Goodrich— Kelly Stonerock confesses to being a just a little competitive when it comes to deer hunting.
At about 9:30 a.m. Nov. 15, Kelly was perched in a tree stand on private land near Clarkston, when she bagged a 160-pound 10-point buck.
In the same morning hours of opening day, and 500 miles to the north near the Western Upper Peninsula village of Crystal Falls her husband Jeff had equal success connecting on a nine-point, 170- pound whitetail.
“One point better,” jokes Kelly.
The husband-wife big buck debate crops up each fall.
“We prayed for two big bucks,” said Jeff Stonerock, Victory World Outreach, senior pastor. “It’s an answer to prayer.”
Yet, for Jeff and Kelly Stonerock the successful opening day of firearm deer season is not so unusual given the common bond the couple has established from their love of hunting.
“Before I met Kelly, I prayed for a wife that hunted,” said Jeff, who married Kelly in 1992. “She was not real fond of hunting when we first got together, but she seemed to adapt.”
Kelly admits it took awhile to get into the sport.
“Jeff introduced me to hunting when we first met,” said Kelly. “I liked it more each year I hunted after that.” Not only has Kelly enjoyed hunting, she has successfully bagged 17 deer (eight during archery season and nine at gun season) in 13 seasons.
While the couple shares their pastime, hunting also teaches compromise. “We take turns going out hunting while one of us stays home with the kids,” said Jeff. “We have a limited time to hunt.”
While caring for their four children, Devon, 9, Justin, 8, Hunter, 2, and Jesse, 1 is a priority, each year the pair sets aside a week in October to hunt in Crystal Falls as a couple.
So far the 2003 deer hunting season has produced four deer for the Stonerocks, who donated venison from two bucks to families from Victory World Outreach Center. The processing was donated by The Cracker Barrel, 5500 Oakhill Road, Clarkston.