Meet Queen Ashley

The sight of a herd of elk flushing out a group of bucks the first morning in the field with a tag to fill is almost indescribable. If I had to describe it, I would have to use the emotions of euphoric, exhilarated, and blissful. And the whole fact that I got to experience this moment frozen in time with my dad is something I will never forget.

This year my dad got to see me make a dream come true and I couldn’t have done it without him. When you’re a college student like myself and draw a tag for a different area three hours away, it can make hunting season a guessing game. It wasn’t convenient for me to drive home every weekend for two days to scout for bucks. I had no idea what was wandering around down at home.

My dad had spotted the buck twice. The first time was a month before season opened; the second was five days before I would be looking at him through my scope. There was a single picture my dad was able to snap of him. Needless to say, the fuzzy and distorted image taken by a cell phone at dusk didn’t do him justice. After my dad whispered a few encouraging words to me, it took everything I had to keep my heart from jumping out of my throat as gunfire filled the air.

A lesson I learned this year was that no matter what you go hunting for, ALWAYS bring a high-quality camera with a tripod or even bring a third person along to document the adventures. Posing beside my buck of ten lifetimes without my dad by my side didn’t feel right. He played such a big role in this hunt and I can’t even begin to express my appreciation. I truly don’t think I could have had that buck in my cross hairs if it weren’t for my dad. I may be a 23-year-old lady about to graduate college who has lived away from home for five years, but I will always be daddy’s little girl. There are plenty of other hunts in the future that I will take on with my dad by my side; let’s just hope I remember my camera and tripod to capture the memories that will last forever.