■ For some women, hearing that you need a mastectomy to remove cancer in your breast is devastating. I heard “surgery” and knew hunting season was fast approaching, and I was going to miss out. Cancer? I never questioned whether I would kick it to the curb. I was worried about not being able to hunt Bobtail, a double drop-tine buck, or Scar, a 7.5-year-old deer. Bobtail had been showing up on our 56 acres and the 160 acres our neighbor lets us manage for about two years. In 2020, velvet pictures proved he had grown into a double drop-tine with good mass. The Whitetail Institute 30-06 mineral lick has to be the best thing since sliced bread. Bucks, does and fawns benefit from this red dust, and they love it. This is the only mineral lick we use, and we swear by it. My husband, Dave, and I have turned our 56 acres into quality deer habitat through blood, sweat and cusswords. We have managed to keep a great buck-to-doe ratio despite having hunting clubs across the street that want in on the action. On Sept. 9, 2020, I was diagnosed with DCIS breast cancer. Doctors scheduled a mastectomy for Oct. 19, three days after the opening of gun season in Georgia. I got to hunt Saturday and Sunday but then said goodbye to my Savage .270 for the season — or so I thought. The surgery went well, and all the cancer was removed. Dave was the best caregiver a girl could hope for. Knowing I had a few months of recovery before my second reconstructive surgery, I healed at home the best way I knew how — sitting in my living room in a comfy chair with my cat, my blanket and binoculars. Every chance I got, I curled up watching across the field where we had a mineral lick. The rut was on, and I saw lots of action from my cozy setup. Dave caught glimpses of Bobtail here and there, and Scar was nocturnal, so Dave’s season was stressful. During one of my visits to my doctor in late December, I asked when could I shoot my rifle again. I shoot right-handed, and the surgery had been on my left side, so the doctor said the golden words: “I think you’ll be OK. It might hurt, but you should be healed enough.” I couldn’t keep my grin hidden, even under my COVID mask. I was going hunting. The previous year, Dave and I had built a platform near our house for hunting hogs. It’s low to the ground and easy to access, so with two weeks left in the season, Dave went to his neck of the woods, and I padded my bra with socks and went to mine. Like a scene from a hunting show, with 30 minutes of light remaining on the next-to-last weekend to hunt, Bobtail walked out of the woods on a string, straight at me. I grunted and dropped him. Cancer sucks, but hunting cures what ails you. 30-06 Mineral/ Vitamin Supplement is an amazing product. It helps provide the best quality nutrition to deer, and they love it. Even the does have bigger bodies, and the bucks are bigger and better each year.
