"If you’re the venison-eating type, then you’re standing at your window these days, rubbing your hands together, peering out the window and hoping that the head of the household is bringing home the venison.

Right now, I have a whole freezer full of spicy deer sausage, thanks to my keen hunter brother, Grover, or “Koola Boy” as we’ve called him since he was just a kid. (My grandfather, who was Dakota, had a hard time saying Grover, so he called him Koola Boy.)

Ever since my brothers were able to hold weapons, they’ve been hunters. My oldest brother, Allen, or “Pony,” was a sharpshooter, but my other brothers are no slouches, either. My father taught them, and he taught them well. He hunted all his life, but not for fun. In those days, the choice was to hunt game for food or starve.

I hunted, too, but I don’t anymore. On one hunting trip, I was standing close to the hunter when he shot a deer at fairly close range. You know how deer are; sometimes they freeze on the spot. This doe did just that and was looking at me when she was shot right between the eyes. I saw the life leave her. It was a shocking experience that I will never forget."

Get the Story:
Dorreen Yellow Bird : I love deer; they're delicious (The Grand Forks Herald 11/15)

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