Hunter: Abigail Lackey
Points: 8 (4L, 4R)
County: Madison
Season: 2021-2022
Hunt Story
My little Abigail "8 year old" killed her first deer yesterday and it was a nice buck to boot. She has put a lot of hours in with me and it all payed off. I have 2 spots set up for her at the house and she wanted to try our brush blind yesterday. Our box stand has not been producing this year and I think she wanted a change of scenery more than anything so off we went. We got settled in and made sure she was comfortable and could move around enough to shoot down a lane that these deer have been crossing on camera. Not very long into the hunt squirrels we're everywhere in the white oaks but I could hear a deer closing in quick. I didn't mention it to her I just shifted the gun around and she gave me the look as I watched her perk up. I'm scanning, scanning, scanning "limited sight on the ground in there" and boom 40 yards he is right there! Buck was walking straight to the lane so I told here to aim on the other side of a big root ball that he was walking behind. He stopped behind the root ball and she stayed steady. As soon as he went mobile she was on him. The deer took 2 steps into the lane and stopped as I whispered "take him". Guys I have never had words ring in my mind like this but the proud dad moment was overwhelming.....I told her to take him, the hammer was backed, and I hear my baby girl whisper to herself "smooth steady trigger pull" followed by the thunder from the old CVA 50 cal. He buckled and stumbled off as we sprang into action on the reload even though he didn't make it 20 yards before expiring. The adrenaline and emotions were flowing and the text immediately started going out with people replying ready to stop what they were doing to come help. She was so excited and ready to see him as well as I but she understood that even though he went down we needed to give him time. After a few minutes we snuck up the lane and could see his white belly right where he went down. We still followed through with the track job just for training and she finally got to put hands on. We hugged and high five and took pictures but most importantly we both got down and gave thanks to the good Lord. Thanks for the ability and opportunity to spend time together in the outdoors, thanks for the quick clean kill, and thanks for the wonderful meat to eat on. I have stressed to her all season that her whole year of hunting can change in the blink of an eye. Yesterday was a clear view of that. We got him out of the woods and back to the house when she asked if she could get it mounted, as if I could tell her no. She is the most humble kid when it comes to herself and of course I will get it mounted for her. Once she helped me get him caped out she filled out the cooler tag by herself and said she wanted me to slice the loins, do cubed steak, and grind the rest with beef fat. I have to say, I like her style.
