Remembering Grandpa

Logan Maddox with his 4-year-old son Beckham in Barrow County on a special hunt in memory of Logan’s grandpa, James Wedrell Maddox.

By Logan Maddox

After losing my grandpa early on Friday, I was kind of scared to go hunting the opening morning of muzzleloader season since he was the one who taught me so long ago. I knew I would feel his presence, and I didn’t know if I was ready. However, my 4-year-old son had been begging me to go. So I reluctantly woke him up just before first light, and we headed to the woods.

We were going to take the spot-and-stalk approach and ended up busting a group of about 15 and couldn’t tell what they were. So, we followed the direction they went and tried to get out ahead of them. After walking all morning, I asked my son if he was ready to go home. He looked up at me and said “no daddy, I know there’s a buck down there and we need to go get him,” so off we went.

Walking as quietly as possible until the group of does were about 50 yards in front of us, we crouched down. I was getting ready to shoot the biggest doe, and then he walked into my scope. I hadn’t even seen him standing there. I felt like my Pa had guided him right to me that morning.

The rest is history, and he’s at the processor now, and I’m getting a Euro mount done on him.