It would be easy for area deer hunting enthusiasts to be quite jealous of an 8-year-old, third grader at Meadowview Elementary. Abby Gail Ware, who herself is no bigger than a deer rifle, began hunting this season and two shots from her .243 rifle has already taken her first doe and first buck — an 11-point buck at that.

“Yep. I haven’t missed yet,” Abby said showing off the pictures of her first two deer. “My dad says when I get older and bigger that I will probably miss. But I haven’t yet.”

On Monday, Nov. 22, Abby took her first deer, a 100-pound doe. Good enough for an 8-year-old right? Not Abby.

“I told her going into the season, don’t think you are going to take a buck in your first season,” Abby’s mother, Amanda Ware, said. “Who would have thought she would have taken her first doe and her first buck in her first two shots?”

The buck, which tipped the scales at just over 200 pounds, was shot on Sunday, Nov. 28, sitting along with her father, Jerry Ware.

“We were just sitting there and didn’t think we were going to see anything,” Abby said. “Then the buck and a few others just come up behind our shooting house.”

Abby said she lined up the 60-yard shot and fired, hitting the buck just behind the shoulder blade.

“It ran about 15 yards into the woods,” Abby said. “It took dad a while to pull him to the car.”

But, according to Amanda, Jerry could not have been any more proud of his hunting partners.

“Oh yeah. He drove the deer around the next day showing everybody what she had done,” Amanda said. “He is so proud of her.”

As for Amanda, she didn’t believe it when they called her Sunday after shooting the buck.

“I told them to stop joking around,” Amanda said. “I couldn’t believe it. Who would have thought it?”

So what’s next for Abby? Well, she has set her sights for something a little bigger the next time she goes out.

“I want to get a 12-point now,” Abby said. “But, if I don’t see one, then I’ll think about shooting what I see.”