I have been blessed far beyond my wildest dreams. Some may even called me spoiled. I wasn't blessed monetarily speaking, but instead with a wonderful husband and family that not only tolerates my love of the outdoors and overwhelming desire to spend every waking moment hunting, fishing, and camping, but also shares in it. Though not raised in a family who spent much time doing any of these things, I was blessed with a husband who lives and breathes to be outdoors, enjoying the wildlife, fresh air, and outdoor sports. With his guidance, I can honestly say that I have become a heck of a huntress and angler. He's been a great teacher. I can hunt with modern rifle, muzzleloader, and compound bow successfully. In my years of hunting, I have only lost one animal. I've been blessed to hunt different states, different species of animals, and met some of the greatest hunters on the face of the earth. And to top it all off, I have been blessed with one of the most beautiful hunting companions of all time... my 11 year old daughter, Sara Kate.
If I were given the opportunity to search the world for a daughter, I would still choose Sara Kate. See, actually, I did just that. I chose her. On the other hand, maybe she chose me? I first met Sara Kate when she was 4 years old. Her sadness broke my heart and I was determined to break the shell that she had enclosed herself in. It wasn't until my husband, Tommy and I took her fishing for the first time that I saw that shell crack and she started to emerge. Like a butterfly, she has spread her wings and has turned into a free spirit. Now at the age of eleven, her laughter is contagious and her smile can warm the coldest of hearts. She is at awe at freshly mowed hay fields, the smell of the outdoors, and birds that soar high in the sky. Every trip outdoors is an adventure to her. Every day I thank God for sending me such a lovely child to raise. What a
wonderful blessing she has been to me!
Sara killed her first deer at the age of eight while sitting on her Daddy's lap in a tripod. The only assistance he gave her was to position her gun on the shooting rail and carefully watch every move she made. Her trophy was a young button buck. Upon finding her downed deer, I heard her yell; "I found my deer, Daddy! It's a buck!" She then lay on the ground beside her deer, stroking its hair gently. "He's so beautiful," she said repeatedly. I was so proud of her.
Sara's second deer was a big old doe. It was the first morning of the youth gun season and though we had intended to rise early to take Sara to the deer woods, we all slept in. Later in the morning, my son woke his dad and said, "There's a couple deer in the back yard. Think Sara might wanna kill one of them?" Several minutes later, I heard a shot and knew that Sara Kate had again been successful. She shot her doe with a Rossi .243 in her SpongeBob pajamas, with her Daddy in attendance. I quick
ly rose to grab the camera and take some photos. Again, I found her sitting in the backyard, cradling the doe's head in her lap and stroking its neck. "Isn't she beautiful, Mom?" Spotting the camera, she jumped and ran for her camo.
When I decided to allow her to accompany me to the Brown's Creek Hunting Club for a weekend hunt, she was elated. I had been looking forward to this trip for weeks and though I really wasn't sure I wanted to share my hunting trip, I wanted Sara Kate to experience hunting camp. So Tommy, Sara Kate, and I headed to south Arkansas with anticipation of filling the freezer with some fresh deer meat.
Upon arriving, it was decided that Sara would hunt with me the first day. We arrived at our stand before daylight and immediately she was curled up in a ball catnapping until first light. I decided to let her sleep. After all, if she were asleep and a big buck showed up... I wouldn't feel so bad about shooting it myself! As daylight came though, she slowly sat up and asked, "Seen any deer yet?" I was confident that we'd see some deer eventually and shared my thoughts. "Sara, if a doe shows up first, you can shoot it. 
However, if it's a buck... it's mine." She nodded to show that she understood. I then directed her to watch the right side of the blind and I would watch to the left and behind us. It wasn't long though before I found myself catnapping, snuggling deep in my Heater Body Suit and wishing it was a tad warmer. Suddenly, I felt Sara Kate persistently nudging me. "What?” I whispered. "There a buck, Mom!"
Sure enough, about a hundred yards away, walking to the right of us, headed past our stand, was a nice sized buck. "Shoot it, Mom!" She whispered excitedly. I picked up the .243 and handed it to Sara Kate. "You spotted it, you can shoot it." Looking puzzled, she asked, "You sure?" I smiled and nodded. Taking the gun, Sara Kate raised it, found the deer in her scope, and pulled the trigger. My heart was pounding as I watched Sara's first antlered deer hit the ground. Time seemed to stand still as we both tried to calm ourselves and breathe normally again. We found it hard to get out of our stand, our legs still weak from the adrenaline rush that we had just experienced. My beautiful daughter had just shot her third deer.
My cell phone vibrated. It was a text message from Dad. "You shoot?" he texted. "No. Sara,” I responded. "BBD" (Big Buck Down)
