First Buck For Emersyn Cox Makes Unc & Pop Pop Proud

Emersyn Cox, 7, of Aragon, celebrates with her “Unc” Austin Cole and her “Pop Pop” John Cole moments after shooting her first buck. She was hunting with a crossbow in Cobb County.

By Austin Cole

My niece, Emersyn Cox, has been around for most of my harvests in the last seven years since she was born. She has seen and held many of the deer myself and her Pop Pop, John Cole, have taken since she was born and has been curious ever since.

She began asking in 2022 as a 5-year-old to start going hunting, and finally in 2023, I took her on her first hunt to Paulding Forest WMA just to watch, see some deer and experience what her Unc and Pop Pop do every fall. After rain, wind, a wild temperature swing and no deer sightings, we both were in rough shape. So we finished the day off hitting mud holes and driving around. Emersyn was not deterred from continuing to push us to take her to the woods again.

Fast forward to the 2024 season. She now had warm camo, hunting boots, a crossbow, target practice and a lot of time studying pictures, videos and preaching from her Unc and Pop Pop before going on an actual archery hunt as the hunter.

On Thanksgiving Day, I encouraged Pop Pop to take her to a blind in Cobb County that was set up just for her. I noticed earlier that week that the rut activity was picking up. It was time. He knew she was ready. I hyped her up after some holiday ham and turkey, then the next morning, they both set up before sunrise hoping to get Emersyn an opportunity at her first antlered deer (which would be her second deer after a doe she took in Alabama with a rifle a few weeks earlier).

A buck came in around 9 a.m. with its nose to the ground. He progressed across the shooting lane and circled a few times in the woods, eventually coming within 10 yards of the blind. Emersyn was in shock at how close he was. She was so rattled that she could not even get the crossbow positioned to get a shot on him. He moved farther away from the blind to roughly 30 yards and was fixing to leave the area.

Pop Pop asked if she was on him and she said, “yes.” He asked if she remembered where to shoot him and she said, “yes.” He clicked off the safety and stopped the deer with the well-known “meh.” As soon as the buck stopped, she released the bolt and hit him perfectly behind the shoulder with a loud “Thwap.”

He leaped high in the air, jumped into the thicket and wobbled out of sight. Emersyn was able to follow the blood trail a short and impressive 20 yards to her first buck, accompanied by her Pop Pop, who was in tears with excitement. A double lung and heart pass-through with a crossbow and a memory all of us will never forget.

Congratulations Emersyn from Unc and the entire family! We are proud of you!