Senior Deer Hunts 2025

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Day one of the Baptist Homes of Arcadia Valley Senior Deer Hunt is over, but the memories will continue for a lifetime! Despite the drought, the Vitalize Carbon Load food plots produced, allowed two senior hunters who thought their hunting days were long over to harvest a deer. New this year were the mobile blinds constructed from lumber the folks at First Baptist Viburnum (MO) milled from oaks that had fallen on the nursing home property during an April tornado, and turned into hunting blinds.

Senior hunter Bill had been unable to hunt for eight season. In a podcast following day-one of the hunt, Bill said, "this was my smallest deer, but by far it is the most meaningful."

Hunters and mentors will be back in the blinds this morning at 5:45 am. Outdoor writer Bill Cooper recorded a podcast with Bill and several others about the hunt that will go live in a couple of weeks. We still have one more day at Arcadia Valley then will have three back-to-back senior deer hunts at the Vandalia, Shelbina and Ashland homes, plus a special staff-only muzzleloader hunt in Arcadia Valley on January 3, 2026 to wrap up the 2025 Senior Deer Hunt program.


Bill's most memorable harvest, with mentor Lee (on the right)


Sonny harvested not one, but two deer over the food plots.


Jane is still waiting to tag her very first deer!


The Deer Camp experience included great food featuring venison....how 15 people could go through 32 large double-patty slam burgers is still a mystery (and the skinniest ones ate the most!). Two "I don't like venison" participants are now "I love venison" converts.

 

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Ms. Judy, a long time neighbor (resident) of the home, harvested her first deer, this 3 point buck. Judy had only 2 hours to hunt before dialysis, and this buck cooperated. Congratulations to hunters Sonny, Bill and Judy on their harvests.

 

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The senior deer hunts are life changing events for our participants. Special thanks to the sponsors and volunteers who make this experience possible. From this forum, Vitalize Seeds provided Carbon Load blends for our food plots, which have been a big hit with the deer and mentors. Volunteers from First Baptist Viburnum put in the food plots and built the blinds and provided mentors for the hunt. Deer Creek Church (Cuba, MO) provided mentors.

This is the third, and largest, of the seven hunts we will host through the Field 2 Fork initiative.