Hunter: Marcy Staley
Points: 8 (4L, 4R)
County: Troup
Season: 2015-2016
Hunt Story
The weekend started with my husband wanting me to go to the hunting property and camp with him and our family and hunt the following morning, so I went. Was not very excited about it, but I had a great time and made great memories. I had never hunted. I have been a couple times and sat and read a book while my husband hunted, then last year my nephew asked me to go take the hunters safety course with him, so I did but still didn't care much for hunting. So here we are this weekend my husband insisted on me getting a hunting licence, so he got me one. Here we go out on the morning of the 22nd and sit on a food plot located on a power line. We saw several deer, bucks chasing does. All this action really got me excited, and then my brother-in-law shot and connected with one on the property. This action and his harvest really piqued my interest, so I told my husband I think I wanted to try and shoot one. So at lunch he got my son's old .243 and sighted it in and gave me a lesson on how and where to aim and some gun safety. My first shot was a half inch off the bulls eye. After a couple more shots, I was ready, so to the stand we go. Once in the stand we had only been there a short time when a big doe appeared, and he would not let me shoot it. I argued, but he explained we were waiting on a buck because they were chasing, so I reluctantly agreed he promised if no bucks showed I could shoot a doe before dark. Then I heard my husband's tone of voice change when he said "big deer, shooter deer." But only problem it was out of the range of my .243 was sited in for. He told me when the deer was walking out if I wanted to shoot it I would have to use his gun. I thought that is not what I practiced with, but I grabbed it and out the window of the shooting house it went. The buck never presented me with a broadside shot, then left the food plot chasing a doe. I was so upset I had missed my chance at a big buck. My husband assured me that it would come back, so I sat there with the gun out the window waiting. He encouraged me to put the gun down and relax, but no, I wanted to be ready when it returned like he said. My heart was racing, breathing heavy, now I know why my boys and husband love to hunt. Then all of a sudden two doe come running into the food plot, and my husband's voice once again changed when he said "there he is get on him." The buck still would not give me the broadsided shot I was told earlier in the day I needed. My husband told me to shoot him at the base of the neck about 8 inches below the white spot. So I questioned him about it, and he told me if I was going to shoot I better do it, or he was going to follow doe into woods again. I settled the crosshairs and squeezed the trigger, and the next thing I hear is not the report of the gun it was my husband shouting "you blistered him, good shot." I was in disbelief that I had made the shot. He had filmed the entire hunt, so we contacted everyone to come help us find him. Then he made me wait, but I was ready to go get my trophy, but we waited and reviewed the film and confirmed it was a good shot. Finally everyone was here, now I could go get my buck. Wrong again, everyone else had to watch the footage of what we had already confirmed. Finally we were off to recover my first trophy. After a short search, I hear my husband say here it is. He would not let anyone go to the deer until I got there, insisting I saw him first. Then the celebration and photo session started. I could not believe I did this. I am hooked now. I think my husband just lost his favorite shooting house.
