This 10-Year-Old Made a 200-Yard Shot on a 200-Inch Deer for Her First Kansas Buck

Cody Perkins grew up in rural Kansas, hunting and fishing. He is now passing his knowledge onto his 10-year-old daughter, Ella, and her older sister.

“I’ve enjoyed deer hunting my whole life with my family on our farm. Getting Ella involved last year and seeing her harvest her first doe was a joy for both of us,” he says.

In July 2021, Cody checked a trail cam on their property and saw a massive 200-plus-inch velvet whitetail. He had already promised Ella the first opportunity at the best buck on the farm. They spent over 40 days scouting and tracking the deer.

“Seeing those first photos of him in velvet was unbelievable. I knew Ella would be thrilled when I showed her,” Cody says.

The Perkins family farm has had unique deer over the years. They believe this buck, named “Soda Pop” for its Coke-can-sized bases, may be related to another exceptional buck they took in a previous season.

“I was in awe of this buck and prayed for an encounter with him during the youth season,” Cody says.

Ella Perkins with the rack from her 200 6/8-inch Kansas whitetail Drew Palmer

The Buck Goes Ghost for Three Weeks

The buck didn’t appear regularly on the trailcam. At one point, it disappeared for nearly three weeks. It had been seen on the edge of a soybean field just before sunset multiple times, indicating its bed was nearby. With just three days left before youth season, the buck finally appeared in front of the trail camera during daylight hours.

After several days of preparation and rifle practice, Ella was ready for opening day with her dad. Despite the Kansas summer heat, their first sit was plagued with bugs, does blowing, and frustration.

“We stayed as long as we could, but it was dark when we left. On the way back to the truck, I received a notification from the cell camera that the buck had just passed by on the edge of the beanfield. We had missed him,” Cody says.

Due to their schedules, they couldn’t return to the stand until the following Friday. The buck had disappeared again and didn’t appear on the cell camera for that entire period. Cody checked all the cameras on the farm and found where the buck was spending time. He was still on the property, but in a different area. The next day, Ella and her dad set out for another hunt, braving the heat and mosquitoes.

The rolling beanfield and west side of the property offered little cover. They settled behind a couple of round bales on the field edge, providing the only hideout for glassing the field and putting Ella in shooting range. Early on, two old does interrupted their sit, getting too close to the hay bales. They startled and cleared the field.

“I was deflated, and I could see it on her face too,” Cody says. “I wanted to lift her spirits and reassure her that we were still in this and had time left.”

Making a Long Stalk Through the Beans

With some daylight remaining, Cody and Ella decided to make their way through the beans to check another corner. It wasn’t visible from their previous position but was on the way back to the truck. Carefully, Cody led Ella through the tall beans. When they reached the top, they spotted the buck’s head in the far corner of a hayfield, among a group of deer.

Father and daughter continued their 100-plus-yard stalk in the 90-degree heat. When they ran out of cover, the buck was still over 200 yards away. Ella dropped to her knees and steadied the family rifle on a bipod. Cody, appearing calm, asked if she felt comfortable taking the shot. Ella confirmed she was. She already had the crosshairs on the buck’s vitals.

“I was shaking, but I felt confident knowing that I practiced and was a good shot,” Ella says. “I slowly squeezed the trigger, and the gun went off. I didn’t see what happened next, but the other deer in the field scattered.”

The magnitude of the moment overwhelmed her dad.

“I had no idea what the outcome would be,” Cody says. “I flinched when she shot, and through my binoculars, I was surprised to see the deer running everywhere. I finally spotted him with his tail up, trotting away at a normal pace. He didn’t look injured. He jumped over a terrace, and I lost sight of him in the native grass.”

Searching for Ella’s Deer

The author’s father, Dave Palmer, green scores Ella Perkins’ buck. Drew Palmer

Only a few small patches of blood were found where the deer had been standing when Ella shot.

“When I saw that, I became more nervous because I didn’t know where the hit was. But I knew she had hit him. So, I explained the possible outcomes to her so she wouldn’t get confused or upset,” Cody says.

They returned to the field with Ella’s grandpa and her older sister for extra help and to celebrate as a family.

“We went back to the field with better lights, and I had Ella stand at the last blood spot so we wouldn’t lose it in the native grass,” Cody says. “We couldn’t make progress or move the blood trail, so we conducted an intensive grid search in that area, but found nothing. I made a wider loop behind that terrace where I last saw him and stumbled upon him under a cedar tree in a washout. It was shocking to find him there dead.”

The author’s father, Dave Palmer, green scored Ella’s buck at 208 6/8 inches with 26 scoreable points. He has been doing this for family and friends for years in the basement of their family home. Although it doesn’t compare to the world-record buck taken by another young Kansas hunter, Paslie Werth, who shot a 271 4/8-inch buck in 2020, the largest ever taken by a female hunter, it doesn’t matter to Ella. She was already talking excitedly about eating deer jerky made from the buck while her dad measured it. For her, strips of dried venison are more important than a 200-inch non-typical. It’s a perspective we should all adopt.

“I was just so happy to be with Dad and shoot my first buck,” she says. “It was amazing to see it up close, touch it, see its rack, and how beautiful he was. I love eating deer jerky, and I was looking forward to that already. Being with my dad and family during this experience makes me happy. I can tell how excited Dad was, and that was the best part.”

“I was just so happy to be with Dad and shoot my first buck,” she says. “It was amazing to see it up close, touch it, see its rack, and how beautiful he was. I love eating deer jerky, and I was looking forward to that already. Being with my dad and family during this experience makes me happy. I can tell how excited Dad was, and that was the best part.”