I laughed the whole time I read this.
Marian's Hunting Stories, etc., etc., etc...
Sunday, November 10, 2024
A True Deer Story
Monday, November 04, 2024
Emma Bags a 150-Class Trophy Buck in Mississippi
"On Oct. 22, 2024, I killed the biggest deer I may ever kill in my life," said Emma Claire Starkey, 16, of Eudora. "It was one of the best days of my life. I thank Jesus for this day and constant experience."
Starkey said the story began in 2023 after she and her father, Adam Starkey, put out trail cameras before archery season began.
"One summer night, my dad and I got a notification from the camera," Starkey said. "It was two giant bucks wrapped in velvet.
"We couldn't believe it. After seeing those bucks, we immediately start excited about the soon-to-begin bow season."
"This deer was ginormous," Starkey said. "On the left side of his rack, he had a kicker on his G2.
"After noticing this, my dad and I decided to give this deer a name. That name was Kicker. After trying to hunt this deer for quite a while, we discovered that he was challenging. He would only come out around midnight."
The two hunted the buck at every opportunity, but he wasn't cooperative and remained nocturnal. However, one Sunday evening, they got a notification from a camera, and there was a photo of him. The two rushed to the stand, only minutes from their home. They couldn't get close enough for a shot with Starkey's crossbow, but they saw him firsthand.
"When my dad and I laid eyes on this deer, our faces immediately lit up," Starkey said. "Our adrenalin was through the roof.
"Kicker was even bigger in person. My dad and I couldn't believe what we had just experienced. We both walk back to the truck in disbelief. After seeing him in person, we had him back on the camera a couple of times, and after that, he was gone."
Starkey wondered what had happened to the buck. Had he been hit by a car, killed by a hunter, or maybe just moved on? Those questions were answered less than two weeks before archery season opened this year while Starkey was at her school's homecoming dance.
There she was, in a room filled with teenagers dancing, strobe lights flashing, and loud music, when she received a message from her father. It said that Kicker was back, and he sent a photo of the buck, too.
"I couldn't believe it," Starkey said. "I thought this deer had disappeared for good."
This year was shaping up to be a repeat of 2023. The Kicker was nocturnal. They had one close encounter with him on Oct. 20 when they received a photo of him in daylight and tried to sneak up on him but couldn't get a shot. The fact that both close encounters were on Sundays didn't go unnoticed.
"On the way home, I started thinking, this deer did the same thing to us last year on a Sunday," Starkey said. "How crazy was that?"
Hunting the deer had become a daily routine, but a week after her encounter with the buck, Starkey said she was exhausted. However, she felt that if she didn't go, the buck would show up during legal shooting hours because that works in the deer hunting world. So, that afternoon, she was back on the stand with her father.
"I was exhausted," Starkey said. "I sat with my head facing down, and my eyes closed most of this hunt."
While half asleep, she felt her father tapping her leg.
"I looked out to see giant horns facing my way," Starkey said. "I immediately started breathing heavily and shaking."
The buck took his time and slowly made his way toward the stand.
"It took probably 15 minutes for that deer to come into range, and I thought both of us would pass out. Our hearts were beating so hard," her father said. "She couldn't hardly hold a conversation."
The buck gave Starkey a shot at 45 yards, and Starkey pulled the trigger on her crossbow. They went to the site where he was standing, and her father eventually found a drop of blood.
"I said, 'Emma Claire, look at this,'" her father said. "She instantly started crying."
The two didn't track him because they thought he might still be alive and run, so they left the area. They came back later that night and found him just 60 yards away.
"She reached down and grabbed those horns and said, 'Oh, my God. He's even bigger than he was in pictures,'" her father said.
Her father estimated the buck's score to be between 140 and 150. When Final Approach Taxidermy in Hernando scored the buck, it was a good bit higher.
The bases measured 5 1/2 inches and 5 1/4 inches, and the inside spread was 17 1/4 inches. The main beams were 23 1/4 inches and 24 inches. The left G2 was 12 inches, and the right G2 was a whopping 14 inches. The total score was 156 1/2.
"She was happy," Starkey's father said. "That deer didn't have any ground shrinkage."
Congratulations to Emma on getting a ginormous buck named "Kicker" in our great Mississippi outdoors! hat's awesome!
Sunday, October 27, 2024
Happy 55th Birthday, Debra Ann
I wish my daughter, Debra Ann, a Happy 55th Birthday today. Debra is the mother of two sons, one in the Air Force serving our country for 12 years, and a daughter who has given her two grandsons. She is a nanny for two doctors caring for their young daughter. She is a hard-working mother, and I’m proud of her accomplishments. I love her so much and hope her birthday will be great! xoxo
Friday, October 25, 2024
Happy "Heavenly" 60th Birthday, William David Boyd
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
A Rocky Springs Campground Birthday Bash Last Week
Here are random pictures taken a week ago at Will's, 7, and Noah's, 6, birthday bash at the Rocky Springs Campground off the Natchez Trace Parkway. The family had a great time enjoying the beautiful weather and the boys' birthday party. They got a lot of nice toys, etc., to play with and enjoy. Two great-grandmothers were blessed to attend the big event for Will and Noah.
Saturday, October 12, 2024
A Hunting Lunch Break
I'm waving to my former husband on his deer stand at Brown's Point on Kings Point Island, north of Vicksburg, MS., years ago after a lunch break. I'm returning to my stand to finish hunting in our great MS outdoors.
Friday, September 27, 2024
Happy Birthday Noah and Will
I want to wish my two great-grandsons a very Happy Birthday. Noah is 6 years old today, and William David will be 7 tomorrow. They will have a birthday bash tomorrow at Rocky Springs Campground on the Natchez Trace Parkway.
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Happy 52nd Birthday, Suzi
Today, my youngest of four daughters, Marian Suzanne "Suzi" Nicholas, turns 52. She is an excellent Mother to her daughters, Emma (17) and Kate (11) in Virginia. I am so proud of who she has become, and I wish her a happy and blessed birthday. I love you very much, Suzi! Mom xoxo
September 25, 1972
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Happy 27th Birthday, Lucy!!
Tuesday, September 10, 2024
Two Bears Killed at Redwood, MS, North of Vicksburg
Within two days, two bears were hit and killed by vehicles in Warren County, Vicksburg, MS. MS Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks were notified. They recently passed through town and were sad that they were killed in our Mississippi outdoors at night.