For the first time in her life, Ossian’s Sara Franzen was recently introduced to the world of deer hunting. In the final weekend of late muzzleloader season, the newfound outdoorswoman dropped her first whitetail. (submitted photo)
Franzen 'hooked for life' on deer hunting
Zakary Kriener
News Writer
zkriener@fayettepublishing.com
When it comes to the great sport of whitetail deer hunting, oftentimes patience is key. For many hunters, it took years to get their first deer, but for Ossian’s Sara Franzen, the thrill and excitement of seeing her first deer hit the ground came on her very first weekend since taking up the sport.
“I had absolutely no previous hunting experience before going out last weekend, and I honestly never imagined that it would be something that I would get into,” admitted Franzen, who was first introduced to the sport by boyfriend Nolan Hageman. “I shot a gun a couple of times when I was younger, but this was the first time I actually shot at something besides a target.”
The young outdoorswoman went on to say that her newfound love for hunting began when she took notice of Hageman’s passion for it.
“Nolan is obsessed with hunting. He has been going his whole life,” continued Franzen. “I started watching it on TV when he had it on, and I would always have a good time when we hung out in the garage with his deer-hunting friends.”
Seeing how much fun she was missing out on, Franzen decided it was time to put on some camo of her own.
“I actually wore some of Nolan’s old hunting apparel and used his gun,” she laughed. “We went out in the field one day, and I took a few shots for the first time in a long time. I felt ready to go!”
The young couple went to their hunting spot near Ossian on Saturday night, Jan. 6, and Sara was hooked instantly.
They sat in Nolan’s blind and scouted the area throughout the afternoon as he taught Sara what to look for. After a while, they spotted a deer near them.
“I was really excited at first because it was a decent buck,” said Franzen. “Unfortunately, that night was not my night. I remember going home disappointed that I didn’t get anything and hopeful that I would get another chance before the end of the season.”
While disappointed that she didn’t have success on night number one, Franzen did admit that she found the experience to be very helpful to her.
“I was pretty nervous that night. I was pretty shaky when I saw the buck,” she elaborated. “I felt pretty confident in my aim, but my biggest fear was knowing when the time would be right to take my shot. I think a lot of my nerves were calmed that night.”
Determined to get her deer, Sara and Nolan returned to the blind the following night.