On The Ridge: Making the most of a first-ever hunt

Morning all! Hope everyone had a very merry Christmas while moving directly toward an incredibly happy New Year! I’m happy to start the New Year back among the “land of the living” as illness has kept me down for at least two weeks now. But as I write this, my mind is squarely focused on the last few days of deer season and, hopefully, another opportunity before the last hours slip away!

And speaking of deer season, Massachusetts hunters are sharing success stories in every corner of the Commonwealth, and that includes Franklin County where hunters are narrating remarkable success stories across the entire region. But one of this year’s best stories that found its way to me came out of Turners Falls, where a 51-year-old woman experienced her first deer hunting season ever. But more importantly, she experienced the beginning of what it means to “continue the hunting tradition.”

Theresa Mason, who just this year began deer hunting, explained to me that she had always thought about becoming a hunter, being raised around men who were hunters, as far back as she could remember. But that all changed back in August when Theresa decided to obtain a hunting license and later purchase a bow that would allow her to begin practicing, almost immediately, in preparation for the beginning of her first archery deer season ever in October.

A little later, Theresa enrolled in a “Becoming an Outdoor Woman” program that offered various workshops including shooting skills, hunting seminars, and other classes designed specifically for women. And having participated myself as both a mentor and instructor, I can tell you firsthand that these programs are nothing short of excellent. Once the program is completed, a mentored deer hunt is also a part of the package at Fort Devens, which this year coincided perfectly with the opening day of shotgun season. Finally, Theresa had completed all the requirements, including an all-day seminar in October, and she was now ready for her mentored deer hunt to begin. And what happened next is best described in Theresa’s own words.

“Deer hunting for the very first time during this year’s October archery season, and sitting in a tree stand alone, was strange to me at first,” she said. “Plus, during this first season, I had no luck at all! But after experiencing it, I found myself looking forward to more “tree therapy” as my hunting journey continued. As the day of the Fort Devens hunt approached, my anticipation was on high alert.

“Then, one cold November morning, my alarm went off at 3 a.m., and my special day was here. My gear was at the door ready to go, and by 5 a.m. I was heading toward Fort Devens to meet up with my mentor, Dick Molloy, a longtime member of the Becoming an Outdoor Women team. As I arrived, a brief meeting brought us all together, but by 6 a.m. we were heading for the woods. For some reason, it felt a little scary to me as, up to now, I had never hunted on the ground before, plus, we were entering into an active military base. But we arrived at my hunting spot around 6:15 a.m., and my mentor made sure I was all set, assuring me that he was only 15 minutes away if needed. As I watched him leaving, I found myself fidgeting around a bit, trying to get comfortable while taking in everything around me. A drink of water and a quick glance at my phone told me it was 6:45 a.m. I was just getting settled, when something made me looked up to see a 4-point buck, at no less than 50 yards, moving straight toward me. A few seconds later I was saying “you need to stop,” which surprisingly, he did! And then, almost before it started, my hunt was over, with this beautiful buck lying directly in front me. I sat there for a few moments alone, and in disbelief. I was so excited… I needed to share this with someone! At 7 a.m. I picked up my phone to call Dick, and as he arrived, his face was beaming! We sat together for a few minutes and shared a coffee as I told him my story. We lingered a moment longer, and then the chore of tagging, field dressing, and getting the buck back to the truck began. After this I continued hunting until lunchtime, then later, Dick went with me to check in the deer. Soon, the thought of what an amazing day this was overcame me. And as we processed our venison, staring at the vacuum sealed packages, it hit me; I provided this for my freezer, which was an exceptionally proud moment for me that will never be forgotten!”

Joe Judd is a lifelong hunter and sportsman. He is an outdoor writer, seminar speaker, member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association, and a 2019 inductee into the N.E. Turkey Hunting Hall of Fame. Joe is also on the Quaker Boy Game Calls and Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s Pro-Staff. He can be reached at jjontheridge@comcast.net