CEO Blog: Staff Participation

One staff member shared her favorite hunting memory:

“I was 24 years old and in my third year of bowhunting. I had permission to hunt private property about 10 minutes from my South Carolina rental home. Before the season the year before, I went door to door asking landowners if I could hunt their property. I asked at least 15 people, and Gene was the only one who said yes. That year I harvested my second bow-kill, and he graciously welcomed me back the next year. I went out one Saturday morning. I saw many deer that day but never had a chance to shoot. The temperature was rising quickly so I decided to call it a day. I lowered my bow to the ground and started to pack up. Then, suddenly, I heard a deer in the distance. I spotted a doe and two fawns 60 yards away. I looked down at my bow on the ground, and back up at the deer coming my way. I worked quickly to pull my bow up, nock an arrow and draw back. I didn’t have a second to spare. The deer walked down the trail and stopped 15 yards away just behind a tree. I could see her vitals and released my arrow. She ran 10 yards, fell, got up to run another 5 yards, and fell to her final resting place. Tears already filled my eyes. I’m always so thankful when all my hard work pays off. The scouting sessions, practice sessions, early mornings and late nights. Everything came together for me, and I was blessed I made a good shot. The deer died quickly and ethically, and I’d be eating nutritious venison in the months to come. In a conversation with Gene the night before, he said he’d be around to help if I shot a deer, but he didn’t answer my calls. My boyfriend was at work and, after moving 1,000 miles across the country on my own for a job, I had no one else to rely on but myself. That morning I dragged a 112-pound undressed deer through the woods about 200 yards. With my muscles exhausted and the temps rising, I struggled to get her into the tarp-lined trunk of my car. Nearly defeated, I sat to devise a plan. Lightbulb! I decided I’d use the terrain as my hoist. I backed my car into the steep ditch and carefully rolled my deer inside. It wasn’t easy, but I did it. I did it all myself. Normally I’d like to process the deer on my own, but with the heat, I decided it’d be best to get the meat processed quickly by a professional so it didn’t spoil. The icing on the cake was the look on the processor’s face when I (a 24-year-old female) opened my trunk to deliver a 112-pound doe I harvested with a bow that morning. He was dumbfounded, and I was proud beyond words.”

Another said:

“Archery is the perfect sport. It’s something you’ll never master, so every day is a test to try and get a little better. It teaches you about yourself and life. There’s a quiet moment at full draw when the world disappears and you’re completely consumed by the process. That’s my favorite part about shooting.”

It’d be easy to think of the ATA staff as a group of folks who go about their work lives, and then go off and do whatever it is anyone does when they’re off the clock. For so many of us, that means picking up the bow. Whether it’s to clear our heads or fill the freezer, I’d put our passion for archery and bowhunting up against anyone’s.

We’d love to hear about your bucket-list hunts or target activities. For me, it’s that bear hunt in Alaska, but I also want to shoot in the biggest national tournaments. What’s your target?