“ACCEPT NO LIMITS” BUCKMASTERS  SPONSORS WHITE TAIL DEER HUNT

 OWU IS EXTREMELY APPRECIATIVE TO A NETWORK OF SPONSORS WHO SUPPORT OUR EVENT FUNDRAISERS.  IN SUPPORT OF OUR EFFORTS,   BUCKMASTERS, IN SUPPORT WITH THE  ALABAMA CONSERVATION ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS  ASSOCIATION, DONATED A SPONSORED WHITE TAIL DEER HUNT FOR A FEMALE. ANGIE ROBERTS, OWU MEMBER, WON THE BUCKMASTERS HUNT!!!  WHAT A FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY!!!

MARK OLIVER, Buckmasters’ Chief Cinematographer and Professional Guide,REBECCA WOOD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF OUTDOOR WOMEN UNLIMITED AND ANGIE ROBERTS GATHERED ON LOCATION FOR THE ‘HUNT OF A LIFETIME.”  AS WE MADE PREPARATIONS FOR OUR GEAR, MARK GAVE THE DETAILS OF OUR PLAN OF STRATEGY.  MARK, A MAN OF HIS WORD, ASSURED ANGIE A WHITE TAIL BUCK WOULD BE IN THE HARVEST.  ANGIE WAS VERY EXCITED.  THIS WOULD BE HER FIRST!!! 

OF COURSE, AS WE KNOW IN “THE WALK OF NATURE”, THE ADVENTURE IS THE HUNT…NOT THE HARVEST.  ANGIE AND I WERE IN AWE OF THE BEAUTY OF THE WOODS AS WE FOLLOWED MARK TO OUR STAND.  AS WE WALKED SINGLE FILE, MARK MOTIONED FOR US TO STOP!! GAZING PAST HIS HEAVY LADEN BODY…WITH ALL THE CAMERA GEAR, ETC,  THE FIELD WAS A SITE TO BEHOLD.  FIV DOES AND ONE BUCK!!! WE WERE LESS THAN 20 YARDS AWAY! .. . LITERALLY, FROZEN IN OUR STEPS!!!   WE WERE BREATHING ONLY WHEN NECESSARY.. Fortunately,  THE WIND WAS IN OUR FAVOR!!!  MARK, ANGIE AND I WERE LINED UP SO CLOSE IN A SINGLE FILE ARRANGEMENT AND MOVING ONLY TO MARK’S NOD.  WE HAD KNELT TO A CROUCHING POSITION AND TAKING ONE STEP AT A TIME….IN UNISON , OF COURSE.  THE STAND WAS SO CLOSE, YET, SEEMED  10,000 MILES AWAY!!  STALKING IN AS ONE IS DIFFICULT, BUT WITH THREE HUNTERS…WELL, THE CHALLENGE IS AWESOME.

JUST AS WE APPROACHED THE STAND, TWO OF THE DOES LOOKED UP!!! WE FROZE!!  IN A BRIEF MOMENT, THEY BEGIN TO WALK TOWARD THE EDGE OF THE FIELD.  THE OTHERS FOLLOWED…INCLUDING THE BUCK.  WE DID NOT LET THIS DETER OUR EXCITEMENT.  WE CAREFULLY CLIMBED UP INTO THE STAND….AND WATCHED AND WAITED. 

MARK HAD THE BINOCULARS LOOKING ACROSS THE FIELD TOWARD THE TREE LINE.  HE SUDDENLY  PASSED THE BINOCULARS TO ME AND MOTIONED TO LOOK STRAIGHT AHEAD TO EDGE OF FIELD. IT WAS THE MOST AMAZING SIGHT!!!  THE BUCK WAS LYING DOWN ON THE EDGE OF THE FIELD CAMOUFLAGED BY NATURE’S COLOR. HIS MASSIVE SIZE WAS ACCENTED BY THE SPREAD OF HIS ANTLERS AND THE WIDTH OF HIS BODY.  WE COUNTED ….EIGHT POINT RACK!!!!

ANGIE WHISPERED HOW FAST HER HEART WAS BEATING AND UNSURE ABOUT HER ABILITY.  I ENCOURAGED HER THAT MY MINE WAS DOING THE SAME AND THAT IS CALLED “THE THRILL OF THE HUNT!!! 

THE BUCK WAS GUARDING HIS FIELD FOR THE DOES RETURN…AFTER, WHAT SEEMED DAYS, AN HOUR OR SO, THE DOES MADE THEIR WALK.  CAUTIOUSLY, ONE BY ONE, ALL FIVE GRAZED THE FIELD.  THE EIGHT POINT CONTINUED TO HOLD HIS POSITION  IN THE SAFETY OF THE WOODS.  AFTER 15 – 20 MINUTES, HE STOOD AND STRETCHED THE MAJESTIC RACK ACROSS HIS BACK ….AS IF TO SCRATCH AND RUB…VERY SLOWLY…HE WALKED ON THE FIELD WITH THE DOES.  ANGIE AND I COULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT WE HAD WITNESSED…

MARK WHISPERED TO ANGIE ON THE STRATEGY OF HER HARVEST. HE WAS AMAZING IN GUIDING HER THROUGH THE TECHNIQUE AND OPTIONS.  WHAT A FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY FOR ANGIE TO LEARN AND TO EXPERIENCE A HUNT THAT WILL BE A MEMORY OF A LIFETIME.

WE ALL SAT PATIENTLY…WAITING FOR THE RIGHT MOMENT….ANGIE WAS READY….THANKS TO MARK AND HIS ENCOURAGEMENT AND KNOWLEDGE. NEEDLESS TO SAY…IT SEEMED AS THOUGH TIME STOOD STILL…SUDDENLY.....A SOUND ECHOED THAT STOPPED THE WORLD.  THE EIGHT POINT BUCK WAS DOWN!!!  ANGIE HAD HARVESTED HER FIRST BUCK…THE MOST BEAUTIFUL EIGHT POINT  I HAVE EVER SEEN!!!

WE WERE SCREAMING WITH EXCITEMENT…TEARS CAME TO MY EYES…..A YOUNG WOMAN PROVED…”YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU CAN DREAM.”

AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF OUTDOOR WOMEN UNLIMITED AND ON BEHALF OF OUR 200 PLUS MEMBERS, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK Mr. JACKIE BUSHMAN, MARK OLIVER, THE BUCKMASTER STAFF AND ALABAMA CONSERVATION ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ASSOCIATION  FOR PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN TO LEARN AND TO EXPERIENCE THE ULTIMATE ADVENTURE IN WHITE TAIL DEER HUNTING  THE GRACIOUS HOSPITALITY OF  THE GUIDES AND  AND THE PROFESSIONAL  CHARACTER  DEMONSTRATED    BY MARK OLIVER , SUPPORT THE SOUTHERN CHARM AND SUPERIOR STATURE OF THE BUCKMASTER PROGRAM.  WE ARE VERY PROUD TO BE A PART OF SUCH A PRESTIGIOUS ORGANIZATION.