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Inspiration!
93-Year-Young RI Hunter Arrows Huge Buck!
By Northeast Big Buck Club Measurer Ed Klosowski

Been inspired lately? I have. In my time I have met a wide variety of people while pursuing my hobbies of measuring antlers, deer hunting and working sportsmen shows. Recently I had the privilege to meet a true inspiration – one of Rhode Island’s senior sportsmen, Mr. William Goodhue.

William has always loved the outdoors, whether it was hunting, fishing, golf, or snow skiing. His father taught him to hunt at age twelve and he shot his first deer at sixteen. He introduced his sons to the sport of hunting and remembers every vivid detail of their first deer kills. He has taken his share of deer but it was the pleasure of being in the woods that he really enjoyed.

William has had his troubles, like the rest of us. He suffered through a dry spell of thirteen years. He hunted throughout New England and New York without shooting a single deer! Don’t feel too bad for him though. He showed me a gorgeous mounted deer he shot in Vermont and a huge moose from Newfoundland.

Although he has twenty odd years of bow hunting experience he has not been able to pull a bow for almost five years. William suffers from heart problems and says he “can not exert himself for too long a time without having to take a nap”.

In 2004, the State of Rhode Island (with a little help from UBRI and others) passed a crossbow bill, enabling the handicapped and elderly to hunt during the archery season with a crossbow. When William heard about this he applied for, and received, his crossbow permit. Due to his age and health problems he hunts only on his own and his neighbor’s properties.

On November 12, 2004 William decided to take his camo covered golf cart to one of his ground blinds. After sitting there all afternoon he got cold and decided to pack up and go on home. When he reached the end of his driveway he noticed some deer in the woods. He drove the cart to the house and walked back up the driveway. He entered the woods about one hundred feet and sat down next to a tree.

After awhile three does came running down the trail - not offering a shot. (OH NO! there they go!!). Then he saw the antlers. The buck was walking down the trail towards him. William shot. The bolt hit a little back of the shoulder (liver) due to the angle.

Since it was almost dark William could not find the animal quickly. He and his sons decided to wait till the next morning to continue searching. It snowed during the night making the search more difficult. In the morning William, his friends and sons scoured the area. Under a covering of snow, William’s youngest son found the deer in the brush and deadfalls.

William’s first crossbow deer dressed out at 195 pounds and had a wide 10-point rack. His deer was “green scored” by the Northeast Big Buck Club on November 30, 2004 and the results were fantastic! The gross score was 159-1/8” as a non-typical, with Main beams of 26 3/8” and 25 3/8” and an Inside spread of 24 1/8”. The bases were both 5”! Wow!

Oh, did I tell you? William Goodhue is 93 years young. He says, “at my age I don’t buy round trip tickets”. But he is truly an inspiration. Even though William is a very private person he was gracious enough to share his wonderful story with me. He has even agreed to show his prize crossbow deer at upcoming sportsmen shows allowing all of us to be a little more inspired. We hope this inspires you, as it did us!

For more great stories about the northeast’s hunters, visit www.bigbuckclub.com