When Things Don’t Work Out
Gina Batie was one of three women who won a four-day hunting trip to the Legends Ranch through the Women Go Hunting Sweepstakes held at the Safari Club International Convention in January 2025. Legends had donated three Learn-to-Hunt packages for two women each, providing basic hunter and safety education, conservation education and the opportunity to hunt whitetail deer on the ranch preserve. Gina and her friend, Amanda, were among the six women who traveled to Bitely, Michigan, this past December to experience the program.
“I grew up hunting, fishing and camping because my dad loved it,” says Gina. “So, he taught me and my siblings all about it, and we all have a love for those things to this day. Hunting grounds you to nature and creation. It builds confidence in you when you know you are able to provide food for yourself and others. We also learned how hunting is needed for conservation and for all animals to survive and flourish.”
“While this was a Learn-to-Hunt program, I went to the Legends Ranch hoping to meet new people, see a new place to have a successful hunt and to further build my friendship with my hunting companion, Amanda. It was a great experience, a beautiful place, and I enjoyed the people I met.”
Several women on the trip succeeded in taking a whitetail doe the first day of their hunt, followed by others the next day. The last day of the hunt, Gina was the only one who had not connected with a deer. She was disappointed.
“I had to reach down deep and analyze why I hunt and remind myself about the beauty of things not always working out perfectly,” she says. “It helped me grow as a hunter and conservationist.”
Gina and Amanda were scheduled to leave the ranch by 1 pm to catch their flight home from Grand Rapids in the evening. The ranch manager and her guide arranged for her to hunt one more time that morning before departing.
“We didn’t see anything at first,” she says. “Then a few does came in. Because I have hunted a bunch of does, I didn’t want to shoot one just to be able to say I shot something. Up until this trip the biggest whitetail deer I had harvested was a two-by-two. So, if I was going to shoot a deer, I wanted it to be a nice buck.
“About the time the does filtered through, our guide told me we had 20 minutes left before we would have to go back to camp to leave for the airport. Literally, minutes after he said that, we spotted a buck heading down. Once we got a good look at it, we could see it was a very nice buck.
“I was super excited! I finally had my chance! I was laser focused on the deer, aimed and fired. He ran about 30 yards. We saw him literally rolling on the ground for about 20 seconds, and he was done. When we got over there and saw him up close, I was thrilled at how nice of a buck he was!!! My guide told me he was conceived and born in the wild and was not from the breeding pens. That made me even happier. It was a beautiful and successful hunt!”
Legends Ranch has again donated three Learn-to-Hunt packages for the Women Go Hunting Sweepstakes for another six women. Ladies are encouraged to visit the booth #3306 at the SCI convention and enter for free!