Stories from the Front

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January 2nd, 2008 - "...the good 8 point turned and gave me a broadside shot."

"Well, here he is....my 2007-2008 season buck! I feel very lucky and blessed to be able to take such a good deer in the late season. Let me tell you, after 4 gun seasons the deer are very skiddish! I want to thank mom for watching the kids, if not for her I would not have been hunting at all.

The story you ask...

It was cold, very cold, and the snow was falling along with the temps. I called mom and asked her to watch the kids because I knew with the temps dropping and the snow falling it would be a great night. About 5pm, two bucks came in, the goofey horned buck and the one that I shot. It took 10 minutes just for them to settle down enough that I could dare move. After watching the buck feed while facing me, not giving me a shot, several more small bucks came in. Finally, the good 8 point turned and gave me a broadside shot. I was able to put a good hit on him and he ran about 100 yards. Dad came out in the cold and helped me recover the deer.

Since this is my best deer yet, not to mention my first buck with a bow, you'll be able to see him in person hanging on the wall."

Happy New Year to All!

Dean Hettinger

December 5th, 2007 - "...great "moments" was when that buck stepped out and I watched Nathan make a great shot on him."

"I've had a great season so far! Helped Nathan take a good buck, was able to enjoy Todd's first bow kill and on November 7th, 2007, I was able to get a shot at a monster droptine buck. Unfortunately I missed, but, as they say, that's hunting."

"I don't measure my success anymore by the animals I kill, but by the experiences and memories that I've had and shared. One of those great "moments" was when that buck stepped out and I watched Nathan make a great shot on him. The utter joy and excitement that we shared will always be a cherished moment for me."

"Last night I was able to take a good doe with my bow. No small task on a good day, but just two days after gun season ended made it especially difficult. I'm proud of her and I will continue to hunt the season. Hope you enjoy the picture."
Dean Hettinger

Note: Pictured is Bailey, Owen and their Dad Dean with Doe. For more pictures and an enlarged picture, click on picture (will be directed to our gallery). Thanks! - Lawrence

November 17th, 2007 - "When he stopped my uncle said NOW! I put a great shot on him..."


"My uncle Dean and I were planning to go hunting on youth season so I would have a really good chance at shooting a nice deer. We went out in the morning and didn't see anything we went back to the cabin and watched the OSU and Michigan game (go bucks). I predicted that the bucks would win and I would shoot a big buck. We went out that afternoon. We saw a lot of deer activity where we were sitting. We saw 3 deer and it was almost quitting time. We were getting ready to go when he stepped out I got ready put the sight right on his heart and waited for him to stop. When he stopped my uncle said NOW! I put a great shot on him. He ran about 30 yards and fell over. Me and my uncle were really excited. We left and got a flashlight and the truck. He was easy to find because he didn't go far. I had a great time and it was a lot of fun. Thank you uncle dean for taking me out." - Nathan Strayer


Editors Note: What an amazing story. And I have to say the jerky was some of the best I ever tried! - Lawrence

November 9th, 2007 - "I squeezed my trigger release and the arrow flew..."

"It was 8:00 am in the morning, Friday, November the 9th, the last day of my hunt. This was my first attempt at bow hunting since purchasing a bow from a buddy of mine. My brother-in-law Dean Hettinger has been after me for several years to take the plunge and I've finally had a chance to dip my toe in that pool.

After watching does and bucks move around me for two days, I finally had a crucial decision to make. Just 10 minutes prior, a small but nice 8 point buck walked toward me to my right and he slowly made his way squarely in front of me only 20 yards away. I had him at full draw, but just couldn't bring myself to release an arrow hoping for him to grow even bigger the next year. Ten minutes past and on exactly the same course, walked this buck (what I've come to now refer to as my "prong horn" buck). He looked like another buck I had seen several times before, one I thought was only a small racked fork buck. The difference this morning was that he was limping badly on his left front leg, something I assumed he got fighting, from a recent hunting attempt elsewhere or possibly a car accident. What seemed like minutes were only seconds and a lot of thoughts flooded my mind. Do I shoot him even though he's not my "trophy" buck? Do I let him pass by and miss my attempt at another? Should I hope for another doe in order to fill the freezer? Again it's the morning of my last day. Do I harvest him as a management buck because he's hurt and should he be thinned from the herd? This is ultimately what I decided to do in those few seconds. Like Dean told me, "...you can't eat horns", so I sacrificed my trophy buck attempt this year.

Again as he made his way along the same track, he finally stopped 20 yards in front of me, directly in line with one of only two shooting lanes I had toward the pasture. Knowing where he would go, I stood and drew my bow and waited for him to clear. I made a small grunt sound so he would freeze while simultaneously taking careful aim to put the fiber-optic sight dot behind his front shoulder. I squeezed my trigger release and the arrow flew as true as it did all those times before practicing in the backyard. My "prong-horn" flinched slightly and trotted down to within only 12 yards to my left and expired. What an amazing experience to be one with nature and to be totally focused on all aspects of the hunt. A total awareness of smell, sight and sound makes it especially rewarding.

