Great-grandson shoots nine point antlered doe on family farm

Jerron Thornton with the nine point antlered doe he shot during the Youth Hunting Weekend.

Many things can get exciting when your have a large family. Just a couple of weeks after adding to our family with another generation, our teen-aged great grandson went out on the morning after his 14th birthday party to go deer hunting on the family farm. He had a .270 rifle and left the house after an early breakfast to take advantage of the Youth Hunting Weekend provision. At 7:15 a.m. he saw this deer with the wonderful antlers and shot it.

What was the most surprising thing about the kill was that when he and his dad went to the fallen animal they found that the wearer of these nine points was not a buck, but a doe. Actually later in the day when they were in the process of butchering the animal for winter eating they discovered the animal was actually a hermaphrodite. In other words it had the business parts of both sexes--the male being hidden inside the carcass and the female obviously showing.

The witnesses to this hunting expedition said that they saw a buck in the distance after this animal was killed. This is all foreign territory to me. When I was 14 there were no deer on this family farm. Even when our son was 14 the hunting that was done of the farm was mainly for rabbits, with the help of our beagle dogs.

But about the time our grandson was 14 we began to notice some deer around, as well as turkeys. I am told this is the result of the Conservation Commission work in the area. Now we see deer regularly as well as the turkeys. We also have ticks now which we didn't have when I was 14. But we had chiggers then as well as now.

But we are happy that Jerron was able to enjoy a popular hunting experience on the family farm. It is even more surprising to find that it was such an unusual animal. He was proud of the nine points and I haven't heard whether it will be mounted for him or not. His father already has four deer mounted on the walls, but I'm sure there might be room for one more.

The next day, Jerron's 8 year old cousin, Tyler, also went hunting, but when he shot a deer they couldn't find it even though they followed the blood trail looking for the body. Perhaps that is a deer that will have a tale to tell to his or her offspring if it survived. I am sure Jerron will be telling his story often through the years.

I have to admit that I prefer watching the deer to shooting them, but I am happy that the younger relatives have this opportunity right here at home.