Meet Morgan – Indiana’s Newest Queen of Camo

Waking up before your alarm goes off, the smell of brewing coffee, and the crisp cold air. Every morning before that sun reaches the horizon…if you just take a moment to look closely you can see a little burst of air just seconds before the sun touches the earth with its warmth and light. That burst of air, it is God’s grace for another day, and another opportunity on this amazing planet. This is who I am, this is my passion, this is what empowers me, I am a Huntress.

My name is Morgan, I live in a small town in Indiana, living about 45 minutes from Chicago, and 20 minutes from the suburbs of Chicago. That being said I have few options, I don’t have wide open plains, or big beautiful mountain ranges, or even acres upon acres of wetland. Even though I may be limited I have adapted to my own surroundings. Usually I don’t have many choices as to where I will hunt so therefor have no choice but to hunt on public land, where you watch an arrow soar past you then stick into the ground 15 yards from where you’re sitting then where you get peppered by BBs when duck hunting. None of that will stop me, I will still wake at 3:00 am drive an hour to draw against 100 other hunters for a spot at one of the 15 blinds. Usually you blank out, or if you’re lucky you may get a chance to take a shot at a few ducks at first flight. This routine gets stressful but I preserver work harder every day, and keep my head up.

Besides being a hunter, I have an even more important job and dedication, which is being a mom. My daughter is almost 2, I am more than ready to have her in the deer stand or in the blind with me. When that time comes I will begin to teach her about respect for animals, respect for your kill, and why hunting is so important. She will follow in her momma’s footsteps and I will be proud.

My family are not hunters, my mom still wonders to this day why her 14 year old daughter decided to go on a duck hunt with her friend and his dad for fun. Since then I have been hooked, every year after that duck hunt I started to save up for waders then a new jacket and the list just kept growing and so did my kill number, every season I got a little better. I took the time to listen to other more experienced hunters their wisdom and secrets, Countless hours observing others and the ways that worked for them, then I slowly pieced together what worked and taught myself by trial and error. My father surprised me with a 12 gauge one Christmas, which is the best gift to get your 16 year old daughter. He saw the passion in my heart and soul, he was proud of me, and he wanted to see me succeed. Slowly season after season, I built up the confidence to finally embark on my own.

Duck hunting was a whole other ball game from deer hunting. I learned a new kind of patience, and scouting the deer, where they eat, sleep, drink. Luckily my 3rd season, I was given permission to deer hunt on a friend’s property. It was so awesome going out there not competing with anyone, the serenity of the woods brought me peace and confidence.

Hunting isn’t about just killing animals though, I feel it is much more than that. You have to treat everything around you with care because you are in another habitat we as hunters need to leave things better than how we found them. We need to do what we can to preserve what we have left so future generations will experience what we are, just like our ancestors.

Those crisp cold mornings are what I live for, every year I will achieve more and more. Be better than who I was the season before that, be patient and have steady hands and feet. I will continue to praise God for another day, and continue my journey as a woman who hunts.