Luella Hodson shared the following information about her granddaughter’s recent deer hunt. Her granddaughter, Addison, age 17, is the daughter of Rich and Jen Hodson of Plainview. ————— This past weekend I had the privilege of joining my granddaughter, Addison Hodson, on her deer hunt. Her dad took her on Saturday morning but had other commitments the rest of the weekend. So Rich asked Kelly, her granddad, if he would want to take her hunting. Kelly suggested that I should go along too.
When asked in past years if I would like to join the hunters, I always had an excuse that it was too early in the morning or too cold, etc. I have finally learned that time waits for no one and that I had better take this chance while I can.
So off we went to hunt on a sunny Saturday afternoon. I immersed myself in the outdoor experience. We walked probably a half mile to the blind in the tall grass. After a while sitting in the blind, we did see some deer, but they were out of range.
One time when I looked out of the binoculars, I saw that the grass kept moving but I didn’t see a deer. I whispered to Addie and Kelly and then they saw it. That’s when we saw a deer quickly run into the nearby trees.
But how cool that was. . . You couldn’t see the deer in that tall grass, but you could see the grass so strangely moving!
By now it was almost dark, so it was time to quit. We all had flashlights, but the beautiful light of the moon was enough for us to see our way back.
We got up early the next morning and drove out to the blind again. Once again, we didn't need our flashlights as the beautiful moon lit our path. I took a book along that first day, thinking it would be really boring sitting there. Boy was I wrong.
It was beautiful to be out in nature. . . and left the book at home this time. Finally dark turned to day and the fog evaporated and it was time to scope for deer again.
Sure enough later on we saw a few deer, and Addie got her deer with one shot, probably 150 yards away. Oh the adrenaline. . . . yes, the deer was down and now, where to find it!
We walked a while and I was beginning to think she really didn’t shoot it, but finally Addie found it. They gutted the deer and took out the vitals. Wow, what a way to learn your anatomy!
Afterwards on the way to check in the deer with the Game and Parks, we saw a huge bald eagle’s nest in a tree not far from the river. I kept saying to myself that the adventure keeps happening!
Upon learning that Addie didn’t plan on mounting the head, the officer asked if he could do a routine test of the deer. It was volunteer and not a requirement. She said yes.
He cut out a couple of the deer’s lymph nodes by the neck and showed them to us. Another learning experience! He will send them into the state for testing.
Anyway, I am so thankful that I decided to go along on this hunt. Hunt- ing definitely teaches you patience, hard work, discipline, perseverance, and appreciation. All good lessons for all of us! — Luella Hodson
