Aaron Entrekin’s Bucket List Bucks

By Mike Sumner

Imagine for a moment that you have never been deer hunting, but it was on your bucket list. Imagine that on your first hunt you go to the woods with a borrowed gun, armed with the knowledge that comes from a few weekends on the range with a seasoned hunter and fellow church member, hunt on land you have never seen before and guided by someone you have never met before.

This was the dream of a 16-year-old named Aaron Entrekin, of Sumner. The problem with this story is that a 16-year-old young man should not be thinking about a bucket list.

Mike Sumner smears a little first blood on the cheek of Aaron Entrekin after killing his first deer, a 7-pointer, in Early County on Jan. 11, 2020. The next morning, Aaron tagged out with a 6-pointer (below).

Aaron’s dream came true as a result of the 30-30 Ministries’ Deer Camp hosted on the last weekend of the 2019-2020 deer season at Bethel Baptist Church in Clay County. The camp is held every year with guest hunters and their families/chaperones staying the weekend at Camp Hicita, located at the Kolomoki Mounds State Park. The weekend is a time for fellowship and deer hunting but most importantly sharing the Good News of Jesus. And as with all situations, we never know in which direction the sharing will occur. Many times we receive much more than we give. 30-30 Ministries is an opportunity for us seasoned believers to share what the youth may have never heard.

I had the opportunity to guide Aaron on our farm. He was accompanied by his chaperone and mother, Shanna. Our mornings during camp usually begin with a hot breakfast in the meeting hall of Camp Hicita in front of the large fireplace. During that time, we hold a meeting and again review the safety rules that we had covered the night before.

I took Aaron to the “First Box” on our place. It was named this simply because it was the first one built on our place. It’s an elevated box stand on a 3-acre plot which usually produces. It is a place where I often go, not so much to hunt but to nap and rest my 71-year-old body and mind.

This year (the 2020-21 season) has been very different for me in the First Box. I haven’t slept much, but I’ve spent a lot of my time thinking about Aaron.

I usually take the youth and their chaperone to the stand and then return to the house until around 10 or until I get a text that they had shot.

When Aaron hunted the First Box, I had been back at the house less than one hour when I got the text that he had a deer. On Aaron’s first morning in the First Box, he killed his first deer, a 7-point within the first hour of the hunt.

The hunt was followed by pics and the story of the hunt, both in the field and with the group back at camp. Aaron was a very happy young man. He found special happiness in sharing his experience with the man who had loaned him his gun and taught him to shoot. But Aaron wasn’t finished. On the second morning, from the same box, he killed a 6-point. Mission accomplished.

But there was much more to Aaron’s mission and this weekend than deer hunting. On the way to the First Box on the second morning, Aaron began to share his personal story with me. His mom was riding in the back seat and heard what he was sharing. He shared the fact that he had just recently completed a round of cancer treatment and was encouraged by the results. But he was most encouraged by the peace and comfort he had received from God. All was well with Aaron.

His mom said he had never really shared like he did at that moment. I asked Aaron to please consider sharing his witness with the other youth at our closing activity later that day. And that afternoon, he shared his journey in front of all the other youth and the adults in attendance.

And then the sad news came in June 2020 that Aaron had lost his battle with cancer. I am thankful I had a weekend experience at 30-30 to meet Aaron, his father Tony, his mother Shanna and his brother Jacob.

Thank you 30-30 Ministries. Our group at Bethel will be holding our fifth camp on Jan. 8-10, 2021. This year’s hunt camp is dedicated to the memory of Aaron.

And, God willing, I will be taking another youth to the First Box one more time.