keegan rohlfsen

Proving Yourself as a Hunter When Dad's Not Around

In hunting as in life, true success is when your children turn out better than you.

This holds true for so many parents: parents like the Rohlfsen family from Iowa, who decided it was time to let their son, Keegan, hunt on his own.

"With his football schedule and our farm being two hours from home, I couldn't make it when he could." Chase Rohlfsen, Keegan's father, discussing the prelude to the hunt. "Keegan pleaded with his mother and me for a week, and we finally agreed to let him go. He planted the food plots over the summer and had been watching this deer on the Browning trail cameras. He had this deer in mind all season and he was determined to get him."

Determination, patience, perseverance and commitment are just a few words that describe this hunt, but "proud father" takes the crown. Watch below as Keegan Rohlfsen, 16, takes his first buck on his own and makes every father, and son, proud to be a hunter.

I'll never forget the first buck I killed after my father let me hunt on my own. I had spent a couple years hunting on my own but had only shot a handful of does. This was still exciting and even though they were does, I got it done on my own.

There is just no way of explaining the feeling for both the son or the father in a situation like this. As a son, you are proud to know that you were capable of taking what you learned and put it to work. The trust set forth by your father, the education he instilled in you and the sheer excitement of wanting to show Dad that his boy has now become a man.

Congratulations to Keegan Rohlfsen and his girlfriend, Samantha Watson, who was also his cameraman, on a job well done. At sixteen years of age, you could be sitting at home playing video games all weekend. Keegan, however, shows what the true meaning of hunting is, passed down from generation to generation.

"This is just a boy who loves to bow hunt. He planted the plot, checked the cameras, and knew when to move to cut him off before the standing corn. Better yet, he took his girlfriend on her first filming and bowhunting experience! I couldn't be prouder as a father." - Chase Rohlfsen.

Like what you see here? You can read more articles by Dustin Prievo here. Follow him and his hunting team, Top Pin Outdoors, on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

NEXT: 6 CARD GAMES FOR DEER CAMP AND HOW TO PLAY THEM