Jones shoots two deer at one time
Managing editor
It’s like making a hole in one on the golf course or a home run in a baseball game. Shooting two deer with one shot just doesn’t happen that often.
For Ryan Jones, 18, of Marion, it was the shot of a lifetime. And this was his first time deer hunting.
Jones went with friend Louis Holt, an experienced hunter, the opening day of hunting season, Dec. 2. The two went to a field located east of Marion about 5:30 a.m. and waited until a group of deer came their way.
“We saw three or four deer and decided to take a shot,” Jones said. “Louis helped me brace the gun. I was so nervous.”
Jones said he aimed at the deer closest to them and pulled the trigger. The teens could see that the deer was hit and went down.
“When we got up there, there were two deer on the ground,” Jones said.
The first deer that was shot was a button buck. It appeared that the shot went through the small buck and struck a small doe that was standing next to him.
The day before, Jones purchased two tags. “So, I was good,” Jones said with a smile.
The pair field-dressed the animals, skinned them, and hung them for a week to cure.
Joe Palic of Marion helped them debone the deer. Deer jerky and summer sausage was processed from the meat.
No stranger to hunting, Jones said he took a hunter safety course when he was a middle school student. He had hunted for quail and pheasant but not deer.
He had shot targets, practicing for this moment, but wasn’t as good a shot as he was that day.
“I was surprised when I actually hit a deer and it dropped,” Jones said. “I was really surprised when I realized I had shot two.”
An avid outdoorsman, Jones said he is finished deer hunting for this season but looks forward to next time.
So, why does he enjoy hunting?
“It is so peaceful, waiting for deer to come,” Jones said, and he likes the excitement right before he shoots a deer.
The hunters had prepared the location for the hunt — setting out corn and laying cover for waiting.
“I was pretty green to this,” Jones said. “I had to be shown the process. I’m grateful to Louis, Terry Holt, and Joe for their help. I wouldn’t have been hunting if it wasn’t for them.”
Jones is a senior at Marion High School. Mark and Pam Jones of Marion are his parents.