A father’s selflessness is a gift in itself; but when that gift also brings a trophy whitetail, there’s even more reason to celebrate. (Photo courtesy of Courtney Hatley)
There is an old saying: “Always listen to the guide.” In Courtney Hatley’s case, that advice came from her dad, Bobby. Bobby is an experienced deer hunter who started taking his daughter Courtney deer hunting with him when she was 4 years old. She shot her first deer when she was 8 years old and had shot three bucks prior to the 2020 season.
The family lives in North Carolina, but they are members of the Ohio River Hunt Club. While hunting back in 2017, Courtney’s dad started getting trail camera photos of a pretty respectable buck. By 2019 the buck had put on enough antler that everyone in the hunt club was aware of him. But the buck had become very...