Caddell hunts big game, helps with mission trips

When senior Liz Caddell was four years old, she asked her dad to take her deer hunting with him.
He was reluctant to take her at such a young age.
Her mother was downright adamant that she should not go.
Caddell was persistent.
Each year her dad would bring home deer he had killed and each year Caddell would ask him to take her along with him.
When she turned nine, her dad decided she was old enough to go with him.
“I shot my first deer on that trip; a doe,” she said. “That was it. I was hooked.”
Caddell continued to hunt and kill deer at the age of 10, 11 and 12.
When she turned 13, she decided it was time to up the stakes.
“I killed a mountain lion in Idaho when I was 13,” she said.
At 16, Caddell killed a black bear on a hunt in British Columbia.
When she was 18, her dad took her on her first hunting trip to Africa.
“Traveling with guns to another country is tricky,” she said. “There is a ton of paperwork that has to be filled out beforehand and you have to be very specific. You are only allowed to take 60 bullets per gun.”
Caddell said she and her dad have learned to be patient, especially on the return trip.
“It’s strange, but coming back to the U.S. is where we get the most hassle,” she said. “When we fly into Atlanta, we have to be prepared for a 3-4 hour wait at the airport.”
She killed a leopard on that first trip to Africa.
“I love hunting cats because they’re so unpredictable,” she said. “They’re so much more dangerous to hunt, so there is more of a thrill.”
Caddell and her dad have gone on a hunting trip to Africa each year since she turned 18.
She killed a lion on the trip they took when she was 19 years old.
“It was cool because [the lion] charged me after I shot it the first time,” she said. “It got within 10 yards of me and it was pretty intense. It was awesome. It took three shots to take that lion down. God was definitely on my side.”
This past summer Caddell made two trips to Africa. The first was a mission trip with Chi Alpha in May.
“This last summer I went on my hunting trip just two weeks after I got back from my mission trip there,” she said. “I wish I could’ve just stayed those extra two weeks, but I had to come back and get my guns and hunting stuff.”
Caddell said she had to face her fears on that hunting trip.
“I killed a crocodile,” she said. “They told me to go in the water and get my crocodile. I was a little scared because it wasn’t like I killed the only crocodile; there were still about five living crocodiles in the water. So, I went into the crocodile-infested waters and got my kill. It was probably the scariest and dumbest thing I’ve ever done, but it turned out OK.”
Senior Lauren Hale said Caddell is as good a friend as she is a hunter.
“She’s always there for her friends,” Hale said. “She’s one of the most joyful people I’ve met. She always manages a smile, no matter what is going on. Her determination helps her persevere through anything.”
Caddell said she currently hunts big game exclusively with guns, but would like to spend more time bow hunting.
“I have hunted deer with a bow,” she said. “I don’t have the time to practice enough to get really good.”
After graduation, I want to spend the time and get good enough to bow hunt in Africa.”
Caddell, a marketing major, is set to graduate Dec. 2012. She said she wants to spend more time in Africa after graduating.
“Africa is still in my heart,” she said. “I would love to do mission work there. Travelling to Africa has made me realize how easy we have it here in the U.S. We have running water, a warm home and food. In Africa, they have to walk many miles every day to get water.”
She said there are still a lot of animals she would like to hunt.
“A red stag in New Zealand would be fun,” she said. “I also want to hunt moose, caribou and maybe a grizzly bear. I am going back to Africa this summer to get a hippo and maybe another lion.”
Caddell said she is not yet a member of the National Rifle Association, but that she may consider joining after graduation. She said her dad is currently an NRA member.
Caddell is a member of the Safari Club International, which she said has opened a lot of doors for her.
The club holds a convention each year in Reno, Nev.
Caddell said attending the convention gave her the opportunity to interact with other young hunters.
At last year’s convention, Caddell won the Young Hunter 2011 Award.
She said hunting has been a great learning experience for her, and that her mom finally approves.
“I feel like hunting has helped me have a lot more patience, confidence and determination,” she said. “I’ve learned not to worry about the little stuff and not to take things for granted.”
She is currently competing to win a free hunt in Africa.
She was named one of the 10 finalists to move into the next phase of the Extreme Huntress competition.
She said she encourages people to visit the website, Tahoefilms.com/contests/extreme-huntress-contest, for more information or to vote.