Junior hunters
Travis-Jay Toot gets his first mule deer

Pat Taylor submitted this report about his 11-year-old grandson Travis, of Tucson, getting his first mule deer. Travis is already quite an outdoorsman, having been shooting since he was 6 years old. He completed the Arizona Hunter Education course in May. Travis was fortunate to get drawn for the junior deer hunt in Game Management Unit 36A. On the last day of the hunt, he came across a fine mule deer. He took his time, was able to stalk within 175 yards, and made a fantastic shot. Everyone is very proud of him, and he is already talking about next year’s hunt.

Pat also had this to say about Arizona’s hunter education instructors. “I would like to offer special thanks to the hunter education instructors who make a special effort to help kids on their hunt. I have known some of these people for most of my life, but to watch them go out of their way to offer kids help and encouragement was terrific. If they spotted a deer, they would actually help complete strangers get the opportunity to fill their tags, or at least give the kids an opportunity for a shot. Thank you to the Brian and Bryce Stark families, Steve Hopkins, and Fred Wiemann and his son Mike.”