"Three generations of Heinks hunted deer together this season, and it was a memorable one. My husband, Mike, and I were joined by our 12-year-old daughter, Mary, and my 81-year-old father, Frank, to hunt near Henning, Minn. Mary turned 12 on Nov. 3 and was excited to carry a gun for the first time, and sat with me in the deer stand. We endured 25-mph winds and blowing snow until a doe finally showed itself at 4 p.m. Mary harvested it with one well-placed shot. Forty-five minutes later Grandpa Frank dropped a 165-pound, 10-point buck with one shot to the neck at 130 yards. Due to advancing Alzheimer's disease, this probably will be Frank's last deer.
"I had to wait until the following morning to harvest a Boone and Crockett 150-class 8-pointer. It had a 17.5-inch inside spread, 26-inch main beam and weighed 213 pounds field dressed. I had torn ligaments in my right [shooting] wrist in a dog attack incident in September, and Mary's first question when she saw my arm immobilized was, "Can you still shoot?" Yes, Mary, Mom can still shoot."
