Jack Theis, 14, of Cranberry Township poses witht he tow deer he harvested within the first few hours of deer hunting Monday. Theis bagged his two deer with his first two shots after falling to get one tow years ago.

ALLEGHENY TWP — Early in his deer hunting years, Jack Theis discovered what it felt like to miss.

It didn't take the 14-year-old Cranberry Township resident long Monday to discover what it feels like to hit.

Theis bagged a doe with his first shot at 8:45 a.m. Monday while hunting with his father near the Pittsburgh airport. An hour later, he bagged an 8-point buck — again with his first shot.

"We think the buck was chasing the doe because we saw it come into the open just before I shot the doe,"Theis said. "Once he heard the gunshot, he ran back behind the trees.

"A while later, he came back out again."

And Theis made no mistake — unlike two years ago.

When he was 12 and hunting for the first time, Theis spotted a couple of doe, but failed to connect.

"Like a lot of young hunters, he was a little excitable and made a little noise,"said Howard Theis, Jack's father. "It doesn't take much for a deer to scatter. They know how to spot and sense the presence of people.

"Three doe came through and they picked up on him right away. He had a hard time sitting still."

That wasn't a problem this time. With his father's help, the younger Theis didn't make a sound and didn't waste a bullet.

"Going into the woods is like going to school,"the elder Theis said. "You learn things about the deer's habitat, their tendencies and how to be patient.

"I learned that stuff through hunting with my father. I think Jack's learned it now."

With his father as the teacher.

"My dad helped me a lot with hearing the deer, showing me where it'd pop out at and when to shoot,"Jack Theis said.

The 8-point buck is being mounted. It is slightly larger than the biggest deer Theis' father ever bagged — another 8-point — and he's been hunting for 40 years.

But no ribbing is forthcoming from the youngest hunter in the family.

"He knows better than to do that," Mr. Theis said, laughing. "It's a long walk to where we hunt."

Now 52, Howard Theis said his son has learned the hunting game well — much like he did from his father.

"I'm thrilled for him. I'm proud of him,"he said. "Those are two nice deer and he got them in a clean, methodical manner."

The Theis family originally scouted the hunting area near the area for rabbit. Jack Theis bagged two rabbits there two weeks ago.

"We looked around the area, noticed the (deer) tracks ... It looked like there were a lot of them here,"the younger Theis said.

"It didn't bother me too much not getting a deer before now. I knew I'd get one eventually."