Michael Jordan had his legendary Flu Game that led the Chicago Bulls to another championship. Similarly, Danny Hobbs has his own story of triumph, which he calls the Flu Hunt. The date was November 12, and the Reveal XBs by Tactacam had been doing their job, capturing images of one of the two hitlist bucks for the year, known as the Wide 9, during daylight hours. With a cold front forecasted for the weekend, Danny knew that his chances were high. It was the first weekend of the deer archery season with temperatures finally dropping below 50 degrees. Three consecutive days of daylighting and a promising cold front meant he had to be in the treestand by daybreak.
Danny, who now lives in Pikeville, KY, often found himself traveling nearly an hour to a hollow in Mingo County, WV, where he grew up. Mingo County, one of the four bow-only counties in WV, was home to many big deer. Despite hunting successes across the state, Danny had never bagged a deer in these mountains. These elusive bucks, which he and his neighbors referred to as the Ghosts of Big Muncy Hollow, had always managed to evade him. From middle school until now, Danny had spent countless days in a treestand in Big Muncy, often coming away with nothing more than a doe.
But on November 12, the alarm clock rang at 4:30 AM. Danny rolled over and hit the snooze button. At 4:39 AM, the alarm went off again. His wife asked, "Are you gonna get up and go hunting?" Throughout the night, Danny had come down with the flu, feeling as though he had been run over by a train. Despite the body aches, fever, and other flu symptoms, he knew this was the perfect weekend to hunt. He asked his wife when the urgent care opened and set the clock for 7:30 AM, deciding to rest a bit more.
When the alarm rang again, Danny got dressed and headed to urgent care. He was the first patient there and quickly confirmed that he had the flu. During his visit, he received several photos on his Reveal app of deer at his stand. The doctor prescribed Tamiflu and antibiotics, advising him to rest at home. But Danny had other plans. He called his wife, Sabrina, asking her to tell their 17-year-old son, Mason, to be ready for hunting when he got home. Despite her concern, Danny insisted he could rest just as well in a treestand as on the couch.
With his gear packed, Danny made the nearly hour-long drive to Big Muncy. The cold front had set in, bringing drizzle and falling temperatures. The Tamiflu kicked in, and Danny made the 10-minute hike to his treestand in record time. By 11:45 AM, he was set and ready. The temperature continued to drop, and the drizzling rain turned to freezing rain. Around 1:00 PM, Danny received a notification from Mason’s stand camera, indicating that the Wide 9 was in the area.
Prepared for the buck to pass his stand, Danny waited. Minutes turned into an hour, and his fever returned. Chilled and feverish in the freezing rain, Danny kept reminding himself that there were only three hours of hunting light left. At around 3:30 PM, a doe came running toward him, followed by the Wide 9. As the buck stepped out from the briar thicket, Danny began his draw cycle. Halfway through, his arrow knocked off the string. Fortunately, the buck didn’t spook. Danny re-knocked his arrow, drew back, and released it. The sound of the arrow hitting its mark was unmistakable.
Overcome with excitement, Danny called Mason, who had gone to his grandparents’ house when the freezing rain started. They decided to meet at the truck and track the deer together. Despite the flu, Danny had just shot his biggest buck with a bow. They tracked the deer for nearly half a mile, eventually finding it 200 yards from his parents’ backyard. Danny’s dad fetched the four-wheeler while Danny and Mason field-dressed the deer and brought it to the creek.
The excitement of this hunt was unparalleled. After 35 years of chasing big bucks in the very mountains he grew up in, Danny had finally succeeded. The memory of this hunt, shared with his son and father, is one they will never forget. This experience, coupled with the triumph over the flu, has become a cherished family story, often retold with pride and joy.
- A Three Generations Story -