I must say a thank you to Dean for your persistence and assistance during the whole season, to my other brother-in-law Tony Zerkle for his expertise in my bow setup and without question to Dad and Mom Hettinger for all they do to allow us the opportunity to use the farm." - Todd Strayer

October 16, 2007 - "He took careful aim and let the arrow fly..."

Hey Everyone! Just wanted to drop a line to the hunt page in reference to Nathan and his continued endeavor to take an elusive white tailed deer.

He was at my house hunting over the feeder and had some does come in late. Due to the "blind" he was in, he was unable to see his sights properly. He took careful aim and let the arrow fly. He was able to get a clean pass-through, but unfortunately did not put a good hit on the large doe. We were unable to pick up any good sign and did not find the doe. Nathan was so pumped and excited when he shot and then he was totally bummed out. Don't worry Nathan....that's hunting! - Dean

August 27th, 2007 - "Holy Sh*t, that is what we came here for, baby! Twenty-three yards, and I smoked him!..."

On Monday, the 27th of August 2007, Dean shot a Bear in Ontario, Canada with a bow. It was a trip that went from August 24th until the 2nd of September. Four guys made the trip into Canada and that was Lawrence Sr., Dean, Brian Stiteler and myself. Everybody but me, did the bear hunt and fished, while I only fished. It was a great trip and I am glad that I had a chance to go. Thanks for inviting me along guys! We ate Walleye just about every day and the English river that we fished in was amazing. As far as the hunt goes, Dean was the only one to bag a bear that week among 7 or 8 hunters at camp. We stayed at Cozy Camp just outside of Ignace, Ontario. Above, are two clickable pictures that will open in a pop up window. The first video is the Bear kill itself and the second is Dean's excitement afterwards. Be sure to check both out! - Lawrence

March 7th, 2007 - "...'cause he'll charge yer ass and break yer legs!"

Hey everyone, Ben Ortt, Brian Stiteler and myself, went on an exotic hunt in Clarksrange, Tennessee and I just wanted you all to know how our trip went. It was a blast! We drove down and got to the Hunting Lodge on the 20th of February. The weather was great and the Lodge was really cool ...filled with tons of exotic mounts.

The next day, we all went together and Brian and I hunted some Spanish Rams. It was fun putting on a stalk with our trusty Mathews bows. I was able to get within 40 yards of a good ram and made a fair shot. I later got within 20 yards and finished the critter off. Brian shot about 4 times at another good Ram and brought it down soon after mine. We then
headed back to the lodge for lunch.

Ben had decided to do a southern hog hunt with dogs. Holy Crap! If I knew how much fun that would be I would have done that too. Our guide let 5 dogs loose and we rode around in a Suzuki Sidekick with a picnic bench in the back to sit on. It didn't take long for the dogs to get on the trail of a good hog. We jumped out and gave chase. They ran us up a large hill and rocky outcrop and the dogs soon bayed the Russian boar up around some large rocks and cave. It was insane! The dogs calling and the Guide Yelling and Ben trying to get a good shot on a huge boar was sensory overload! We had a small boar come in behind us that sent everyone scrambling, then the large boar broke out, bowled over the dogs and sped away. Ben put a good shot on the animal and it still ran 2 1/2 miles. When we finally got close to where the dogs had bayed the boar back up, our guide explained that the hog was now "pissed" and if it sees you "you'd better git yer self up a tree 'cause he'll charge yer ass and break yer legs!" WHAT!?! To make matters worse, Ben was the only one of us with a gun. We found ourselves grabbing branches several times and I though my heart was going to come out of me chest. Ben finally finished this large boar off....after 4 deer slugs in the kill zone! That brute was tuff! Imagine what a 300 lb boar charging at you would be like! Holy Crap! Make sure you see the video above! I'm looking forward to doing that again soon! - Dean Hettinger

March 6th, 2007 - "...did I just cut myself?"

Hey everyone...just wanted to drop you all a line and let you know that I was able to come through in the late bow season by taking a good doe on the evening of the 27th of January. I made a pretty good shot, but jumped her once and so I left the trail till morning. It was plenty cold and the fresh snow would make for easy tracking. Mom came up and watched the kids the next morning while I went out to find the deer. I found her quickly and started to field dress her.

The problem was the first cut......I should say the second. The first was into the deer....the second was into my left thumb. I remember thinking, "Did I just cut myself?". Yep! I stabbed myself right into the bone in my thumb! I lifted my hand and tugged the blade out of the bone. Instantly blood started gushing. Hours later I was in the emergency room getting the hole in the bone scraped out and plenty of antibiotics.

Later that day, Lawrence thankfully came up and helped me get the deer out and butcher it. The next day, I went to the specialist who advised me that I had tagged a small artery and nerve. He then wrote me off work for 2 WEEKS!

The bottom line....Jenny should be really happy at such a delicacy! After hospital bills and the cost of hunting supplies for the year that deer only cost me $58 per pound! Sorry for having no pics of the deer but my mind was on other things. Thanks again to mom, dad and Lawrence for all their help!

Dean Hettinger

Editors note: While this deer may have cost $58.00 per pound, I want to thank Dean for sharing with me! - Lawrence