Hunter: Carlin Hodges
Points: 11 (5L, 6R)
County: Crawford
Season: 2016-2017
Hunt Story
It was Sunday morning opening weekend of rifle season, cool, still and clear after two days of high winds. I was hunting a clear cut with 400- to 500-yard views, therefore I was hunting with my Weatherby 7mm Rem magnum with a Leupold 6.5 x 16 scope. At 10:30 my son Troy informed me he had shot a doe with his bow, and I had only seen 1 doe by that time, so I decided to climb down from my 20-foot tower. We had a road wash out earlier in the bottom and I had previously found several large rubs in the area, so I thought I would check out both. After checking out the area I was standing there looking into the washout when I thought I heard a squirrel. Then decided it was slower maybe a raccoon when all of a sudden a shadow was moving close to me and there 20 feet away the 11-point with the split brow tine stepped out to my right. He stopped and just stood there, and I realized there was no way (being right handed) that I could turn to the right and shoulder my rifle before he would be in the next county. He put his head down for a second, so I just raised the rifle to my left shoulder but with no rifle sights and 6.5 x 16 at 20 feet. I had no choice but to just point and shoot. when I fired he went down to stay. I then called Troy to let him know his doe would have company on the ride to the cooler. I would like to say thanks to the good Lord for this wonderful hunt and to the hunters in our club, and the surrounding Crawford County for not shooting every buck in the woods thus allowing the age structure to improve. Certainly to GON for the communications HAPPY HUNTING.
