Kids hope for deer-hunting success

Katherine Josten

Teenagers Katherine Josten and Calvin Emge already have had success as deer hunters. They're hoping for more this month in a youth-old deer hunt in St. Charles County.

In a Missouri Department of Conservation lottery, they were among over 100 area kids who won spots in a youth-only deer hunt. The kids and an adult hunting partner will have the Busch and Weldon Springs conservation areas all to themselves on Oct. 23-24.

Thirteen-year-old Calvin lives in rural O'Fallon, Mo. He bagged a buck deer when he was 10. He was hunting near Mark Twain Lake in northern Missouri.

Last year, he also bagged a deer with a bow and arrow.

Thirteen-year-old Katherine lives in St. Peters, Mo. Last year, she shot a doe deer north of Madison, Wis. She was the only female in the family hunting party.

She said the day of the hunt was "real cold but there was no snow." She said they were in the field at about 6 a.m. and she shot her deer about 3½ hours later.

Katherine said, "I did a little squeal when I shot the deer. I was crying a little because I was real excited."

She said she finds hunting "real exciting. My heart gets beating real fast."

Calvin Emge with a deer trophy

She said bringing the deer home was an unusual experience. "It was in the back seat of the car because we didn't have a trunk. I was in the front seat but the deer's head was right next to me. That was a little unsettling."

The family had the deer processed into steaks and ground meat. The steaks are usually marinated in Italian dressing and grilled. The ground venison is made into burgers.

Katherine said she didn't do the cooking. "I just eat it," she said.

When Calvin kills a deer or other game, he has a special advantage. His dad, Harold, is a taxidermist so he gets his trophies mounted.

Calvin is a 7^th grader at Fort Zumwalt Middle School. He had a successful hunt when he was just 9. He shot a turkey on what then was family farmland near his home. The land since has been sold but the family continues to live in the same house.

He used a 12-guage shotgun on the turkey. He said, "The recoil nearly knocked me over."

Katherine with her Wisconsin deer

His dad made mounted trophies of the turkey and both deer.

Calvin and his dad will be a team during the youth-old deer hunt. They already have scouted out where they plan to hunt at Weldon Springs.

He plans to use his older brother's .270 Ruger Model 77 rifle. As for clothing, he said, "I've got plenty of camouflage clothing." He also will wear a required orange vest and hat.

He and his dad probably will hunt from a ground blind. That's made of netting and they put branches and leaves to make them invisible to the deer.

Katherine said she'll probably wear orange coveralls again. She borrowed the clothing from her dad, Tim, when she bagged her deer last year. Her father will be her hunting partner this month.

She plans to use a 30/30 Winchester rifle for the youth-only hunt. She said she and her dad will make a planning trip to Weldon Springs before the hunt dates.

Calvin said the hunting style for turkey is different from that for deer.

With deer, the hunters usually stay stationary in their blinds and wait for the deer to move. The hunters also try to stay upwind from deer so they can't smell them.

He said, "With turkey, you move around to find them. And you're helped by the fact that turkey can't smell."

Calvin likes all sorts of outdoor experiences. He likes to fish for catfish in the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. He also traps for beaver, raccoons and otters on the Mississippi.

About hunting and fishing, Calvin said, "I like to get out of the house and into the woods." He admitted that he gets nervous while he's on a deer hunt.

Katherine is an 8^th grader at St. Elizabeth/St. Roberts Regional School. She said "fly fishing is fun" but most of her other activities are team sports.

She plays on a select soccer team and also participates in soccer, softball, volleyball and basketball at school.