Nick Miller started deer hunting in 1990 and picked up a bow soon afterward. It took several seasons to take his first deer, but the interest was already there. In episode 6 of A Hunter’s Legacy, he joins Mitchell Fox to talk about growing up hunting Illinois, living in Kentucky, and passing that enthusiasm to his son.

Nick’s story includes hard-earned success and the everyday choices behind a hunting life: finding ground, working construction, raising kids, and deciding how much time and money to put into a season.

An Interest That Started Before Deer Season

Nick’s dad took him outdoors as a young child. Rabbit dogs, coon hunting, pheasants, and other small game were part of growing up. Whitetails became the animal that held his attention most.

He began gun hunting around age ten and started bowhunting in the early 1990s. There were misses and frustrating seasons before his first deer in 1994, a nine-pointer he remembers clearly. His first archery deer followed the next year.

The equipment and routines were different then. Nick carried a small stand and steps instead of leaving an elaborate setup in the woods. He remembers getting home from school and walking a long way for a short hunt before dark. The limited time did not keep him from wanting to go.

From Farm Country to Bigger Timber

Nick knew the cornfields, fencerows, and small woodlots of central Illinois before moving into the larger timber of southern Illinois. That shift changed the hunting he had to learn.

Access changed too. He remembers a period when asking local farmers could open plenty of doors. As leasing became more common in the places he hunted, he lost opportunities and increasingly valued public ground.

The Shawnee National Forest became important to that part of his hunting life. Nick describes a landscape where there is room to explore, but where finding deer can feel very different from watching a small patch of cover between crop fields.

He also talks about helping other hunters who approach him respectfully. Public land is shared ground, and his willingness to point someone toward an area comes with an interest in hearing what they see there.

The 174-Inch Buck and a Neighbor’s Surprise

One of Nick’s memorable harvests was a 13-point buck he describes as grossing 174 inches. After taking the deer, he asked a neighboring landowner for permission to use an access lane so he could retrieve it without damaging the cape.

The neighbor had been watching a big buck and asked to see his deer. When Nick brought it by, her reaction surprised him: it was not the larger deer she had been seeing.

That exchange stayed with him. A buck he was proud to take came with the unexpected possibility that another, bigger animal had been using the same area. It is the sort of detail a photograph of the finished mount would never explain.

Watching His Son Become a Hunter

Nick’s own deer mattered, but he describes a different level of excitement while watching his son take his first one. He remembers shaking and feeling more worked up than the young hunter beside him.

His son started hunting early and eventually began making his own choices about equipment and the game he wanted to pursue. Ducks, geese, and turkeys became part of that interest too.

Nick recognizes the pattern. He once wanted to go everywhere with his dad, then grew into a hunter with plans of his own. Seeing the next generation do the same brings pride along with the hope that the phone will ring when something good happens in the woods.

Work and Hunting in the Same Calendar

Construction has shaped Nick’s seasons. After years working with tools, he moved into a safety role. Spring and fall work demands could compete directly with time outdoors.

He remembers years when he saved money so he could devote more time to deer season, and other periods when late-season hunting fit the work schedule better. The balance kept changing as his family and responsibilities changed.

Hear Nick’s full conversation in episode 6 of the A Hunter’s Legacy archive. For another story about making hunting fit a working family’s schedule, read Taylor Harris’ Iowa hunting story.