The above article is borrowed with permission from The Young Archer magazine.
Whitly Gregory was in a hunting blind with her father when she was 4 years old . At age 6 Whitly was legal to hunt and she took her first deer with a crossbow. At the age of 7 she switched to a compound bow and practiced for deer hunting. Her first harvest with the compound was a wild turkey gobbler.
This year, Whitly took her first ever buck at age of 8 while hunting from a treestand. And what an impressive buck!
It was also a proud moment for dad, as well as Wyatt, her brother, who also went with dad to the hunting blind since the age of 4, and later took Whitly hunting with him many times. Wyatt Gregory, now at the age of 19 has had a very successful hunting career and loves to take his sister with him to enjoy the outdoors.
Whitly also has other interests besides hunting. She is a cheerleader and is involved in gymnastics, and aside from having a famous dad and being featured on The Wild Outdoors television show; Whitly, like other girls her age, loves to get pedicures and hang out with her girlfriends.
One of the questions often asked by parents that would like to get their kids involved in hunting, is what bow and draw weight does Whitly shoot?
Whitly’s Gear:
Compound Bow: PSE Mini Burner wit a Draw Weight of 32# with a 22″ Draw Length.
Arrow Rest: Whisker Biscuit
Bow Sight: Sword
Quiver: Sword
Release: Scott Archery
Whitly’s dad, Jay Gregory, host of a hunting television show called The Wild Outdoors. After 24 years, The Wild Outdoors is the longest running bowhunting television show on the Outdoor Channel.
Whitly’s dad has advice for parents who want to get their kids interested in hunting.
Jay Gregory recommends that young kids start out with a crossbow, the way that Whitly did; because using a crossbow is a great way to introduce a young hunter to bowhunting. When Whitly was too young to pull the appropriate draw weight to harvest an animal, a crossbow helped her to learn how to get prey close and use correct shot angles and arrow placement, and perhaps it was less intimidating than a rifle or shotgun (with noise and the gun kicking). Being able to hunt with a crossbow, Whitly was able to hunt with her father and brother before she could handle a compound bow. Jay says, “If your child is interested in hunting, let it be their choice whether they want to or not.”
A Further Note, The Wild Outdoors episode of Whitly’s turkey hunt from this Spring was nominated for an Outdoor Sportsman award by the Outdoor Channel for noteworthy moments in hunting television:
Congratulations Whitly to you for your interest and participation in hunting and bowhunting. You’re amazing.
The above article is borrowed with permission from The Young Archer magazine.
