Meet Tayla – Indiana’s Newest Queen of Camo

My name is Tayla and I am from Northwest Indiana. I have been hunting deer ever since I shot my first doe at the age of twelve. I started getting involved in archery at a young age as well and learned everything I know from my dad. I switch between a compound bow and a crossbow due to the shoulder injuries I have endured. Archery season involves dedication and lots of practice. I would get on the roof of the garage during the summer and shoot at a decoy to make sure everything was in place and precise. I would not stop shooting until the arrow was dead on my tiny target.

Come last season, I was out in the woods non-stop on the hunt for that trophy buck. I waited and passed up small bucks constantly because I knew what I wanted. Come late October, my boyfriend took my out to one of his properties and dropped me off to hunt. After so many hunts of seeing nothing that interested me I was getting a little discouraged. I was enjoying my surroundings when I spot a doe about fifty yards away. There were three more does that followed it and they ended up walking right under my stand. I was just watching them, taking pictures, when a buck comes sprinting up the hill. The does scatter and then they all suddenly stop. At this moment I knew I needed to get ready to shoot because this buck is on the move and was going to be on the tail of a doe. The ten point buck comes running out from behind the trees and stops again. It did not take me long to judge the buck, see that the antlers were outside of it’s ears, tall, and the body was large in size. This time the mature buck was thirty yards away in my line of fire and I was ready to take the shot. I shot and as soon as I heard the whack I could feel my heart beating through my chest as I watched it run about twenty yards before dropping. I waited to get down from the stand and called my dad first thing. After ten minutes I got down and approached the buck with caution. It’s antlers were very symmetrical and the body was a perfect size. I was very proud of this accomplishment and could not contain my excitement.

Bucks start to just chase does anywhere from mid October to early November in Indiana. I was not expecting to see this buck in action and fairly early in the rut. Using a bow to kill a deer comes at a whole new level and involves so much more than just shooting it with a firearm. Making sure you use your rangefinder as soon as you get in the stand to figure out different yardage in the woods should be the first thing done. If I hadn’t done that I would not be able to act so quick to shoot my buck. The difficulty is raised but the satisfaction is great in the end after all the time and hard work put in.