The winner of the 2020 Legacy Hunt was a young man from Bayfield, Colorado. Kody Hoffman has shot firearms with his family but had never been hunting. He was eager to head out and learn with hunting guide Hody Ewing, who volunteers his time for SCI.
The pair set out early in the morning in search of a cull buck. As the hunting pair watched the sky changed colors, the sage flats came alive with deer and small blackbirds. While walking the edge of the ridge, they jumped a small group of does. Hody explained how mule deer move when spooked and what is best to do if you get busted.
As they moved on, they happened upon two beautiful coyotes eating on the carcass of a dead deer. After a while, the coyotes moved on, and so did Kody and Hody. The hunters passed many does and knew it was a matter of time before they would see bucks.
As Hody and Kody snuck to a brushy area, a buck jumped from the brush. The buck bound off towards the other ridge across the sage flat. The hunters quickly moved around the trees to watch where he was going, then began moving across the flat in the buck’s direction. Hody also shared the lesson of hunting with the wind. They had to go down from the deer so they wouldn’t have their hunt blown by their scent.
Once they were on the other ridge, they began seeing many bucks, big and small. They came to a standstill as they calculated a plan. The hunter and his guide wouldn’t be able to get into a good shooting position without spooking all of the deer. They decided to back out for a view around the edge of that ridge to see what might be moving.
Once they’d backed out, the hunter and guide got to relax and catch their breath as they looked for other deer before spotting bucks moving up the hill toward them. Hody made a game plan and decided to circle again.
The plan was coming together. After the hunters moved around the ridge, the bucks were up. There were plenty of shooters, and Hody helped Kody set up on his shooting sticks to lay his sights on the perfect one. As the young hunter set up, the deer began to walk, so Hody let out a whistle. The bucks stopped and looked, and Kody let off a shot.
The buck was hit.
Hody kept an eye on the deer to watch where the shot hit and if the deer would go. Kody was ready to go after him and make sure he was down, but Hody had him wait to catch his breath. After a few minutes, the hunter and guide began moving up slowly to see if the buck had gone down. They found a good blood trail, and under a cedar tree right at the hill’s base, lay a buck.
Kody had a smile from ear to ear. Hody showed him how to approach the deer to ensure he was down, and they shared congratulations and then set up for photos to remember the hunter’s first deer.
The work then began as Kody learned how to handle a knife and to field-dress his deer. Hody taught him how to take all the meat in the easiest way possible.
After a day of rest, Kody also got the experience of how to process his meat. From roast cut to grinding burger, he did it all. We are proud to welcome a new hunter into the outdoors and look forward to him making many more memories with his friends and family for many hunts to come.
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Categories: SCI News, Supporting Youth
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