Four Generations Succeed in Harvesting Bucks from the Same Blind

Author: Steve Reed

I would be surprised if this has ever happened before but 4 generations got whitetail bucks in Muskingum County, Ohio from the same elevated blind during the 2019-2020 season. The generations are as follows: my grandson, Easton Reed (5) harvest date 10/11/19, my son, Matt Reed (42) harvest date 10/17/19, myself, Steve Reed (69) harvest date 1/7/20 and my father, Dean Reed (89) harvest date 1/26/20. We had hoped to do the same with turkeys but my father developed liver cancer and passed away in May of 2021. 

It was not by design but it just happened that they were harvested in order of our ages. Once Easton and Matt (who runs a deer outfitting business in Muskingum County, Ohio) got their bucks Matt thought it would be neat if 4 generations could get bucks from the same blind so the effort began. When Matt sets a goal nothing keeps him from reaching it. Once I got a buck the pressure was really on my dad. It was not easy for him to climb up into the 8’ elevated blind, even with help, but he got a buck the fifth time he hunted. I was in the blind with Dad when he shot his. 

I don’t have specifics on Matt’s hunt but he did get the largest buck. Matt filmed Easton’s hunt which was his first kill. I was alone when they retrieved it the following morning. What an excited 5-year-old.

The buck I shot was one Dad missed earlier during gun season hunting with Matt. I don’t hunt much anymore but Matt pushed me to hunt for his “goal” and even bought a muzzleloader for me to use. The first afternoon I hunted I saw 2 bucks running down through a field approximately 100 yards away. I shot at the biggest one and when the smoke cleared I saw them both running full speed down over the hill and out of site. I assumed I had missed but when I got out of the blind later to leave I decided to go take a look just in case. To my surprise, just as I could see down over the hill, there he lay dead about 20 yards away.

Now my dad was the only one left to meet Matt’s goal of a 4 generation slam. Matt called me one afternoon telling me he was really tired and asked if I would set with Dad that evening. It was his 5th hunt and he had already missed with a shotgun. He said he would help get Dad up in the blind and get him set up with the crossbow on a shooting rail then leave. He told me to take the safety off if Dad decides to shoot. Matt just wanted him to get a buck and didn’t care how big it was but I knew Dad didn’t want to shoot a spike. Just before we were thinking about getting out I saw a small buck running up the hill straight at us. I looked in my binoculars and saw it was a 4-point. I told Dad it was up to him if he wanted to shoot it or not and it didn’t matter to me one way or the other. Next came the first funny comment from Dad. He said in kind of a cocky voice, “Turn ‘er on” (meaning take the safety off). He aimed for what seemed like an eternity then put the bolt right through the boiler. Mission accomplished! He kind of jumped when he shot and then came to his second funny comment. He asked me where the fire came from. He said he didn’t think fire came out of crossbows. I said, “Dad it’s a lighted nock. You saw it because it’s a little dusky outside.”

Easton, Matt, and Dad shot their bucks with a crossbow and I shot mine with a muzzleloader. They were all free-range harvests and will all cherish the memories of this unusual event for the rest of our lives.