This little tale all started on Sunday afternoon when I noticed a post on Facebook from one of my friends about their daughter who is a student-athlete at Russellville Middle School as she was leaving out Sunday afternoon for a little deer hunting and what would seemingly be a great story about one of our student’s success soon evolved into so much more, it turned out to be one of the best heart felt success stories I have ever read and it is truly a blessing for me to have a small part in it.
Riley Graham is a 7th grader at RMS and is the daughter of Heath & Christie Graham whom many of you know. Christie is the longtime director of the Russellville A & P and Heath is a longtime avid outdoorsman who just happens to be the founder of “Struttin Bucks” which has aired great hunting shows for years on a variety of outdoor platforms. The show currently airs on both the Pursuit Channel & Waypoint TV and next fall you will be able to watch Riley’s hunt on one of the episodes.
So instead of just a successful hunting story, Riley’s story has evolved into that of a young lady who went on her first hunt ever in 2020, to one of a hunter who could not wait to get started in 2021. Using a crossbow enabled Riley to get an early start in the woods this year when opportunities are definitely much better, but her true journey has been her growth as a hunter and understanding just what hunting is all about.
Her dad described it best, and I had to include his comments in this story because I simply could not convey his thoughts any better. Graham explained,“We spend a lot of time doing our best to take care of these incredible animals. It’s something I think about every day. I honestly enjoy the conservation, land management and improving habitat side of hunting as much as I do the hunting itself. Over time I think it’s something Riley has seen. Yes, we hunt, but we have an incredible respect for this species. She’s watched and seen firsthand the respect we have for specifically the white-tailed deer. We invest a lot of time and money into this wild species, that goal being always give back more that we take. What we do take we take great pride in processing every piece of meat and providing food for our family.”
He also gave me a funny tidbit, as they have been filming hunts all of Riley’s life and she probably doesn’t even realize that people actually hunt without cameras! Definitely good for a laugh, but in Riley’s case I am extremely glad they caught her hunt on film as it will be something that daughter, dad, & the entire family can treasure for the rest of their lives.
Because of what Riley has grown up with, when she first began hunting she naturally was not in the woods “just to kill a deer”. She wanted to take specifically a mature buck, and because of that mindset in 2020 she passed on several young deer. Graham mentioned, “when the season was over and she had not harvested a deer I assumed she’d be frustrated, the last thing I wanted as a father was to have a daughter frustrated with hunting because she hadn’t experienced success, my assumptions couldn’t have been further from the truth, she absolutely loved every hunt despite never squeezing the trigger. In her mind she had already experienced success seeing hundreds of deer in their natural habitat enjoying nature. “
As for the actual hunt, the ten-point they had on camera all summer made its way toward the blind and Riley was presented with the opportunity to take herfirst buck ever. After a prolonged wait for the deer to stand in the perfect position Riley took the shot. In Dad’s own words, “with her heart pounding out of her chest she squeezed off the trigger and made a perfectshot. As the deer ran off she immediately asked if she got him, my response was,” Baby girl, you smoked him” For the first time Riley was able to experience the old term” Buck Fever”, there’s no doubt its real.
When all was said & done, Riley had harvested herdeer in her timing with a full understanding of what being a hunter really is all about. It’s not all about killing, although that is a part of the process. It’s about giving back more than you take and investing into Gods renewable resources. Hunting teaches many life lessons, patience being one of those and for Riley it’s been evident her expectations are ahead of the curve for her age.
As I stated earlier, what started as a hunter’s success story turned out to be a great life lesson and a story of great times spent with family making a lifetime of memories. Thanks to Riley and the Graham’s for sharing this incredible journey.”