A good friend of mine (Bobby Gates’) 11-year-old daughter, Leigha Gates loves to deer hunt. They have come hunting with me for the last 3 years when she got out of school. Leigha has been wanting to get her a racked buck. On the evening of 12/26/22 they met me at my camp to hunt for a few days. I was so excited, because I had several rack bucks coming in like clockwork and felt sure she would get a shot. I told Leigha and her dad to take any buck that they wanted to. On the morning of 12/27/22 it was cold, 27 degrees if I remember right. I set them up in a ladder stand in one of the hottest spots I could think of. Leigha about froze to death. The deer didn’t move that morning for some reason. They only saw a spike, which she passed on. When I went to pick them up, we set up a ground blind under the ladder stand. That evening found them tucked away in that ground blind. I was sitting about 400 yards down the wood line from them. Just before dark, my phone buzzed letting me know to check my email. A picture of an 11 point had just come in. I text Bobby, “shoot that buck!!!” He texted back “waiting for him to turn”. Time is passing and my heart is beating hard in my chest, anticipating the shot. Then I hear the crack of the rifle. Myphone buzzes again. “She dropped him in his tracks”. Then my phone buzzes again. Check the email. The camera caught the whole thing. Unbelievable.
