Letters To The Editor: October 2023

Reader Contributed | September 29, 2023

Donna Owenby had a stellar WMA deer season last year, harvesting two public-land bucks. Here’s a Rum Creek WMA buck she killed that scored 107 inches.

Nothing Like That Tangible, Hard Copy of GON Mag

Dear GON,

I just wanted to send a note to thank you so much and to convey how excited you made our 10-year-old outdoorsman (Kannon) when he saw his deer photo in the Sept. 2023 Realtree Outdoor Kids section. It’s awesome that you give these young ones a chance to shine. But, that’s just a small part of what GON does to ensure the future appreciation and care for the outdoors we all love.

In a time when everything seems to be going digital and lean, you guys consistently fill the pages of each GON issue with quality and content. In my opinion, there won’t ever be a replacement for that tangible heft of a good periodical like GON.

This is going in a frame next to that picture, for sure. Thank you, again!

Todd Kline (Kannon’s dad),

White Oak

WMA Ladies Power

Dear GON,

I want to congratulate my dear (deer) friend Donna Owenby for being listed in your Triple Digit WMA Bucks list in the July issue, not once but TWICE! She got a big buck at both Clybel and Rum Creek WMAs.

A group of us ladies have been hunting together since the mid-1990s and Donna has been a mentor and inspiration to us all. And, being the youngster of the group, she helps drag our deer. Donna and her sister Mel both got their love of the outdoors from their father. Dads, take your daughters hunting and fishing!

Kathy Presley, Cleveland

We’re In This Together!

Dear GON,

A couple of recent social-media comments disturbed me. GON posted a story of Realtree’s Tyler Jordan and his incredible bow buck from Harris County last season. One comment incorrectly implied that the deer was in a high fence. Another stated that Tyler is “privileged” and that the hunt was “definitely not fair chase.” Tyler responded more respectfully than many people would have to such comments, explaining that he is not special, that the deer are indeed free-range and that a huge magnitude of time and effort goes into managing their hunting properties.

Why should we not celebrate a hard-earned trophy buck from a fellow hunter? We are all in this together. If anyone wants to pick a verbal fight, there are plenty of people out there who oppose our hunting values; that would be a good audience to challenge! There is no productivity in turning on each other. The GON Community is the strongest organization I have ever been blessed to be a piece of. Let’s keep it that way.

Andrew Curtis, Alapaha