Calista Flett's first deer hunt

(As told by Calista Flett, 15, of Maple Grove, who hunted with her dad, Ron Flett)

My dad and I were hunting on opening weekend on a friend's farm near Vergas. I have an older brother who hunts, and he was hunting near Nashwauk. But dad and I were hunting on the same farm where I took a 23-pound tom turkey last spring. This was my first deer hunt.

We had been told the stand we chose wasn't a particularly good morning stand. But we tried it anyway. At 8 a.m. we saw a 6-pointer go into a cornfield. He was there a half-hour or so before he stepped out. My dad made a noise — a bleat — and the buck stopped. I was using a single-shot .243. Dad didn't tell me when to shoot. When the deer was 60 yards out, I aligned the buck in the scope and shot. We found him not far away. It was a great day!