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Here's a note we received recently from a former Dodgeville resident and experiences in deer hunting. nstead of a story, the letter says it all.
I spoke with you the other day about sending a picture of my daughter Megan and her deer. She is 14 years old, and harvested her first deer with stick and string on opening weekend of the MN archery season (Sept 18th). Although she has harvested 5 other deer in the past with the rifle, this one was the most difficult. While hunting in the stand with her dad, she made the 18 yard shot count. When she found it later in the woods, tears came to both our eyes. The hours of practice and being active in our local 4H archery program really paid off. Her 8 pointer in velvet is now at the local taxidermist for a shoulder mount.
A little history on our connection to Dodgeville. I was born in Dodgeville in 1963, so I would have been part of the class of 81. Because of a change in my dad's career, we moved to Janesville when I was in 7th grade. My dad is Wendell Severson who worked for Amphenol years ago. He grew up on his parents dairy farm just north of Governor Dodge State Park. My mom is Myrna Bollerud, and she grew up on a dairy farm just south of Hollandale. My dad still hunts every year on land owned by the Bowers family north of town. I use to hunt with Mitch and his family years ago before I moved to MN. I graduated from Stevens Point with a degree in Forest Management, and am currently the Silviculture Forester for the Minnesota DNR here in Bemidji MN. My wife Jody and I married in 1996 and spent part of our honeymoon at the Don Q Inn. Megan and her sister Ashley hunt with me in Clearwater County located in northern MN. Coincidently, the Dodgeville Chronicle printed a picture of my first bow kill at age 18. See the enclosed picture (It was not a 100yd shot). A lot has changed since then and I could never have imagined my own 14 year old daughter harvesting a deer 4 years before I ever did.
Megan is has been active in volleyball, softball, pep band, and archery over the years and loves to fish. While we all have our kids involved in many different activities, we as parents need to stay involved with them whatever their interest. In our eyes, Megan hit a home run in the World Series to win the game with her accomplishment. The best part was that we were miles away from any cell phone, TV, or computer to accomplish it. Stay involved with your kids and they will make you proud.
Nick Severson
Bemidji MN