Amie Wade’s right foot didn’t suffer long on Nov. 25, despite her boot being full of cold creek water.
In order to reach her public land stand site that Monday, the 25-year-old huntress from Choctaw, Oklahoma, had to hike in and cross two rain-swollen creeks. In the process, water went over the top of her right boot, which she’d stuffed with foot-warmers for the 49-degree weather.
There was little time for soaked socks to test her resolve, however.
She was running late when she headed afield with her rifle that morning, her destination a spot she’d hunted three times since the Oct. 1 bow opener.
Amie had just pulled up her gun when she heard something approaching. It was 6:47.
When she turned and spotted a deer, she first thought it was a doe. But when it picked up its pace considerably, she realized either a tree was growing out of the doe’s head, or the she was a he.
Seconds later, Amie twice bleated to either stop or slow the running animal. It obliged both times, but trees conveniently obscured the kill zone.
Ultimately, the No. 1 buck on her wish list presented a 50-yard shot.
After the boom, the deer sailed across the nearby creek and ran smack dab into a tree 20 yards from the bank. Gravity claimed it immediately.
Her husband, Mitch, joined her in short order.
Amie’s 2019 season was spectacular. In addition to shooting this brute, she also harvested her first-ever buck with a bow. Neither hunt lasted more than a few minutes.
This buck, which hasn’t been scored yet, will eventually join a crowded house. The Wades already had four shoulder and 10 European (skull) mounts hanging on the wall, and that’s not counting the trophies they keep in their cabin in McCurtain County.
— Read Recent Blog! All’s Well that Ends Well: The estimated 4- to 5-year-old deer weighed a whopping 228 pounds, field-dressed. It has been rough-scored at 173 6/8 inches.