By John Marshall

Destiny, her grandpa and I were sitting in a small, closed treestand. The cramped conditions had me praying a deer would come along soon.  

Her grandpa told her she would know when a deer was coming because ground squirrels would run away. As the hours passed slowly, Destiny fell asleep. When Grandpa tapped her on her shoulder to let her know a deer was coming, she said the squirrel wasn’t running away. I finally whispered “shhh!”

I could see Destiny lift up her bow twice before she finally took her shot.

Grandpa got so excited he kept saying, “That was a great shot, little girl!”

I quickly thanked her for the great shot, too, because I wouldn’t have to drag the buck out of the thick brush.

She was a little amazed when it came to field dressing the deer. Grandpa gave her the option not to watch, but she wanted to be involved in the whole process. I was happy for my daughter, and I reminded her that the knowledge she has gained is important when it comes to taking care of her family, if needed, and not relying on packaged food at the store.

Now she has the fever. She said she was disappointed she had only one tag, so I reminded her that gun season isn't far away.