GRANDMA GETS HER OWN: Gainesville woman bags biggest buck with bow

    Kay Doubek has been hunting for about 10 years, an interest that began when she took her grandson hunting as a youngster. The thrill and memories of those hunts helped fuel her own interest in the sport.

And while her grandson has plenty of good hunting stories from those early days, this season she found herself on the other side of a memorable hunt when an impressive buck appeared unexpectedly.

Doubek said she had only been hunting for about 30 minutes when the deer showed up, approximately 50 yards away. 

“...He was moving fast, so I didn’t have time to get my rangefinder out. I figured it was now or never,” she told the Times. “I got lucky.”

Without time to get an accurate distance measurement, Doubek had to make a quick decision. She took the shot and was rewarded with the biggest deer she has harvested with her bow.

The buck had 13 points and measured 6 1/2 inches in mass.

Unlike hunters who spend months studying trail-camera photos and tracking a particular deer, Doubek said she hadn’t seen this buck before. In fact, she didn’t even have a camera set up to keep tabs on the deer in that area.

Instead, the encounter came down to being in the right place at the right time and being ready when the opportunity appeared. After a decade of hunting, the surprise buck gave Doubek another reason to appreciate the sport and the memories it brings.

Her story also reflects one of the things hunters know well: No matter how much time is spent scouting or planning, the woods can still deliver an unexpected moment.