Three Generations of Lady Deer Hunters

It’s hard to say where it all got started; our family bought this farm in 1985; but there weren’t many bucks like this back then. Over time we were able to add additional acres to the farm, and seriously improve the wildlife habitat. Also, several years ago Howard County put in a 4-point rule (4 points on at least one side), which significantly increased the opportunity to see and harvest mature bucks, like these.
Sara’s favorite hunting spot – on this farm – is a place we call “Grand Central Station,” because three large pieces of woods nearly touch an old east/west fencerow at this point. We added a small food plot on the south side of the fencerow and there’s always a lot of deer movement in the area – from every direction. Sara shot her first buck there in 1987, as did Eliza in 2014.
Eliza didn’t get a buck during the youth season a couple weeks earlier, and was still first on the list as she and her mom climbed into the stand on opening morning of our 11-day firearms season. Opening was at 6:07 and Eliza texted me a picture of her buck at 6:47;

so for her it was a pretty short hunt. After pictures they climbed back in the stand and continued hunting, as it was only 7:00 am. Twenty minutes later, they spotted what was to be Sara’s buck a few hundred yards to the north, but walking their way. Sara was going to hold out for one a little bigger, but the opportunity to have a mother/daughter picture won out and she shot him. Two bucks in just over an hour of hunting from the same stand – unbelievable!
That was all the deer shooting that occurred on opening day; the mother/daughter pictures were taken and the deer hung to cool out. No one knew there was still more to the story. The following morning, Brenda and I were hunting in different stands not far away and she shot a tall, heavy 8-pointer.
It didn’t take Sara long to put a picture plan together! When we arrived with Brenda’s deer in the pickup she wanted to put all three deer together for a three generation lady deer hunters picture – so we did. Wouldn’t think there have been very many pictures like this taken in the history of deer hunting.