When 13-year-old Brian Karg of Annandale brought down his first deer last week, it was an event worthy of recording and remembering. The Annandale Middle School seventh-grader posed for pictures with the six-point buck. He also saved the antlers, which his father, Bruce Karg, planned to have mounted on a plaque. But harvesting the animal was just a bonus, Bruce said. The Kargs don’t go deer hunting to get a deer, he explained. “We go to spend time together.” The point of the hunting trip Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 8 and 9, with Brian’s grandfather, Robert C. Karg, and uncle, Robert David Karg, both of Litchfield, was “to spend time together and be together.” Bruce said he planned another trip last weekend with some friends he’s been hunting with since his high school days. “We don’t even want to get a deer,” he laughed. “We go hunting to go have a good time together and be together.” Brian shot his buck Sunday, Nov. 9, about 3 p.m. near Games Lake west of New London in Kandiyohi County. It was the second time he’d been deer hunting. His uncle had flushed the deer toward the others. It was upon Brian’s grandfather immediately, Bruce said. He wounded it, but the buck continued running at full speed. It ran in front of Brian, who was in a tree stand. “He dropped it right in its tracks” with a single shot from about 50 yards away, Bruce said. The place where they registered the deer had recorded about 300 taken, Bruce said, which was about twice as many as the first weekend of the firearms deer season last year. Jerry Brose of Annandale headed north on his annual hunting trip with son Steve, grandson Chris and friend Jim Higgins of South Haven. Jerry, who says he loves the hunt and the companionship, has been going to Northome for more than 30 years. They didn’t get any deer, but they saw many hunters who did. “I think it’ll be a good season,” Jerry said. “The natives up there overall are saying that there’s a lot of deer.” Many Annandale area hunters took deer home with them on the first weekend, according to registration numbers. Little Jim’s hunting store in Annandale had about 130 deer registrations. That was higher than last year on the first weekend, said owner Jim Segner. “People I’ve talked to have seen a lot of deer,” he said. At the South Haven Conoco, 145 deer were registered Nov. 8 and 9, owner Tom Zangla said, compared to about 70 or 80 the previous year. A lot of hunters were out the first weekend, Segner and Zangla said, and they expected many to be in the field during the second weekend, Saturday, Nov. 15, through Tuesday, Nov. 18.
