A few years ago before I knew the her, Terri shot a really nice buck. She was in the stand, on her phone. She had to put her phone down to shoot her buck. The buck came out and she put the gun up to her shoulder and took the shot, and took a few more shots. She gave Ross a call saying he needed to get down to the stand right away. Ross took the gun from Terri, looked at the deer through the scope, he knew instantly he was dead. Terri was in so much shock she couldn’t get down from the stand. When I heard this I knew I wanted to kill a buck like that so I started the process and look here today I have already shot two deer this year's deer season. With that being said this is a part of something that Ross has made a significant impact on me. The three main ways Ross has significantly impacted my life is by hunting, farming, and fishing.

When I started to shoot shotguns and rifles, Ross was the one to help me with it. He was the one that was there helping me along with the process. Explaining to me how I need to hold the gun, where to and not to position the gun on my shoulder, and how to shoot the correct way so I don’t harm or wound myself or another individual. Ross and I went hunting during the youth deer hunt that was October 18-21. Ross and I went out hunting the 18th and 19th, and then I went out with Terri on the 21st. But on October 19th was a phenomenal night for the both of us. We got to the blind about 4:00, we got in and got situated. Then at about 5:55-6:00, he whispers to me and says “Bayley you have to wake up now, the deer are going to be moving now and there are already some in the field.” After a while there were about a dozen deer in the field. Then some ran and the ones that were in front of us we had a few disagreements on the one I was going to shoot. Well finally we agreed on one and I took the safety off then he turned away from us so we could only see his butt, then after a few moments, he turned broadside and when he went down to get some corn he looked back up right at me and I shot him. It was about an 80-yard shot. He ran an estimated total 35 yards from where I shot him to where he died. This is just my story of how I shot my buck, I also shot a doe, which will be next.

I shot my doe on November 5 while I was hunting with my boyfriend, Jordon. We went out that morning and saw nothing but we were only out there for a few hours. So that evening when we got back from Lake Crystal, Jordon and I went out and sat in the same spot we did that morning and after about a few hours or so he moved to the ladder stand in the tree that was behind me a little bit so he could see the corner of the field we were hunting. A doe and a yearling came out but a little 6 point buck came to the edge of the woods and grunted so that made the doe and the yearling run back into the woods. The yearling actually ran around us and ran up behind me like 5 yards from me and just stood there, the doe, on the other hand, ran into the woods and then ran back out she kind of stopped in front of me but I couldn't get a good shot and she started to trot away so Jordon stopped her. But when I was going to shoot she kept looking at me and I couldn't move. So once she looked out in the field I got positioned and a few moments later, I shot. She didn’t jump as my buck did, she kind of just like moved in the way you would if you got pushed in the chest. It was about 2 minutes later Jordon basically jumps off the stand, runs over hugs me and then we go track the deer. She ran an estimated 35 yards into the woods and died under a pine tree. She dressed out to 140 pounds. But when it's raining a lot during hunting season or it’s the off-season, we are farming.

When we are farming, we are working with the livestock, fixing or riding in tractors, and of course learning all the farm lingo. Honestly, I’d have to say working in the cow yard or with the calves is my favorite part. I like working with the cattle, the cows are either pretty friendly or the devil is their father. A couple of the cows are so-called “friends” it is 5005, 5007, and sometimes 4024. But 5007 is Jordon's cow he says, so I have 5005 mainly because 4024 isn't as nice as she was before. Putting a pig barn together ain’t so bad either. It is not really that hard, all you have to do is put the feeders down, take off the plugs so you can connect the water to them, clear out the water hoses, put the feeding tubes in to the feeders, check to make sure there isn’t any air in the water lines and then make sure all the gates are shut and have a post in them to “lock” them so the pigs don't get out and run in the alley. Fixing tractors isn’t all fun and games. You have to make sure you do everything the correct way or you could have a bad ending. But changing the oil is simple. I helped change the oil in two of the tractors. Honestly, I think it is slightly easier than changing the oil in a truck or car, which I know how to do. Making sure the tires have enough air in them is pretty easy until you have to get in between the duals to access the air valve for the inner tire. That is a pain in the butt, but I am small enough so that’s why they have me do it. Learning the farm lingo is honestly pretty confusing but interesting at the same time. You learn different words for the same things. You are able to talk to other farmers about how many bushels per acre were harvested and what kind of seed we used for the season. Even all the terminology is amazing to learn as well. There are a lot of words you never thought you would ever know or need to know. But when aren’t hunting or farming, we are out on the lake.

Fishing consists of a lot if you actually think about it. When you are fishing in the summer you can either fish off-shore or on-shore. Personally, I like offshore fishing way better than on-shore. When you are offshore fishing you can move to the spots where the fish like to swim at. But with on-shore fishing you can’t move, you can only move along the shore. One of the many time I went fishing with them. I caught a 27.5 inch 5-pound walleye, that was my first walleye ever and it was a keeper. When I reeled the fish in Ross said it was a walleye before we got it in the boat. I have gone ice fishing with Ross and a few others once. It was fun you could say, the fish weren’t biting really well. We caught two fish that whole day, we also had a fire on the ice, I thought that was pretty awesome. But with this being said these are just a few of many ways that Ross has significantly impacted my life. There will definitely be more ways but hunting, fishing, and farming are just a few ways.