MIKE BEATTY'S BIG DEER

Bow Hunting -- A Family Affair

EDITOR'S NOTE: Avid deer hunter Mike Beatty from Xena, Ohio, has been hunting since he was 12-years-old. In the 2001 hunting season, he took the buck of his lifetime -- a monster buck that scored 304 6/8 Boone and Crockett points. This week, Beatty will tell us about his hunt of a lifetime and share his passion for bow hunting whitetails and enjoying the outdoors with family and friends.

QUESTION: Does your daughter hunt?
ANSWER: Yeah, she's been squirrel hunting with me a few times this year. She's real petite, so it's hard to get her in the woods with me in early fall because the brush gets so thick. But in the wintertime, when it's not too cold, she goes out just as much as I do. I try to take my children in the woods with me often because I want to raise them in a hunting environment and in an outdoor atmosphere. I've also taken some friends out hunting who've never hunted before. I put them in my lucky spot, and if they get a deer, they often get hooked on hunting. Of course the wives don't like their husbands' involvement in the sport as much because of the expense. However, my wife wants to go hunting this year, and she's taking a hunter's-safety course.

QUESTION: What's your wife's name?
ANSWER: Toni. I can't wait to get her out there so she can experience the thrill of hunting.

QUESTION: So, do you consider hunting a family activity?
ANSWER: Yes, hunting is not about killing things, it's about getting out in the woods and spending time with family and friends.

QUESTION: What did your friends say about all of this? Were they jealous, or were they happy for you?
ANSWER: They were happy for me. I tell everybody that I can't imagine why taking this big deer happened to me, but it did. And I'm just trying to make the best of it and do the best I can with it. When it stops being fun, I'll stop doing it. If we make some money off of it, that's great. If we don't, I've still had a lot of fun.

QUESTION: Have you enjoyed working with Mossy Oak?
ANSWER: Working with Mossy Oak has been a blast. I can't say enough about Lannie Wallace at Mossy Oak. He's helped me out a lot. Of course he works for Darrell Daigre and Toxey Haas. Darrell has also helped me a lot. He's actually the one who hooked me up with everything. Because of my big deer, many of my friends have become Mossy Oak freaks back home. When they see the videos and hear the stories of me going on hunts and hanging out with these guys, they get hooked on Mossy Oak camo, too.