Hunter: Kalin Peavy
Points: 9 (5L, 4R)
County: Dooly
Season: 2017-2018
Hunt Story
I recently placed a tower stand overlooking a field road bordered by planted pines and a food plot. I had hunted the day before with my two sons and saw very few deer. On the morning of 11/5/17, I got up and got ready to go and tried to wake both boys, but they had decided they wanted to sleep in. I decided to go by myself and just take my sons you model .243 that I had already put in the truck. I climbed in the stand a few minutes before daylight. At daybreak I saw a large body deer step out of the planted pine into the food plot about 200 yards away. I raised my binoculars and could tell that it was a good buck. I raised the rifle but had to adjust the scope on my son's gun so I could see, before I could get adjusted the buck jumped the fence and was off into the thicket. I sat back thinking I had missed my chance. As it got later in the morning I began to have some doe come out of the planted pines and feed in the food plot. A small buck came out and began to push some of the young doe around. The largest doe seemed very nervous and kept looking back into the planted pines ever so often. I was content watching the deer and entertained by the young buck pushing the doe knowing that I had missed my opportunity earlier in the morning at a good buck. Suddenly the small buck took off running and out steps the old 9-point that we had been seeing on trail cameras about 200 yards away. I knew this deer was 5 plus years old and had a rack that was 20 inches wide. I raised my rifle and took aim and fired... I missed!! I couldn't believe it. The buck couldn't figure out where the shot came from so I quickly bolted another round and fired again. This time I connected and knew it was a good shot as the buck ran off. I waited about 30 minutes an called my wife and she and my two sons came to help me look for the buck. We found him about 30 yards away in the planted pines. He is not the biggest deer I have seen or killed but I am very proud of him, He is a mature old buck. Since 1993, Dooly County has been a management county and I truly believe it has made a difference in the quality of our deer. Also I believe that planting food plots and having the right nutrients for deer to eat helps in the development of larger bucks. My sons also learned a very valuable lesson from my hunt..... "You can't kill them if you don't go"
