Keeping the tradition alive

As being a female hunter, I am one of the groups that is a fast growing segment in this old tradition. I think women hunt for different reasons than men. Most often we hunt to share an experience with the men in our lives. This year, I was able to see many daughters and wives get their first deer. As I have written before, I hunt for the experience of being outside and the variety of things that I can observe. Harvesting a deer is a side benefit that I get which feeds my family and friends. Many people I know are always asking me for some venison.

This year, I was able to see my first pair of bucks sparing in the woods. They were young bucks but it was fun to watch them for twenty minutes or so. I was also lucky enough to see woodpeckers mate. I have never seen that before and it was very interesting to see.

Finally, I was able to harvest a nice six point buck. I was very proud to take this buck because I had wanted to place a stand in this part of the woods where I have seen deer move through over the years. I hunted for a little over a week before seeing this guy. I did see a bigger dear a week or so before but could not get a shot. The deer came right up the hill in front of my stand and was watching me. The six pointer walked to the right of my stand and walked down the hill. I had a split second to decide to harvest him and after missing him the first time was able to take him the second time I tried. There are few weeks left in the season but I don't have any hope in getting anything else. I will have to wait eleven months until I can't get back into the woods to sit in the cool weather. I hope I can see more women out there next year.