Ducey: Anything he can do, she can do

Adam Bender couldn't be a happier hunter, even if his new wife did kill a bigger deer and turkey then he did this year.

Samantha Bender's latest trophy was an atypical whitetail that scored 172 7/8. It had 21 points, but only 15 were scoreable. She killed it on opening weekend of the rifle deer season on private land near Beaver City, Neb.

The Sidney, Neb., nurse got the deer from 238 yards out after it had stopped twice. She was lucky: When she first took aim, she realized she'd left the safety on her .270 Weatherby.

“I was shaking so bad I didn't even know how I hit him,'' Samantha said. “We saw him run about 30 yards and he fell. We ran up there, and I was just bawling.

“All I could see was points coming out everywhere. I never thought I would cry over a deer, but it was so exciting.''

Samantha's words tumbled out as she told how she killed just the second deer of her short hunting career. And that's what makes it so much fun for Adam.

“To me, having her be successful and seeing how happy she was made it all worth it for me,'' he said. “I mean, I consider myself to be one of the lucky few out there, who have their wives hunt and fish with them.

“A lot of guys complain about their wives giving them heck for going hunting all the time. But with Samantha, it's completely opposite because she is usually going with me.''

Samantha has even drawn her mother-in-law back into the group for the first time in 28 years. Traci Bender didn't hunt, but she came along with her husband, Jack, who helped Samantha land her trophy buck.

Samantha, who will be 23 this week, said that because she grew up with three brothers she was always a tomboy. She started hunting when she started dating her husband a few years ago. They've been married for four months.

“I'm so competitive. I don't like to be told I can't do stuff,'' she said. “When girls aren't supposed to hunt, I went out right along with him.''

Samantha also has hunted for doves and pheasants, but she said she knew she was hooked when she got a turkey last spring. She said the adrenaline rush was amazing when she killed her 26-pounder, which had a 9-inch beard and 1¾ spurs.

She and Adam had agreed that she would aim for the turkey on the left and Adam would try to shoot the one on the right. But the birds moved at the last minute and Samantha ended up with the bigger prize.

“He gets a kick out of it all,'' Samantha said. “We're kind of competitive with each other in a good way.''

Samantha said she loves camping and fishing, too. She teases Adam that they should try elk hunting next. He didn't get one on his last trip.

“I don't know what the next adventure is going to be yet,'' she said.

13-year-old gets her moose

Micaela Connolly, a 13-year-old eighth-grader at St. Wenceslaus School, has been planning a moose trip since sixth grade.

“It was a very unique choice,'' said her dad, Tim.

Micaela took the required classes, and she and her father first hunted for deer so Micaela could show that she was ready.

She got her prize last month in British Columbia. Despite some rainy conditions, she killed a Shiraz moose with a 49-inch rack on the third night of their trip.

“I was actually a lot more calm than my guide when I got it,'' Micaela said. “My dad was all excited.''

Her dad is getting the moose's head mounted.

Micaela isn't sure why she wanted to hunt for a moose, other than that she thinks they look cool. Dad Tim said she wanted to outdo her mother, Claire, who killed a bush buck and a red heart beast in South Africa two years ago.

“I thought it would be really excited to actually get something,'' Micaela said, “and have the pride of getting something.''

A red stag in New Zealand may be next. Micaela, a big reader, got the idea from her older sister Brigid, who wants to be an exchange student there.

“She'll have to do her homework and figure that one out,'' her dad said.

Contact the writer:

444-1034, marjie.ducey@owh.com

« Sports - Outdoors

Share