2018 -First buck, 20 years later
After 20 years without tagging a deer, Tara Hakala finally had a hunting story worth celebrating
November 20, 2018 • Voyageur Press
Hunting on her family’s farm east of Cromwell, Hakala harvested a six-point buck on Friday, Nov. 9, marking her first successful deer hunt since she was 13 years old.
The hunt nearly didn't happen. After working all day, Hakala debated whether to head out, especially after spending much of the week hunting with her father, Wally, with little sign of deer.
“I was actually debating whether or not to go hunting after working all day,” Hakala said. “My dad and I had put in so many hours hunting all week with little sign of anything. I knew my dad wanted me to hunt, so I decided to go for it.”
That decision paid off. Hakala settled into her mother Mary’s stand that afternoon, and it wasn't long before a deer appeared. At first, she thought it was a spike buck.
“It crossed in front of me about 40 yards away, but I couldn’t get a shot,” she explained. “I had a feeling he might come out on the trail to the left of me, so I opened my window and got my gun up and ready.”
Hakala spotted the buck again, this time nibbling on a pine tree, but she still couldn't get a clear shot. She sprayed a little deer scent outside the window in hopes of drawing it closer.
Finally, the buck took one more step, giving her the opportunity she had been waiting for. Using a .270 Tikka rifle her grandfather had given her before he passed away, Hakala fired from about 30 yards. “To my dismay, he ran!” she recalled.
Hakala immediately contacted her father, worried that she might have missed. She waited anxiously in the stand until he arrived.
There was no blood to follow, only tracks in the snow.
“My heart sank, but I climbed out of my stand to help my dad look for any sign that I might have hit it,” she said.
Armed with a headlamp and a small flashlight, the two began searching. After several minutes, Wally turned to look behind him as his headlamp caught the reflection of the deer's eyes.
“He says, ‘There he is!’” Hakala recalled.
Her disappointment quickly turned to excitement when her father confirmed that she had harvested a six-point buck.
“I knew there was no way I could have missed him! Funny thing is, I thought he was a spike!” she said.
Proud and excited, Hakala grabbed the antlers for a picture with her first-ever buck.
It was a memorable milestone for the longtime hunter, who hadn't tagged a deer since she was 13.
Hakala said her parents were equally proud of her success. “Patience truly is a virtue!” she concluded.