The Summerland Advocate-Messenger - Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community

At 5:30 a.m., Saturday, 10-year-old Brogan Billings and dad, Chad, of Orchard, headed to a secluded spot, a.k.a. his grandparents' cabin, north of town.

Here, father and son awaited daybreak and an opportunity to bring home a prize on the opening day of Nebraska's firearm deer season.

With a trusty .22-250 in one hand and a 4x4 buck in sight, the younger Billings practiced patience.

Ready. Aim. Pull the trigger.

Excitement, first. Then, bring on the hunt.

"We had to chase after it," Billings said, after replaying the newly-made memory during this interview.

He wasn't nervous. After all, he had spent the evening prior preparing by "packing my (hunting) bag and getting my clothes ready to go."

Perhaps dreams of finding a 30-point buck filled his dream time before the alarm signaled hunting day.

Perfection.

Billings said he wouldn't change any part of his first hunt.

"Getting to shoot and pulling the trigger" are the fun parts of hunting.

"Where you have to aim with your gun is the hardest part."

What response did family members have about his hunting success?

"They said 'That's a nice deer for your first year."

Billings' friends were impressed, too.

The Summerland fourth-grade student said classmates were excited for him and commented about the deer's size.

Billings also wants to hunt for doves and turkeys, when those seasons open.

He will have a memento as a reminder of the experience.

"I will have the rack mounted - a European mount," he said.

That's not a bad start on a lifelong hobby for a boy who likes to spend time outdoors.