Hunter: Joseph Pritchard
Points: 10 (5L, 5R)
County: Taylor
Season: 2015-2016
Hunt Story
The history with this buck spans over the past three years. I had him under me while bowhunting in 2013 as a 2.5-year-old 9-point. Since that time he has put on some inches and been at the top of our hit list. The first pictures of him in velvet last year were a surprise, and at first didn't realize he was the 9 from the prior season. While sharing the picture of this new buck with one of our members, his son Jack claimed that he wanted that buck...from where he earned the name "NewJack." I have studied this deer and have numerous amounts of trail-cam pics over the last three years but no encounters. After taking a mature 8-point cull in mid October with my bow, I focused all efforts on this particular buck. I filmed three nice deer this past weeked, one on Friday morning and two others on Saturday morning...but they were not the one I was after. Saturday afternoon came, and the conditions were not ideal to say the least. I was sitting over a long narrow food plot with hardwoods on one side and thick planted pines on the other. As I sat in the heat with the feeling that the hunt was gonna be a bust, things changed. I didn't have my camera arm in this setup, so I filmed a doe and two yearlings free handed as they came out to feed. A few more deer came in to the plot, and one of the does began to act different and kept looking into the hardwoods. I put the camera down and picked up the rifle in anticipation of a possible buck coming out. At that point a buck walked out with neck stretched out and head low to the ground as if he was scent checking the doe. Looking through the scope I knew without a doubt it was NewJack. I took the safety off, placed the crosshairs on his shoulder, and squeezed the trigger. He rared up on his back legs and left the plot. This all happened in just a matter of seconds and left me questioning if I rushed the shot. A few minutes later the other deer came back to the plot and eight does and yearlings fed until dark. I met the rest of the members at camp, and we headed back to look for blood. There was good blood, and we began to trail him...until we reached a point where the deer appeared to double back. We had three kids on a golf cart just behind us while we were trying to figure where he doubled back. One of the kids said that the deer was right beside them, and we thought they were kidding and just pretending. They then exclaimed the the deer was really right there beside them...he wasn't even 5 yards off the firebreak. The one who found him happened to be Jack's younger brother, which made it even more special to me. Having great friends there in camp to share this recovery with made this a hunt that I will never forget. I was blessed with a beautfil buck on a hunt where I least expected it. It was a whole lot of luck, but I will take it. The hunt ended with thanks being given by one of our members for the wonderful experience and opportunity to enjoy great friends and wildlife in God's wonderful creation.
