neighbors' land so I couldn't shoot it," Thomas said.
They were disappointed when the doe never made it onto their land. Although it was the only deer they saw during their first-time two-day adventure, both of the brothers said they had fun. What was Robert's favorite part?
"Just to see the deer," he said.
Thomas agreed.
"I liked watching the squirrels and the animals, and to see what comes out," he said.
Bonnie liked the change of pace from her weekdays as a school teacher in Verndale.
"... I listen to kids going all day. I very rarely have peace and quiet. It was a nice treat," she said.
Overall, they had a good experience.
"It was kind of fun, a little cold," Thomas said.
Despite the cold, they plan to go again next year in hopes of shooting a big one to mount on the wall.[[In-content Ad]]

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