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First of Many
By Lyndsey Wesner
I’ve had a lot of firsts in the past eight months, so after I caught my first 20-pound king salmon, shot my first 8-point buck with a bow, took my first doe with a bow, and my first doe with a muzzleloader, naturally I expressed desire to shoot my first turkey.
My husband Rick said, “It's not easy. They have keen eyesight, and the slig... READ MORE
Half a Buck Is Better Than None
By Michael Krause
Even deer hunters get by with a little help from their friends.
For the past 30 years, I’ve been venturing back to my old stomping grounds in Deposit, N.Y., to hunt with my friends from high school. This past season resulted in a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
It happened at about 3 p.m. on the second day of the New York season. It was cold... READ MORE
In the Nick of Time
By Jayden Steinkamp, age 11
Napping in the stand is okay, but shooting a big buck is better.
It was midseason in Indiana in 2013, and the wind wasn’t blowing hard. We had gone hunting in the morning and saw one doe. We were hunting at my grandpa’s, and there are some big deer there. He doesn’t like us to shoot does, so we passed.
When it got 2:50 p.m. that... READ MORE
Never Give Up
By Ray Thiel
It only takes a second for an entire season of frustration to turn amazing. The 2018 deer season in eastern Connecticut was slower than normal. After two years where gypsy moth caterpillars ate nearly all the leaves off the oak trees, they just didn’t produce acorns. Unfortunately, on property I have permission to hunt on in Griswold, acorns... READ MORE
All in the Family
By Jessica Jenderny
I’ve been hunting with my dad, Eric Jenderny, since I was old enough to walk.
He taught me what his dad taught him about hunting. His best friend Bruce Rogers also taught me a lot about hunting, so what I’ve learned about deer and hunting, I owe to them.
Now that I’m 16, I’ve become a mighty hunter like my mentors.
The we... READ MORE
Pawpaw Comes Through
By Ethan Vailliencourt
My name is Ethan, and I am 8 years old. I got to go hunting for the first time during the last youth hunt of the 2013 season in Breathitt County, Kentucky.
Since my dad had to work, my papaw took me hunting. We hunted in the morning on Dec. 28, and since we didn’t get anything, I told Papaw we should go back in the evening. When it was time,... READ MORE
Oh, Brother!
By Todd Davis
Last year my youngest brother Fred kept harvesting critters in northeast Oklahoma, while I struggled to see anything in drought stricken north Texas.
North Texas looked, smelled, and felt like being on the moon. Everything was brittle, dried up and turning to dust. After ribbing me for months, Fred finally extended an invitation to hunt with him t... READ MORE
The Journey
By Richard Benton
My quest to shoot a big buck began when I first hunted in Kansas in 2001. I harvested an 8-pointer that scored 148 inches, and I was hooked.
I like hunting in my home state of Virginia, but it’s nothing like the Midwest. I have always had a passion for hunting whitetails. I have been so drawn to and obsessed with it that I pursued an educati... READ MORE
Blustery Day Buck
By Krissy Jean Zimmer
The day ended up awesomely, but it didn’t start out that way. On Friday, while at work in the dental office, I checked my weather channel app. It said, “30 mph winds — stay in bed today.” I laughed when I read that. Even my boss Dr. Rahn said, “I bet you won’t get up and go tomorrow.” I considered staying i... READ MORE
Heart of the Hunt
By Christopher Jecker
Shortened season doesn’t stop concerned son from taking his best buck ever.
While I live in Louisville, Kentucky, I hunt in Crawford County, Indiana. Two weeks before gun season, my work and hunting partner, my dad, had a massive heart attack.
We rushed him to the ER, where the doctor informed us that he needed to have open heart surgery. A... READ MORE