Ladies In The Outdoors, Krista Miller, Ohio

Krista Miller, Ohio

My name is Krista Miller. I was born and raised in York, PA and now split time residing

at my home in Oak Hill, West Virginia and my hunting camp in Portland, OH. I have the privilege of working in the outdoor and shooting sports industry as a wholesale buyer for Zanders Sporting Goods located in Sparta, IL. Being able to align my profession with my life’s passion has been a blessing and awarded me some once in a lifetime opportunities alongside many fantastic colleagues and people. I enjoy cooking, spending time with my family and friends, and of course, being in the outdoors.

Each November, there is no doubt where you can find me. I will be somewhere with a

bow in my hand, twenty feet up in a tree, and chasing mature whitetail bucks. Where the work starts and ends to make the most of each fall is not clearly defined, it’s a 365 day a year effort. The rubber meets the road each Halloween and big bucks become my obsession for the 45 days to follow.

Looking back to Halloween weekend of 2023 is where the story behind my photo begins. The buck on my left, “Wide 8”, appeared on some trail cameras after no known history of him. We were in the path of a late October cold front that was sure to have mature bucks curious enough to be on their feet looking for an early estrous doe. I had made up my mind that I was going to target “Wide 8” and positioned myself into a food plot’s edge for the morning sit. Shortly after 8am that morning ,there he was, working his way up the fields edge into bow range. As I started to draw back my bow, he spooked and ran out of sight. I was crushed and figured I would never see him again.

After a series of personal pep talks, I gathered myself and got right back after it. It’s now the second week of November and I decided to hunt a set we hung mid-summer that is in a “legacy” area known for holding mature bucks during the rut. Shortly after I got set, I saw two does blast through a patch thicket followed by a loud, unmistakable grunt. I knew immediately that it was a mature buck and got to my feet with my bow in hand. It was the buck on my right, a big mature 8pt we had summer and early fall pictures of. He gave me a 20yd shot and my arrow was true. To bring the story full circle, the next morning, my boyfriend Rob harvested the “Wide 8” that gave me the slip Halloween weekend.

Bowhunting in Ohio will always have a special place in my heart and my fall hunting

schedule. With that said, I’m sitting on 5 preference points in Iowa that I plan to use in the next few years to chase the most highly sought-after whitetail in the Midwest. I hope to make it out west one day to hunt Elk with my bow, as well. In the short term, I’ll chase as many turkeys in as many states as I’m able to this spring and continue to prepare for next November.

Ms August 2025

Ladies In The Outdoors would like to thank our 2025 sponsor, Scent Armor, for making this possible! We truly appreciate your support. Check them out at www.scentarmor.com